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Basedash makes it easy to create beautiful, interactive charts using natural language. Our AI understands your data and helps you choose the right visualization automatically.

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Creating charts

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Using natural language

  1. Click “Add chart” on a dashboard or create a standalone chart
  2. Describe what you want to see, for example:
    • “Show me daily user signups over the last 30 days”
    • “Display revenue by product category as a pie chart”
    • “Create a bar chart of top 10 customers by order value”
  3. Basedash AI will:
    • Write the appropriate SQL query
    • Choose the best visualization type
    • Apply suitable formatting and styling

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How AI chooses chart types

  • Data type analysis: Detects dates, numbers, and categories
  • Query intent: Understands trends, comparisons, proportions, and conversions
  • Data volume: Considers number of points and categories
  • Best practices: Applies visualization best practices automatically
  • SQL generation: Creates the SQL needed to fetch your data

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Chart types

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Data visualization charts

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Data display components

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Specialized visualizations

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Requesting specific chart types

  • “Show me monthly revenue as a line chart”
  • “Create a pie chart of sales by region”
  • “Display customer satisfaction scores as a horizontal bar chart”
  • “Show conversion rates in a funnel chart”
  • “Display total revenue as a number”
  • “Show pipeline movement as a sankey chart”
  • “Plot subscription seats against monthly revenue as a scatter chart”
  • “Show me user activity patterns as an activity chart”

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Adding breakdowns

Use the “broken down by” syntax to create multiple series:
  • “Show me user signups broken down by email domain”
  • “Display sales broken down by product category”
  • “Create a chart of visitors broken down by page”
  • “Show me revenue over time broken down by region”
See breakdowns for examples and best practices.

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Customizing charts

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Visual customization

  • Adjust axis labels and ranges
  • Change colors and themes
  • Modify chart titles and descriptions
  • Configure legends and formatting (currency, percentages, etc.)

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Data customization

  • Edit the underlying SQL query
  • Change aggregation methods
  • Add calculated fields
  • Filter data points
  • Sort and limit results

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Advanced SQL editing

AI handles most query needs, but you can always edit the SQL powering any chart for full control. For complex queries, use the SQL editor.

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Subscribing to updates

Subscribe to a chart to get a snapshot delivered to your inbox or a Slack channel on a recurring schedule, without needing to open Basedash. To subscribe to a chart:
  1. On a dashboard, open the chart’s ”…” menu (or right-click the chart)
  2. Select “Subscribe”
  3. Set a schedule — daily, weekdays, weekly, monthly, or quarterly — and a delivery time
  4. Add at least one destination: email recipients, a Slack channel, or both
  5. Click “Create subscription”
You can create multiple subscriptions per chart, and pause or delete them anytime from the same menu.
Subscriptions send a snapshot of the chart as it looks right now. For AI-generated analysis and custom write-ups on a schedule, see automations.

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Best practices

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Choose based on your goal

  • Trends over time: Line charts, timebar charts
  • Comparisons: Horizontal bar charts
  • Proportions: Pie charts
  • Conversions: Funnel charts, sankey charts
  • Single metrics: Number displays
  • Goal tracking: Progress charts
  • Activity patterns: Activity charts
  • Relationships between numeric values: Scatter charts
  • Geographic data: Map visualizations

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Consider your data

  • Small datasets (< 10 categories): Pie charts work well
  • Large datasets (> 20 categories): Horizontal bar charts are better
  • Time series: Use line charts for continuous trends
  • Categorical data: Use horizontal bar charts

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Design for clarity

  • Keep charts simple and focused
  • Use clear, descriptive titles
  • Add context with descriptions
  • Choose appropriate time ranges