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How to Create a Range Area Chart

Table of Contents

What is a Range Area Chart

Single-series Range Area Charts render a filled-in zone between two lines. They require a start value and an end value for each point. In our charts, the end value will still be given by an Area chart selection. While start values require another data column to be set as Area Start.

We will have the following possible combinations:

  1. Area Start + Area – standard single-series Range Area chart.
  2. Area Start + Area + Area Start + Area … – multi-series Grouped Range Area chart.
  3. Area Start + Area Start + … + Area – standard multi-series Stacked Range Area chart.
  4. Area Start alone – this will actually render a Line chart, equivalent to a Line chart setting.

Multi-series Range Area Charts render either one-behind-the-other Grouped Areas, or Stacked Areas piled one on top of the other. Portions of some areas may appear hidden for Grouped Areas, so using a semi-transparent fill is recommended. Stacked Areas may also overlap, when one area from the top gets negative values and goes down over the area it stays on top of.

Multiple-series Range Areas are usually multi-color, each series getting a different palette color. Single-series Range Areas could be single or multi-color, with each point segment getting a different palette color.

Steps to Create a Range Area Chart

Start Visual Xtractor or Data Xtractor. Connect to a database. Create or design a SQL query. Run the query and check the results.

  1. Display and enable the Chart query builder.
  2. Set a data column as Area Charts – Area Start chart, for a simple Line chart.
  3. Set another similar column as Area, for custom end values and a full Range Area chart.
  4. Add other pairs of Area Start + Area, for a Grouped Range Area chart.
  5. Or end a chain of Area Start with an Area, for a Stacked Range Area chart.
  6. Add an optional Label.

Single-Series Range Area Chart

Set two numeric or datetime data columns to Area Start (for start values) and Area (for low values). In 3D, you may get a warning or an error if any start value is lower than any end value. On multi-color charts, each point is seen as a segment and colored differently.

See the 3D MultiColor Range Spline demo query, that you can usually change to straight lines.

Range Area Chart

Grouped Range Area Chart

Add more than one Area Start + Area pair to a single-series Range Area chart. In multi-color charts, each series gets a different color. While areas will usually overlap, use a semi-transparent fill for a better view.

See the Grouped Range Areas demo query.

Grouped Range Areas

Stacked Range Area Chart

Chain two or more Area Start settings, ending in an Area chart, and you basically add each area on top of each other. Areas stacked this way may also overlap, on negative values. In 3D, all start values must be greater than the end values.

See the Stacked Spline Range Areas demo query, that you can easily adapt for straight lines.

Stacked Range Areas

Customize your Range Area Chart

  1. Show all X axis labels as data labels in block plots.
  2. Hide any axes and any other text labels.
  3. Switch to a 3D view, with solid fill colors.
  4. You may also show curve Spline Area lines in all or some series.

Custom Range Areas

Conclusion

  • Creating Range Area charts in Data Xtractor or Visual Xtractor is fast and intuitive: for any single series, use pairs of Area Start and Area.
  • Use more than one pair for overlapping Grouped Range Area charts.
  • Chain several Area Start together, for a Stacked Range Area chart.