Non-Stacked Bar Charts

Non-Stacked Bar Charts are one of the most commonly used Charts. In Non-Stacked Bar Charts, each category is represented by a single bar which allows for a direct comparison between the categories.

When to Use Non-Stacked Bar Charts

• to directly compare individual categories within a dataset, without focusing on the total sum of those categories
• when comparing individual values – the primary focus is on comparing the absolute values of each category instead of their relative contribution to the whole.
• to highlight the differences between categories

When to Avoid Using Non-Stacked Bar Charts

• If you want to visualize how different components make a larger total, you should use a Stacked Bar Chart instead of a Non-Stacked Bar Chart.
• When the focus is on understanding the relative sizes of different categories within a larger group, a stacked bar chart is more suitable.

Example Use Cases for Non-Stacked Bar Charts

1. Comparing sales figures across different product lines
2. Analyzing performance metrics between departments
3. Highlighting budget variances across different expense categories
4. Visualizing survey results where each response option is a separate category

Set-up Instructions

Below are the chart settings used to create the example Non-Stacked Bar Chart shown above. 

1.  Choose which fields to include in the View. 

2. Under the "Format" tab, select which fields you want to show on the X and Y axes: 

3. Under the "Customize" tab, you can enter a Title for your chart (see red box below), and change the labels of your axes if needed, change the position of the Legend, and edit the Minimum and Maximum values to show on the chart (not applicable in this example).

4. If you want to change the colors of your chart, you can do so by navigating to the chart view, then clicking on the View Menu and selecting "Change Colors":

Related Articles: 
Charts Overview
Stacked Bar Charts
Non-Stacked Column Charts