Chart Types
Frappe Insights provides multiple chart types to help you visualize data in the most meaningful way. Choosing the right chart makes it easier to identify trends, compare values, understand proportions, and communicate insights effectively.
Tip
Every chart is created from a saved query. The available configuration options vary slightly depending on the chart type, but the overall creation process remains the same.
Number Chart
Best for: Displaying one or more key performance indicators (KPIs).
Common Use Cases
- Displaying total revenue, active users, or conversion rate.
- Building dashboard headers with important business metrics.
- Comparing current performance with previous periods.
Configuration
- Columns – Select one or more numeric fields to display as KPIs.
- Date Column (Optional) – Enables trend comparisons and sparklines.
- Formatting – Configure prefixes, suffixes, decimal precision, and compact number formatting.
- Advanced Options – Enable percentage comparison, sparklines, or indicate when lower values are considered better.
Best Practice
Use Number Charts at the top of dashboards to highlight the most important KPIs. Display no more than three or four metrics to maintain readability.
Bar Chart
Best for: Comparing values across categories.
Common Use Cases
- Revenue by product.
- Sales by region.
- Monthly performance comparisons.
- Ranking departments or teams.
Configuration
- X-Axis – Select the category field.
- Y-Axis – Select one or more measures such as sales, count, or average.
- Chart Style – Choose between grouped, stacked, overlapping, or normalized bars.
- Split By (Optional) – Divide each category into multiple series.
When to Use
Use Bar Charts for comparing values across a limited number of categories. If category names are long or you have many categories, consider using a Row Chart instead.
Row Chart
Best for: Comparing categories horizontally.
Common Use Cases
- Top-selling products.
- Employee performance rankings.
- Department comparisons.
- Reports with long category names.
A Row Chart is functionally identical to a Bar Chart but displays the categories vertically and the values horizontally, making long labels easier to read.
Best Practice
Choose Row Charts whenever your category labels are long or when displaying rankings with many items.
Line Chart
Best for: Displaying trends over time.
Common Use Cases
- Monthly revenue.
- Daily active users.
- Website traffic.
- Seasonal performance.
Configuration
- X-Axis – Typically a date or time field with configurable granularity.
- Y-Axis – Select one or more measures.
- Line Style – Configure curved lines, filled areas, and data points.
- Split By (Optional) – Display multiple trend lines for comparison.
Best Practice
Line Charts are the recommended choice for time-series analysis. Limit the number of lines to keep the visualization easy to interpret.
Donut Chart
Best for: Showing how individual categories contribute to a whole.
Common Use Cases
- Market share.
- Revenue by category.
- Traffic source distribution.
- Budget allocation.
Configuration
- Label Column – Defines each slice.
- Value Column – Determines slice size.
- Display Options – Configure legend placement, inline labels, and maximum slices.
Note
Donut Charts work best with three to seven categories. Too many slices make the chart difficult to read.
Funnel Chart
Best for: Visualizing sequential business processes where values decrease at each stage.
Common Use Cases
- Sales pipelines.
- Marketing conversion funnels.
- Hiring processes.
- E-commerce checkout flows.
Configuration
- Label Column – Select the stage names.
- Value Column – Select the numeric values for each stage.
- Label Position – Display labels on the left, right, or alternating sides.
Best Practice
Ensure the source query is sorted in the correct process order before creating the Funnel Chart to accurately represent progression through each stage.
