How to Create Mixed Charts

What is a Mixed Chart

Mixed Charts combine together, on the same plot area, single-series charts into a multi-series chart. They may also include dependent chart elements such as error bars, trendlines or a goal area. Most mixed charts could also be divided into separate smaller Multiple Split Charts, rendered on a separate area each.

Different types of Mixed Charts:

1. Multi-Series with Same Chart Types – series with the same chart type selection.
2. Multi-Series with Different Chart Types – series with different chart type selections.
3. Other Chart Elements – charts extended with error bars, goal line/area, trendlines etc.

Steps to Create a Mixed 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 more than one data column to some specific chart types.

Multi-Series with Same Chart Types

Most chart types allow you to link more than one data column to that type of chart. Multi-series Area charts become Grouped or Stacked Area charts. Multi-series Doughnut charts become Nested Doughnut charts.

The chart below mixes three Area chart selections into a 3D Grouped Area Chart, also known as a Layered Area Chart:

Some chart types – like Kagi or Waterfall – do not allow mixed type, but you can still select more than one series of the same type, and get separate single-series Multiple Split Charts.

Multi-Series with Different Chart Types

Different chart types can be frequently mixed together, on the same plot. Usually, that’s allowed for types of charts using the same king of plot: Bar and Cartesian charts on a X/Y orthogonal plot, Polar or Radar charts (excluding the Radial charts) on a circular plot etc.

Here is a Mixed Polar Chart, mixing a Scatter, Line and Area charts together. Switch with one single toolbar button click to a Mixed Radar Chart instead:

Other Chart Elements

Some chart types may allow or require more than one selection. This special type of Mixed Charts rely on regular single or multi-series charts, with the addition of some other dependent elements: error bars, block plot labels, a goal line or goal area, a Pareto line, a trendline, a mean or median line etc.

The following chart is basically a single-series Bar chart, with vertical columns. Adding an Error Bar selection transforms it into an Error Bar Chart:

Conclusion

• Creating Mixed Charts in Data Xtractor or Visual Xtractor is fast and intuitive: set more than one series as a chart type, and you get a multi-series mixed chart.
• Add error bars, a goal line or a goal range area, trendlines, a mean or medium line, a Pareto line to a Bar chart or Bollinger Bands to a stock chart, to enhance your chart even more.
• Customize a mixed charts by selecting all or just one single series from the toolbar.
• Legend items show series names by default for mixed charts, and individual series can be hidden this way.