In a world overflowing with data, visualization is what makes information usable. Raw rows and columns may store insights, but charts and dashboards communicate those insights. Whether you’re a developer embedding dashboards in your SaaS product or a business analyst building actionable reports, data visualization is essential for decision-making.
Today, modern reporting platforms offer dozens of visualization types—each suited to different data stories. In this article, we’ll walk through the most popular data visualization options, explain when to use them, and show how Dotnet Report delivers powerful built-in charts with customization options for developers.
Why Visualization Matters in Reporting
Data is only valuable when people can understand it quickly. Visualizations:
- Reveal trends and patterns over time
- Highlight comparisons between metrics
- Spot anomalies and outliers
- Communicate progress toward goals
- Enable fast decision-making
Tools that enable users to explore and interact with data visually are becoming the standard for all business applications. That’s why more developers are embedding reporting and dashboards directly inside their platforms—turning data into a competitive advantage.
Essential Data Visualization Types (With Business Use Cases)
Below is a breakdown of the most useful chart types and when to use them.
1. Bar Charts
Bar charts are ideal for comparing categories—they’re one of the most common business charts for a reason.
Great for:
- Comparing sales by product
- Leads by marketing source
- Revenue by region
Best practice: Use horizontal bars when category labels are long.
2. Column Charts
Column charts are similar to bar charts but oriented vertically. They work especially well for time-based comparisons.
Examples:
- Monthly sales totals
- Year-over-year growth comparison
- Support tickets by week
Tip: Use column charts for fewer than 12 time points; switch to line charts for more.
3. Line Charts
Line charts are best for showing trends over time. They make it easy to spot growth, seasonality, or trends.
Use when:
- Forecasting growth
- Tracking KPIs over months
- Monitoring active users or revenue trends
Tip: Use smooth lines for trends but keep it simple—avoid too many lines on one chart.
4. Area Charts
An area chart is a filled line chart and shows the magnitude of values over time.
Use for:
- Showing total volume over time
- Highlighting cumulative impact
- Comparing multiple categories
5. Pie and Donut Charts
A pie or donut chart shows percentage contribution of categories to a whole.
Use when:
- You have 3–6 categories max
- Showing budget or category distribution
- Displaying percent by department
Best practice: Keep slices below 6 to avoid clutter.
6. Scatter Plots
Scatter charts show relationships between two variables.
Useful for:
- Finding correlations
- Outlier detection
- Sales vs. ads spent trends
7. Bubble Charts
Like scatter charts, but bubble size adds a third dimension of information.
Example:
- Sales by region (x), number of customers (y), market share (size)
8. Heatmaps
Heatmaps show intensity patterns using color, making them great for spotting problem areas.
Business examples:
- Support volume by day/time
- Website clicks by page region
- Product failure rate heatmaps
9. Geographic Maps
Map visualizations are ideal when data has a location component.
Use for:
- Sales by state or country
- Customer density by ZIP code
- Branch productivity by region
10. TreeMaps
Treemaps visualize hierarchical data and size comparison.
Examples:
- Expense breakdown by department
- Product sales by category
- Portfolio investment groups
11. KPI Cards
KPI cards give at-a-glance metrics and are popular in dashboards.
Good for:
- Revenue totals
- Closed deals
- Order volume
- Retention rates
How to Choose the Right Chart
| Question to Ask | Use This Chart |
|---|---|
| Compare categories? | Bar, Column |
| Show trends over time? | Line, Area |
| Show part-to-whole? | Pie, Donut, TreeMap |
| Show relationships? | Scatter |
| Display geographic data? | Map |
| Show intensity or frequency? | Heatmap |
| Summarize metrics? | KPI Card |
Best Practices for Effective Charts
- Keep it simple – one message per chart.
- Use consistent colors – avoid rainbow charts.
- Label clearly – axes and values should be readable.
- Avoid clutter – no unnecessary gridlines or effects.
- Tell a story – design charts around questions people ask.
Data Visualization in Modern Reporting Tools
Visualization used to require coding or custom scripts. Today, modern platforms empower non-technical users with:
- Drag-and-drop chart builders
- Self-service dashboards
- Interactive filters and drilldowns
- Export, share, schedule capabilities
- Embedded chart libraries
This brings us to tools like Dotnet Report—a modern embedded reporting solution built for .NET applications and SaaS teams who want powerful visual reporting delivered to end users without complexity.
Built-In Visualization with Dotnet Report
Dotnet Report includes a wide range of built-in chart types designed for real business reporting:
| Chart Type | Available |
|---|---|
| Bar & Column Charts | ✔️ Yes |
| Line Charts | ✔️ Yes |
| Pie & Donut Charts | ✔️ Yes |
| Heatmaps | ✔️ Yes |
| Map Charts | ✔️ Yes |
| TreeMaps | ✔️ Yes |
| Summary (KPI) Cards | ✔️ Yes |
| Detailed Data Tables | ✔️ Yes |
| Drilldown Charts | ✔️ Yes |
Dotnet Report lets users choose visualization types inside the report builder—no coding required. Charts update automatically based on filters, grouping, and aggregated calculations.
Beyond Built-In Charts: Extend with Google Charts
One advantage developers appreciate: Dotnet Report uses an open front-end system powered by Google Charts. This means:
- You’re not locked in
- You can add new chart types if needed
- You can customize themes to match your app
- You can extend visual options without rewriting reporting logic
With access to Google’s rich chart library, developers can easily incorporate:
- Bubble charts
- Waterfall charts
- Timeline charts
- Org charts
- Gauge charts
- Sankey diagrams
…and more when needed.
Why Dotnet Report Works Well for Visualization
- User-friendly – Business users can build visual reports without help
- Flexible – Supports dashboards, shared folders, live preview, filters
- Customizable – Built for developers, easily extended
- Embedded ready – Add reporting to any .NET app in hours
- Open UI – Modify charts and report layout if needed
- Feature rich – Export, schedule, role-based access, drilldowns
Want to explore visualization in action?
→ See the demo: https://dotnetreport.com/demo
→ Explore features: https://dotnetreport.com/features
