How to build Charts from Reports

Kelly Pratt · 04/05/22

I am curious if anyone is aware of any documentation on building charts from reports. I am actively learning as I go, but I notice that sometimes a report format works for building a chart and other times I get an error that the data cannot be charted.

Is there documentation or best practices on the report format you need in order to create a chart in a dashboard (# of columns, grouped data, etc)?

Thank you!

Smartsheet User 99 · 04/05/22

I've made couple of charts, and as far as I know, you can only make charts from sheets. When I try to make charts from reports, the entire screen is grayed out and I can't select anything.

Andrée Starå · 04/06/22

Hi @Kelly Pratt

I hope you're well and safe!

Have a look at these resources.

https://help.smartsheet.com/articles/2482274-create-a-chart-for-a-dashboard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYEHeNg5dNE

Did that work/help?

I hope that helps!

Be safe and have a fantastic week!

Best,

Andrée Starå | Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

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Andrée Starå · 04/06/22

Hi @Smartsheet User 99

I hope you're well and safe!

Charts also work with Reports, and I think the reason why it's blank is that the data you want to chart isn't supported.

More info.

Column Types

The chart widget supports charting only for the following column types:

Text/Number: Values must be numbers only
Dropdown List: Numbers only, excluding text strings that look like numbers
Auto-Number/System-generated column: Numbers with no Prefix or Suffix (no text)
Symbols: Numbers only (symbols can't be charted)