Select a Chart Type

When creating a chart, it's important to consider the type of information you want to show.

For example, if you want to show what percentage each salesperson contributes to the bottom line, try a pie chart, which is great for showing how parts relate to a whole.

If you want to show how each salesperson has been doing over the course of the year, a line chart might work best. That way you could plot each person's sales numbers through time and see who's improving.

Quickbase offers the following chart types:

Comparison

• Bar

• Stacked bar

• Horizontal bar Horizontal stacked bar

• Waterfall

• Radial bar

• Variwide bar

• Heatmap

Trend

• Line

• Line and bar

• Area

• Spline

• Area spline

• Streamgraph

Ratio

• Pie

• Funnel

• Donut

Relationship

• Scatter

• Bubble

Performance

• Gauge

• Bullet

3D charts

• 3D Bar

• 3D Stacked bar

• 3D Area

• 3D Pie

• 3D Donut

• 3D Funnel

Bar

If you want to compare values, try a bar chart. Which month was the best for business? Compare them all with a bar chart. If you want, you can break down bar chart numbers even further. For example, in addition to comparing music store sales for each month, you can include details like sales for each instrument within each month.

Stacked bar

This format combines the comparison features of a bar chart with the proportional illustration of a pie chart. For example, the image below shows monthly sales for the music store, just like the bar chart in above. But the stacked bar chart below breaks each bar down into percentages by instrument, just like a pie chart would. The percentages "stack" up to form the total bar.

Horizontal bar

The horizontal bar chart is a bar chart turned on its side.

Horizontal stacked bar

Like the horizontal bar chart, this format turns a stacked bar chart on its side.

Waterfall

A waterfall chart can be useful to illustrate the cumulative effect of changing data, typically to show financial changes due to positive and negative values.

This sample waterfall chart shows a starting amount, gains, and losses resulting in a closing balance:

Radial bar

You can give your bar chart a circular twist to compare values with more visual impact. If you were tracking team utilization rates, each radial bar segment could represent a team member’s contribution to create a functional, eye-catching performance wheel.

Variwide

Show both value and impact in a single view with a variwide chart that adjusts both the height and width of columns. Imagine comparing revenue by product and you also want to emphasize market share, variwide charts help you capture both dimensions at once.

Heatmap

A heatmap is an effective way to visualize patterns and trends across large data sets. It uses color intensity to display values, making it easy to identify spikes, clusters, or outliers at a glance. For example, when tracking equipment downtime across multiple sites, darker shades can quickly highlight areas that require attention for faster and more informed decisions.

Line

This format helps you track changes through time. Have sales of various instruments been increasing or declining? A line chart can show you in a flash. The image below tracks each instrument's sales over the period of a few months. You can click a square to see the records that comprise that figure.

You can also display sets of values on the secondary (right-side) Y axis, in addition to any sets of values shown on the primary Y axis. The image below plots the daily volume of stock trading vs. close price from January to April 2015.

Why are some portions of my lines dotted?

When Quickbase is connecting the dots on your line chart, some numbers may be missing. Whenever a line chart encounters a missing value, it tells you so with a dotted line. Quickbase treats it as a zero, but lets you know that it has no actual value for that x-axis point with a dotted line.

Line and bar

The Line and bar chart combines the features of both a bar and a line chart in one visual plot.

You can easily distinguish between line values and bar values, so this chart is a quick way to visually compare data sets that have different value ranges, like project cost in the millions and project hours in the thousands. It's also good for visualizing categorical data, like revenue by project type.

You might use a line and bar chart to:

• see how projects stack up against an average

• identify high value functioning teams or regions

• visualize seasonality in your data

This line and bar chart shows profitability across an organization.

Learn how to create a line and bar chart.

Area

Area charts offer the time-tracking qualities of a line chart and toss in a dash of pie chart proportion measurement. Should the music store continue to carry string instruments? What percentage of sales do string instruments represent and how have they performed over time? An area chart like the one below can help you see the numbers clearly.

Spline

Show trends with a smooth, flowing line spline chart. Unlike a basic line chart, a spline adds curvature between data points, making it easier to spot gradual changes. For example, when tracking customer satisfaction scores over time, a spline chart can help you visualize subtle dips and peaks across the year to help stakeholders focus on overall movement.

Area spline

To show both trend and magnitude over time, use an area spline chart to give more weight to the volume of data. If you're tracking support tickets by category, an area spline can help you see how categories shift in volume while still emphasizing their overall trajectory.

Streamgraph

Use a streamgraph to show how data flows over time across multiple categories. Streamgraphs visualize stacked values with movement. For example, streamgraphs can help you visualize how labor hours shift across different teams over the course of a construction project, or how production output varies by assembly line throughout a manufacturing cycle.

Pie

If you want to show proportions, use a pie chart. How many dentists recommend sugar-filled gum? One out of four, or 25%. Illustrate that figure with a pie chart. Or maybe you need to see what share each of your products represents to your total business. For example, if you own a music store, your pie chart might look like the one illustrated below, which shows the percentage each instrument type contributes to total sales.

Pie Chart

Funnel chart

Use a funnel chart to display progress through any process, for example, a project development cycle or a sales pipeline.

This funnel chart shows sales opportunities by stage, from prospecting to closed/won.

Learn how to create a funnel chart and see examples.

Donut

Donut charts show proportions like pie charts, with a hollow center for a modern look. For example, if you’re tracking revenue by region, a donut chart quickly reveals which region contributes the most.

Scatter chart

Use a scatter chart to show correlations and relationships within your data. Scatter charts make it easy to visualize how one data set (the x axis) affects the resulting data set (the y axis). For example, you could use a scatter chart to show how project cost affects return on investment (ROI).

You can also use a scatter chart to see trends and outliers at a glance.

For example, you might use a scatter chart to visualize how your team's actual ticket resolution times compare to their estimated resolution times.

Learn how to create a scatter chart and see examples.

Bubble chart

Use a bubble chart to visualize three dimensions of data on a single chart. Select a field that determines the size of the bubble. Bubbles vary in size according to the values in this field.

Similar to a scatter chart, you can use a bubble chart to show relationships among your data and convey a large amount of numeric information quickly— like prospective sales opportunities per week by dollar amount, probability of close, and stage in the sales cycle.

Learn how to create a bubble chart and see examples.

Gauge chart

Use a gauge chart to measure progress against a goal that you set, like the total annual sales.

Set the number that the gauge starts at, often 0, and the goal — the number that indicates the gauge has reached 100% and is full.

The gauge displays in a single color. The color is based on the percentage of the goal reached and the ranges you define.

Learn how to create a gauge chart and see examples.

Bullet

When comparing performance against a target, you can choose a bullet chart. It’s a clean, space-saving alternative to gauges or bar charts. For example, you could show actual sales next to your goal and a qualitative range (like poor, average, or excellent performance).

3D Charts

Add depth to your data with 3D charts and provide a visually engaging way to present standard charts like bars, pies, and funnels. Your data stays the same while you add perspective to tell a more dynamic story. Available 3D charts:

• 3D bar

• 3D stacked bar

• 3D pie

• 3D donut

• 3D area

• 3D scatter

• 3D funnel

App managers can enable 3D shading for all charts, instead of the default, flat presentation. To enable 3D shading, select Branding on the App Settings page and then select Display 3D shading on charts.