How to Create Charts in SimplifyQA
Turning Data into Insight: Mastering Charts in Simplify
Table of Contents
Introduction
Charts in Simplify BI allow users to visualize data in various formats such as bar charts, line graphs, pie charts, and more. These visualizations help teams make data-driven decisions by presenting information in an accessible, easy-to-read format.
Prerequisites for Dashboard and Chart Creation
Only users with Admin Access can create new dashboards and charts.
Regular users will only have view-only access to dashboards and charts.
If you need to build or modify dashboards, ensure your user account has been granted Admin privileges by your SimplifyQA administrator.
Starting with Datasets
When creating a chart, it’s best practice to start with either a Physical or Virtual dataset. This approach provides scalability and allows you to re-use pre-defined metrics, making future chart building faster and more efficient.
Steps to create a chart
In the top navigation bar, click the "+" (plus) icon.
From the dropdown, select "Chart".
The "Create a new chart" screen will open.
In the "Choose a Dataset" field, click the dropdown and select your preferred dataset.
Choose the chart type you'd like to use and click "Create new chart".
You can later change the chart type in the Data tab of the Chart Builder.
Understanding the Chart Builder Page
Once inside the Chart Builder, you can start configuring your chart’s layout, data sources, and visual parameters.
Chart Source
Located at the top-left of the Chart Builder, the Chart Source panel shows the origin of your query.
A Pre-saved Dataset
⚠️ Note: Editing a pre-saved dataset directly in Chart Builder will affect all charts that rely on that same dataset.
Metrics & Columns Panel
Below the Chart Source panel, you'll find the Metrics & Columns panel. This allows you to select and configure the data shown in your chart.
Use the Search Metrics & Columns field to quickly locate relevant data.
Data types are identified with helpful icons:
ƒ: Function used for metrics
Clock: The data source's time column
ABC: Text data
#: Numeric value data
You can drag and drop these fields into the Query panel on the right to start configuring your visualization.
Configuring Chart Fields
🔎 Sampling Data
Before finalizing your fields, it's a good idea to review a sample of your data.
Above the "Run a query to display results" section, click on "Samples" to view a raw data preview in table format. This gives you a better understanding of what your data contains before you plot it.
Choosing Dimensions (X-Axis)
The X-axis (horizontal axis) can be configured in the Query panel:
Temporal Data (e.g., timestamps):
When selected, a "Time Grain" field appears to let you control how dates are grouped (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly).
Refer to the Time Configurations section for detailed guidance.
Non-temporal Data (e.g., category labels):
Use any categorical column to group your chart accordingly.
Adding Metrics or Columns
Once you’ve chosen a dataset and a chart type, you can begin dragging relevant metrics or columns into destination fields (such as Y-axis, filters, breakdowns, etc.).
When dropped, a pop-out window appears automatically to let you enter details and configure settings.
🟥 Red Highlight Warning If you see a red highlight when dragging a metric or column:
You're adding it to an invalid field.
You've already added it elsewhere and are duplicating it inappropriately.
Run the Query
Results Panel Below the chart, there is an expandable section called Results. This section expands and displays the results of the fields you configured for your chart.
You can easily search the results in the search bar or copy your results to your clipboard on the right.
Visualizing the Chart
Once the query runs successfully, your selected chart type will render the visualization.
Most Simplify BI charts are interactive. Hover over bars, lines, or pie slices to view detailed information.
Further Customizations
Simplify BI charts offer a range of customization options depending on the chart type:
Use the Customize tab to explore layout, colors, tooltips, labels, and more.
Try different configurations or chart types to tell your data’s story more clearly.
Tips:
Experiment with various columns to find the most insightful combination.
Use filters or adjust time ranges to zoom in/out on specific data slices.
Sharing and Exporting the Chart
In the top-right corner (next to the Save button), you'll see a three-dot "meatballs" menu offering chart tools:
From this menu, you can:
Download the chart as a PNG or export data.
In Share, Copy a permalink to share directly.
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