Non-Stacked Area Charts

A Non-Stacked Area Chart is very similar to a Line Chart - it is essentially a Line Chart with the area below the line filled in. Non-Stacked Area Charts are useful in showing trends, and presenting value changes over time.

When to Use Non-Stacked Area Charts

• The shading in a non-stacked area chart can clearly show where different series overlap or diverge, making it useful for identifying significant differences between categories.
• If you need to see the exact values of each series at different points in time, a Non-Stacked area chart allows for easier interpretation compared to a Stacked Area Chart.
• When you have a few distinct categories and want to highlight how their individual trends compare to one another, rather than their contribution to a whole.
• If you have a small number of categories and want to see how their individual trends evolve over time.

When to Avoid Using Non-Stacked Area Charts

• If you have a large number of categories, a Non-Stacked Area Chart can become cluttered and difficult to read.
• If the primary focus is on how each category contributes to a total value over time, a Stacked
  Area chart is more suitable.
• If the data has significant variations, the overlapping areas in a non-stacked chart can become difficult to interpret.

Example Use Cases for Non-Stacked Area Charts

1. Tracking project progress by various teams: show how different teams within a project are contributing to the overall progress over time, allowing for easy comparison of their individual performance.
2. Visualize trends in different product lines over time to identify periods of increased or decreased sales performance and compare their relative fluctuations. 

Set-up Instructions

Below are the chart settings used to create the example Bubble chart shown above. 

1. Select which fields to include in the chart: 

2. Under the "Format" tab, select which fields to be represented along the x and y axes. In this example, the Quarter and Product fields were selected for the x-axis and each field has the "Group by this field" checkbox checked, and the field selected for the y-axis (Units Sold in this example). 

Note that the order of the fields for the selected for the x-axis (which one is listed on top or bottom) dictates what is plotted along the x-axis (the field listed on top, Quarter in this example), and what is represented by each area color in the legend (the Product field in this example). 

3. 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 Area Charts
Stepped Area Charts