Overview

A Radar Chart (also known as a Spider Chart) is used to visualize multi-dimensional data across multiple categories. Each axis represents a different category, and data points are connected to form a polygon, making it easy to compare different groups across various criteria.

When to Use

• To compare multiple categories across different dimensions (e.g., store sales by store type over multiple years).
• To identify strengths and weaknesses across various attributes.
• To analyze performance of different groups on multiple metrics.

Data Structure

A Radar Chart requires:

• Radial Axes: A categorical field representing different attributes or categories (e.g., store_type).
• Legend (Optional): A categorical field that differentiates different groups (e.g., the_date(Year)).
• Measures: A numerical field that defines the values plotted on the radar chart (e.g., store_sales).
• Color(Optional): Used to set the color of the chart based on categories or numerical values (intensity-based coloring, or using a categorical field for distinct colors).
• Filters (Optional): Used to refine the displayed data (e.g., filtering by region, product category).

Example Data Structure

store_type	the_date(Year)	store_sales
Supermarket	1997	50000
Deluxe Supermarket	1997	25000
Small Grocery	1997	12000
Mid-Size Grocery	1997	10000
Gourmet Supermarket	1997	8000
Supermarket	1998	70000
Deluxe Supermarket	1998	40000
Small Grocery	1998	15000
Mid-Size Grocery	1998	12000
Gourmet Supermarket	1998	10000

Example

The following example shows a comparison of store sales across different store types for the years 1997 and 1998.