Google Data Studio Line and Combo Charts

Many marketers struggle with creating dynamic and attractive charts in their reporting tools.

Here we'll show you the basics of Google Data Studio's Line Chart and Combo Chart so you can be sure to include dynamic, accessible charts in your dashboards and reports

Line charts and combo charts are very useful when you want to observe data changes, and fluctuations over certain periods of time. These charts can use lines, bars or sometimes both (combo charts).

Usually, date/time is used as an X-Axis dimension but it is not mandatory. Line charts can plot a single dimension with up to 5 metrics, or 2 dimensions with a single metric.

Below is a simple line chart, showing the number of sessions (metric) according to dates (dimension).

How to add a line chart?

Configure the line chart

Select the chart, then on the right, use the properties panel to configure the chart options. When the geo chart is selected, check the properties panel on the right to change data properties and style.

Data properties

• Data source: A data source provides the connection between the component and the underlying data set. Data source options are: change the data source, view/edit the data source, add a blended data source.
• Dimension: These are categories of geographical data. These can ve named Dimensions are data categories. Dimension values (the data contained by the dimension) are names, descriptions or other characteristics of a category.

💡 At least 1 dimension is required. The first dimension you specify serves as the primary data series in the chart. If you specify a breakdown dimension, the chart is limited to a single metric.

• Drill down: Drilling down gives viewers a way to reveal additional levels of details. You can select different dimensions as each drill down layer.
• Breakdown dimension: The Breakdown Dimension displays the metric data broken down according to the selected dimension. For example, a chart showing annual sales data could be broken down by a Sales Region dimension to show sales by region, or by an Employee ID dimension to show sales by sales associate.
• Metric: Metrics shows numeric values which correspond to dimension. Such as users, sessions, clicks etc. Add metrics to the chart by dragging fields from the Available Fields panel on the right. You can also click Add metric in the Data tab. At least one metric is required.
• Sort: This controls the default sorting behavior. You can select any metric in the chart's data source, or any dimension currently displayed in the chart.
• Default date range: Custom: Lets you use the calendar widget to select a custom date range for the chart.
• Date compare type: Displays comparison data for the selected time period.
• Filter: Filter help filter the raw data which is coming from the data source. It might be helpful when you want to include specific values or exclude some. For example, you might want to exclude ad campaigns with zero impressions.
• Google Analytics segment: This option appears for charts based on a Universal Analytics data source. A segment is a subset of your Analytics data. You can apply segments to your Data Studio charts to help ensure that your Data Studio and Google Analytics reports show the same data.
• Interactions: When interactions are enabled on a chart, that charts acts like a filter control. You can filter the report by clicking or "brushing" your mouse across the chart.

Style Properties

Items here repeat for each metric displayed in the chart. The order of sections matches the order of the metrics listed in the data tab.

Series: This section repeats for each metric displayed in the chart.

• Line or Bars: Displays the data points for this series as a line or bar.
• Line weight: Determines the thickness of line series.
• Series color: Sets the color for the series line or bar.
• Cumulative: When checked, data for this series is summed over time. Otherwise, the data is shown with no additional aggregation.
• Show points: Displays individual data points on a line series. Viewers can mouse over a data point to display its value.
• Show data labels: Displays individual values on for the data points in the series.
• Compact Numbers: (Turn on Show data labels to see this option) Rounds numbers and displays the unit indicator. E.g., 553,939 becomes 553.9K.
• Decimal Precision: (Turn on Show data labels to see this option) This changes the number of decimal places in metric values.

Trendline: Adds an additional line to show the trend in the change of metric values.

• A linear trendline is a straight line that most closely approximates the data in the chart.
• If your data is best explained by an exponential of the form eax+b, you can use an exponential trendline to show the direction of your data.
• A polynomial trendline displays data directionality as a curved line. It can be useful for analyzing large, highly variable data series.