Forum Discussion
100% stacked bar chart format
Hi DavidMoss,
I donot think it's make sense to display actual value on 100% stacked bar chart. Besacuse the Y-asix 100% stacked bar chart is Percentage. For example if you have the value below.
| Country | Legend | Value | Percentage |
| A | Apples | 10 | 20% |
| A | Bananas | 35 | 70% |
| A | Pears | 5 | 10% |
| B | Apples | 20 | 20% |
| B | Bananas | 70 | 70% |
| B | Pears | 10 | 10% |
As you can see, Apples value count 20% percentage in each country, but in country A is value is 10, and in country B is 20. If you dislay value on 100% stacked bar chart, then is should have different high. However they count same percentage in each country and they have the same high on 100% stacked bar chart.
Regards,
Charlie Liao
In fact showing the value makes a lot of sense because it allows another measure to be described within a single chart... a 100% stacked chart should allow you to quickly sense changes in composition (for example, sales by product line) over whatever is the X axis, but as you already said, it tells you nothing about the volume (or importance of those changes)
As it is now you could easily see that - let's say - Fruit sales went from 25% to 50% from Jan to Feb but... was that because you sold more Fruits? or because you sold less of the other products? is it truly relevant because in Feb you sell the same or a lot more than in Jan? or it is neglible because that particular Feb you almost did no sale at all?
See all those question could be answered with a 100% stacked chart that *also* allowed you to display a value but can't be answered as it is now
Makes sense?
jcr1968es I can feel you have experienced the same pain i did when needing both % & values in the 100% stacked chart.
The 2 values complement each other and help consumers avoid any negligible value differnces that can have large % variances.
Think doubling sales from 1 USD to 2 USD = 100% in an emerging market and comparing that to your mature market which goes from 1 Million USD to 1.1 Million USD = 10%. I know i'd want to draw attention to the 10% irrespective of the 100% emerging market's success.
David
