A chart is a graphical representation of data. Charts are particularly useful for summarizing numeric data and showing the relationship between sets of values, called series. For example, a chart can show sales by region, average temperatures by month, or the price of a stock over three months. Because a chart presents a picture, it reveals trends that are not apparent in a table.

When adding or editing a chart gadget, you can change the chart type displayed in the gadget, as shown in Figure 4‑25.

Chart gadgets display data from a BIRT data object or data object design file in a selected chart type. These charts provide the best print quality when compared to Flash-based charts. Flash-based charts are available in the Extras gadget category. The Adobe Flash Player must be installed to view and print Flash-based charts. Dashboard developers can limit the data displayed using filters, aggregate data sets, enable drill through for data cubes, and group data by values or dimensions. Users can filter data and export content or data using the context menu.

Dashboard developers can customize chart gadget options using the Chart Builder—General options. For more information about general options, see Setting general gadget options, earlier in this section.