Build Charts
On this page
Charts provide visual representations of the data in your data source. A chart maps to a single data source, and it can display correlations between several fields in the data. Charts reside inside dashboards. Unless you create a chart from the Atlas UI, you must create a dashboard before you can begin building charts.
For a complete list of available chart types and how to build specific charts, refer to the Chart Types page.
Create a Chart
You can create a chart from the Dashboards page in Charts or from the Atlas UI.
Note
If the preview for a chart of the full dataset takes a while to load, you can preview a subset of the data with the Subset toggle.
Select a dashboard for your chart.
From the Dashboards page, select the dashboard where you wish to add a new chart. For instructions on setting up a dashboard, see Dashboards.
Choose your chart's data source.
In the Select Data Source modal that appears:
Select a tab:
The Suggested tab shows suggestions based on the data sources you use in this dashboard.
The Project tab shows all of your connected deployments. Click on a deployment to expand it and show its data sources. You can search for a collection to narrow the results.
The Sample tab shows the sample data source and a preview of its data.
Click the name of the deployment that contains the data source.
Click the name of the database that contains the data source. The database's data sources appear.
You can click on a data source's name to view a preview of its data.
Note
A data source won't display on the Select Data Source modal unless it is connected to Charts. Only a
Project Ownercan connect and disconnect data sources. All data sources in the project connect to Charts by default.Click Select on the data source.
If you close the Select Data Source modal, you can reopen it using the button under Data Source on the top left of the chart builder. The button says Select if you have not selected a data source, or it says the name of the currently selected data source.
Optional: Apply a suggested chart.
In the Chart Builder, Charts displays prebuilt charts based on the data source that you selected. You can use any one of the suggested charts to get started by clicking the associated Apply button. After applying a suggested chart, you can make changes to the chart type and add or remove fields if you wish to customize the prebuilt chart.
Tip
You can also create a natural language chart by toggling the switch on the top navigation from Classic to Natural Language. To learn more, see Natural Language Charts.
Choose your chart type.
In the Chart Type dropdown, select the type for this chart.
Note
Info
Each chart type provides different visualization options for the fields in your data, reflected by various encoding channels. These channels dictate how your data is visualized and enable powerful aggregations for your data. For details on the different encoding channel types, refer to the Encoding Channels page.
Add fields to your chart.
Drag fields from the Fields section to the desired encoding channels below the Chart Type dropdown. The fields listed correspond to the fields in your data source. You can search for a specific field in your data source by using the Filter search bar at the top of the Fields section.
See also:
For details on how Atlas Charts handles embedded objects and embedded arrays in fields, see the Embedded Objects and Arrays page.
Optional: Apply a suggested chart.
In the Chart Builder, Charts displays prebuilt charts based on the data source that you selected. You can use any one of the suggested charts to get started by clicking the associated Apply button. After applying a suggested chart, you can make changes to the chart type and add or remove fields if you wish to customize the prebuilt chart.
Tip
You can also create a natural language chart by toggling the switch on the top navigation from Classic to Natural Language. To learn more, see Natural Language Charts.
Choose your chart type.
In the Chart Type dropdown, select the type for this chart.
Note
Info
Each chart type provides different visualization options for the fields in your data, reflected by various encoding channels. These channels dictate how your data is visualized and enable powerful aggregations for your data. For details on the different encoding channel types, refer to the Encoding Channels page.
Add fields to your chart.
Drag fields from the Fields section to the desired encoding channels below the Chart Type dropdown. The fields listed correspond to the fields in your data source. You can search for a specific field in your data source by using the Filter search bar at the top of the Fields section.
See also:
For details on how Atlas Charts handles embedded objects and embedded arrays in fields, see the Embedded Objects and Arrays page.
Save your chart.
Once you're satisfied with your chart:
Click Save and close in the top right corner.
Save the chart to a dashboard:
To save to a new dashboard, click New and specify a Dashboard title.
To save to an existing dashboard, click Existing and select a dashboard from the drop-down menu.
Click Save. This saves your chart to the specified dashboard and redirects you to the dashboard view.
Learn More
- Understand Encoding Channels
- Understand the building blocks of Atlas Charts.
- Create a Multi-Series Chart
- Visualize multiple data series in a single chart.
- Visualize Embedded Objects and Arrays
- Use a wide variety of built-in methods for handling embedded objects and arrays.
- Reshape Your Data
- Reshape and pre-process your data for greater flexibility over available fields.
- Filter Chart Results
- Filter your chart based on criteria you choose.
- Bin, Sort, and Limit Your Data
- Bin, sort, and limit data in your chart.
- Customize Charts
- Customize aspects of your chart such as color, axis labels, and number formatting.
- View and Export Chart Data
- View and export the data backing your chart in either CSV or JSON format.
- Chart Building Reference
- Supplemental reference material for building charts.