Visualizing Trends Over Time

The Simple Line Chart is designed for straightforward time-based analysis. It connects data points across a timeline, making it ideal for tracking trends, changes, or progress over a defined period.

Configuring the Chart

Data Connections

To set up the Simple Line Chart, you need to configure the following fields:

1. User Document

   • Connect the chart to the Data Document containing the dataset you want to visualize.

2. Date Data Connection

   • Select the Date Field to define the timeline.

   • Example: Use “Created At” to show when documents were created, or “Invoice Date” for financial data.

3. Projection

   • Choose the specific data field to be visualized along the timeline (e.g., sales value, order count, or other numerical fields).

Grouping Options

The Simple Line Chart groups data points over time using predefined intervals:

• Day

• Week

• Month

• Year

Chart Configuration Options

After setting up the data connections, the following options need to be configured:

1. Option Name

   • A free-form text field to define the name of this configuration (e.g., "Monthly Sales Summary" or "Invoices by Status").

2. Data Index

   • Select the appropriate data field (index) from the data structure that will serve as the foundation for the analysis.

   • Example:

     • For "Documents by Status," select “Document ID” to count the documents.

     • For a chart analyzing "Total Sales," select the sales value field.

3. Operator

   • Choose the type of operation to be performed on the data:

     • Sum: Adds up numerical values (e.g., total sales).

     • Avg: Averages the values (e.g., average spending per month).

     • First: Displays the first occurrence in the dataset.

     • Count Values: Counts the number of occurrences (e.g., total documents by status).

4. Type

   • Select the data type:

     • Number: For numerical fields.

     • String: For text-based fields.

5. Sort

   • Define the sorting order for the data:

     • 1: Ascending (e.g., smallest to largest or A to Z).

     • -1: Descending (e.g., largest to smallest or Z to A).

Selecting one of these options automatically groups and aggregates the data based on the chosen time frame.

By following these steps, the Simple Line Chart helps you visualize how data changes over time, providing clear insights into patterns and trends.