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Creating charts from data
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ILEMAKER PRO HELP 398
Creating charts from data
There are two ways to create charts in FileMaker Pro:
• You can create a quick chart in Browse mode. When you start this way, FileMaker Pro sets
up the chart for you based on the current state of the database. You can use the Chart
Setup dialog box to modify a quick chart. You can print the chart or save it on a new layout,
if you have the correct privileges. See
Creating quick charts.
• You can use the Chart tool in Layout mode to create a chart. With this method, you specify
each setting. You can create the chart on a new layout or you can add the chart to an
existing layout. See
Creating and editing charts in Layout mode.
Important In FileMaker Pro, charts update dynamically as data changes. Charts that display
summary data remain accurate as long as you maintain the required sort order. If you change the
sort order, the chart may no longer show your data comparison.
Notes
• You can move charts within a layout part or move charts to other layout parts. See Moving
objects on a layout.
• You can place tooltips on charts. See Adding tooltips on layouts.
• You can set charts to resize automatically when you resize the FileMaker Pro window or you
can precisely resize charts. Resizing settings also apply to
Preview mode and printing,
when the page size is different from the size of the layout being viewed or printed. See
Resizing and reshaping objects and Setting auto-resize options for layout objects.
• If you copy a chart in Browse or Find mode, then paste it onto a layout, the copy of the chart
is a bitmap image that will not update when data changes. You can’t edit a bitmap image of
a chart.
• FileMaker Pro displays a placeholder image of your chart in Layout mode.
About chart types
You can use charts to compare data graphically. For example, bar charts give a good overall picture
of your data set, but they are difficult to read when there are numerous bars. Bar charts also imply
that data values are frozen. If your data continuously changes over time, a line chart might be a
better choice. If you want to compare the percentage of one
data series (a single bar) to the sum of
all data series (all the bars), a pie chart works well.
Use a To
Column chart or
bar chart
Compare two or more numerical values taken on different dates or under different
conditions. Good for comparing increases to decreases, highest with lowest, how
many, or how often.
A single-series column or bar chart is good for comparing values within a data
category, such as monthly sales of a single product. A multi-series column or bar
chart is good for comparing categories of data, such as monthly sales for several
products.
Use a line chart to compare more than 15 data points.