Overview
An Area Chart renders dataset values as a filled area beneath a connecting line. It combines the trend rendering of a Line Chart with the volumetric emphasis of a shaded fill. Area Charts are typically used for time-series data where both the trajectory and the cumulative magnitude matter.
Area Charts are authored from Lens → Design → Chart Designer → Visualization → Area Chart. Configuration is split between two parents: the Bar Chart provides the Properties and Columns surface, and the Line Chart provides the Markers configuration. This page documents only the Area-specific behavior; see the Bar Chart and Line Chart PD references for the inherited configuration.
When to use it
- Time-series trends where the cumulative magnitude matters as much as the shape of the line.
- Comparing multiple measures over time where each measure has its own area below the line.
- Volume-style visualizations — stock chart price-with-volume, traffic over time, capacity utilization.
- Cases where a Line Chart would feel too sparse and a Bar Chart too discrete, the filled area emphasizes the continuous nature of the data.
Relationship to Bar Chart and Line Chart
Properties and Columns customization on an Area Chart inherit from the Bar Chart. The Markers configuration inherits from the Line Chart. The Area Chart article does not re-document either.
| Properties tab | Title, Legend Position, Zooming and Panning, Tooltip Options, X-Axis, Y-Axis, Multi-Axis, Background, Label Position, Padding, Cumulative Data, Randomized Color, Miscellaneous (Adhoc Report). | Bar Chart PD → Properties tab |
| Columns tab | Header, Display Name, Content Properties, Sorting & Filter, Image, Tooltip Options, Type, Drilldown, Heat Map, Aggregate, Column Settings, plus the Bar-specific Tool Tip, Outline, Gradient, Label Rotation. | Bar Chart PD → Columns tab |
| Markers | Marker on/off toggle, shape, size, color along the line. | Line Chart PD → Markers |
Key behaviors
Area = Line + filled area below. Visually, an Area Chart draws the same line a Line Chart would, then fills the region between the line and the X-axis. The line shape and the fill color together carry the information.
Markers configuration comes from Line Chart. The Markers property optional points rendered along the line at each Dimension value is shared with the Line Chart and configured the same way. Toggling Markers on, choosing shape and size, and setting color all match Line Chart behavior.
Most Properties and Columns inherit from Bar Chart. Configuration surfaces other than Markers are pulled from the Bar Chart. The axis groups, legend, tooltip, zoom/pan/scroll, multi-axis, background, and Adhoc Report all behave identically. Bar-specific properties without an Area equivalent.