Picking Chart Types

This article explains how to pick chart types for time series in Model Reef.

You will learn:

• Which chart types are available.

• When to use each type.

• How to match chart types to business questions.

Choosing the right chart type makes patterns and differences easier to understand.

1

Available chart types

Depending on context, you can usually choose from:

• Line charts.

• Bar charts.

• Stacked bar charts.

• Area charts.

• Combined line and bar charts.

• KPI cards.

• Table views.

All chart types operate on the same underlying time series.

2

Line charts

Use line charts for:

• Trends over time.

• Comparing multiple series with similar units.

• Visualising growth or decline paths.

Examples:

• Revenue vs EBITDA.

• Cash balance under different cases.

• Headcount over time.

Lines are best when the shape and direction of change matter.

3

Bar and stacked bar charts

Use bar charts for:

• Comparing magnitudes across periods.

• Viewing contributions of different series by period.

Use stacked bar charts when you want to see:

• How categories add up to a total in each period.

• The composition of revenue, costs or capex by component.

Examples:

• Revenue split by product.

• Opex split by department.

• Capex by project per year.

4

Area charts

Area charts are useful when:

• You care about both trend and magnitude.

• You want to emphasise cumulative feel without literal cumulative sums.

They work well for showing totals where the fill visually encodes size.

5

Combined line and bar charts

Combined charts can be helpful when:

• You want to plot a primary series as bars, for example revenue.

• You want to overlay a secondary series as a line, for example margin percentage or headcount.

Use this when two related metrics have different units but share a time axis.

6

KPI cards and tables

KPI cards show single numbers such as:

• Latest period EBITDA.

• Peak cash requirement.

• NPV or IRR.

Tables show more detailed breakdowns and may complement charts when you need precise values.

7

Choosing chart types by question

Match chart types to questions such as:

• "How is this changing over time?" → line or area.

• "What is the composition by period?" → stacked bar.

• "How do two metrics move together?" → combined line and bar.

• "What is the latest or total value?" → KPI card or table.

Choosing appropriately keeps dashboards focused and legible.

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Related articles

• Category Picker

• Category Selection

• Mapping Variable Types

• Build a Board Reporting Pack