Column + Line Charts are extremely versatile. Here we will show you some tips and tricks for using this kind of chart and how to build it.
Use Cases
Trends over time. If you have any kinds of sums and want to see the percentage relative to a whole, this chart type is very useful to track that. You can add columns for a certain time period and a line for the percentage comparison.
Comparing Time Periods. One easy way to visualize how your company performed this quarter (or month, or 90 days, etc.) compared to last quarter (or relevant time frame) is by using a Column + Line Chart. Set the column data series to your data for the current period,then use the line data series to the same time frame just prior to the current one.
Total Sales Revenue Amount & Total Sales Counts. This sales metric lets you see your total revenue amount compared to the number of sales. This can give you an idea of how large of sales you are selling.
Building a Column + Column Chart
To build a column + line chart, first, log in to your Grow account and click Add Metric. Choose your data source, and connect your data.
In the Chart Tab, click on the chart type menu. Select Column + Line Chart.
Next, you will need to select your data series.
Then, you'll need to select a grouping. The first time you create a metric and select a data series, a grouping will automatically be populated if the data you have has a date column.
Once you have selected your data series and grouping, you can start to format those selections.
Finally, be sure to add chart labels and key values to your chart.
Note that the first data series you select will be the column by default, and any subsequent data series you select will be a line. You can change the format (column or line) of each in the Data Series Type dropdown of the data series settings (under the color picker). When displaying a line, you can also change the line thickness and style, and choose to display round bullets for each data point on the line.
Using 2-Value Axes
Given that this chart type is often used for comparisons, one formatting option that may help your chart is to use 2-value axes.
2-value axes are useful when each data series may be on a different scale. For example, if my sales revenue is in the thousands, but my actual count of sales is in the hundreds, 2-value axes would allow you to see both without unnecessarily squishing one data series or the other because of its relative size.
To enable 2-value axes, click the three-dot menu on a data series, then assign a data series to the right axis.
Finally, be sure to add chart labels and key values to your chart.