> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://basedash.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Charts

> Create AI-powered charts and visualizations in Basedash

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.

## Creating charts

### 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

## 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

## Chart types

### Data visualization charts

* [Line charts](/docs/features/chart-types/line-charts) – Trends and patterns over time
* [Timebar charts](/docs/features/chart-types/timebar-charts) – Time-based bar visualizations
* [Horizontal bar charts](/docs/features/chart-types/horizontal-bar-charts) – Non-time categorical comparisons
* [Pie charts](/docs/features/chart-types/pie-charts) – Proportions and parts of a whole
* [Funnel charts](/docs/features/chart-types/funnel-charts) – Conversion analysis and flow
* [Scatter charts](/docs/features/chart-types/scatter-charts) – Relationships between two numeric fields
* [Sankey charts](/docs/features/chart-types/sankey-charts) – Flows between stages, categories, or entities

### Data display components

* [Tables](/docs/features/chart-types/tables) – Detailed tabular data display
* [Number displays](/docs/features/chart-types/number-displays) – Single metric values
* [Progress charts](/docs/features/chart-types/progress-charts) – Progress toward a goal or target
* [Text components](/docs/features/chart-types/text-components) – Text and narrative content
* [Header components](/docs/features/chart-types/header-components) – Section headings inside dashboards
* [Detail charts](/docs/features/chart-types/detail-views) – Detailed information panels

### Specialized visualizations

* [Activity charts](/docs/features/chart-types/activity-charts) – Activity patterns and heatmaps
* [Map visualizations](/docs/features/chart-types/map-visualizations) – Geographic data display
* [Image charts](/docs/features/chart-types/image) – Image content presentation

## 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"

## 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](/docs/features/chart-types/breakdowns) for examples and best practices.

## Customizing charts

### Visual customization

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

### Data customization

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

### 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](/docs/features/sql-editor).

## 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.

<Note>
  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](/docs/features/automations).
</Note>

## Best practices

### 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

### 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

### Design for clarity

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