Planning a chart

Before you create a chart, it’s important to do some planning. For example, you need to decide on the type of chart that will show your comparison most clearly and select the appropriate data series so data is displayed correctly.

To plan a chart:

Consider the audience for the chart and decide what you want the chart to emphasize. For example, a chart for a marketing presentation might show how a product line has grown in the months after an advertising campaign was launched. Think about the data in your database and how it might be compared or contrasted graphically to make your point.

2.	Choose the best type of chart to convey your comparison. Some chart formats compare similar data from different sources, some show trends over time, and some show percentages of a total. For more information on choosing the best chart for your comparison, see Working with charts.

Consider sketching the chart on paper to help you determine the data series you need to assign to the X- and Y-axes (Label Data and Value Data in a pie chart). The X-axis or Label Data are the data values you are comparing (for example, companies by name) and the Y-axis or Value Data are the values you are measuring (for example, quarterly sales figures for each company).

Do you need to modify data for this comparison?

•	Do you need to perform any calculations on your data before you create the chart? For example, do you need to define a summary field to calculate quarterly sales figures or does your database already contain quarterly summary information?

•	Do you need to group and sort data in a particular order to show your comparison?

The following guidelines can help you plan a chart.


To:	Consider this:
Chart data in related records	You can sort data based on related fields, but you must set the sort order in the Chart Setup dialog box, not the Sort dialog box. See Creating and editing charts.
Chart summary data	Make sure data is grouped and sorted correctly and that you place your chart in the appropriate layout part. See Placing your chart in the appropriate layout part.
Use Instant Web Publishing to publish a chart	Charts published using Instant Web Publishing are converted to bitmaps. Therefore, they cannot be edited and chart tooltips are inactive when charts are viewed on the web. See Publishing databases on the web.
Chart multiple data values located in single fields (for example, data in repeating fields or delimited data in a single field)	Charting delimited data requires that you list multiple data values in single fields using a calculation or a function (such as the List function). You then specify one delimited data field for the X-axis (Label Data in pie charts) and one data field for the Y-axis (Value Data in pie charts). When you chart delimited data, values from the X-axis field correspond to values in the Y-axis field in the order they were entered. For more information, see Example 3: Charting delimited data. Note FileMaker Pro recognizes only the carriage-return character as the data delimiter.