Area chart
Area charts extend line charts by filling the space beneath the lines, making it easier to see volume or cumulative totals. They work well for highlighting the magnitude of change over time or comparing contributions between series.
Template options
Simple area → fills under one or more lines to show absolute values.
Stacked area → layers series on top of each other to show combined totals.
100% stacked area → normalizes to percentages, showing relative contributions across categories.
Mapping options
X → Dimension for the horizontal axis (often time or ordered categories).
Y → Measure for the vertical axis (height of area).
Color → Splits the area into series, enabling stacked or 100% stacked variations.
Label → Annotates points or areas with text.
Tips
Use area charts when you want to emphasize totals or filled volume, and line charts when clarity of trend is more important.
Too many series can make overlapping areas hard to interpret — limit to 4–5 for clarity.
Transparency helps distinguish overlapping areas in the simple variant.
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