Explore Data
      Back to home
      1. Support Center
      2. Explore Data

      How to create a Bar and line chart

      The Bar and Line Chart is a hybrid visualisation that combines bar and line series on the same X-axis. It’s designed to help compare two different measured quantities over time—each with its own independent Y-axis.

      When to use a Bar and line chart

      This format is ideal when you need to:

      • Visualise two related metrics with different units or scales (e.g. number of young people participating in work readiness programs vs percentage decrease in contact with the justice system).

      • Compare absolute values (bars) against trends or percentages (lines).

      • Provide a clear, side-by-side view of how distinct measures behave in relation to the same categories or time intervals.

      How to build a Bar and line chart

      Step 1: Select the Chart Type

      • In the Explore Data tool, go to the Build Your Chart step.

      • Under the Type tab, select Bar and line.

      Note: The Bar and Line chart option will be unavailable if any of the following conditions are present:

      1. You have selected a mix of:
        1. Result tables (tables created directly from raw data queries, without calculations), and
        2. Calculation tables (tables generated by applying calculations to result tables ).
      2. You have selected only one table, and it is a “calculation” table.
      3. You have selected only “result” tables, but:
        1. The chart legend does not include “Measured quantity”, or
        2. The legend includes more than one variable, or
        3. The “Measured quantity” variable has fewer than two categories, or
        4. Tables do not have the same multi-category variables in rows.

      Step 2: Create Bar and line charts

      • Navigate to the Chart tab.
      • Select the tables you want to chart by toggling them on.
        • When working with "calculation" tables, ensure that at least two tables are selected for the chart.
      • The Legend should contain only the Measured quantity variable.

      • Configure the settings for both the left and right axes, then click Apply to update your chart.

        • When creating biaxial charts from result tables, first select the table, then choose Measured quantity for both axes. For a single result table, only the Measured quantity selection is required.

        • When creating charts from calculation tables, simply select the tables for both axes.

      Step 3: Configure Y-Axis

      Bar and Line charts use two Y-axes:

      • Left Y-axis for the Bar series.

      • Right Y-axis for the Line series.

      To customise them:

      • Go to the Custom tab.
      • Set the Y-axis titles:
        • Vertical Axis Title → for Bar chart (left).
        • Secondary Vertical Axis Title → for Line chart (right).

      • Set the value type for each axis individually:
        • Choose between Percentage or Decimal for each Y-axis.

      Here is an example of a Bar and Line Chart:

      When you hover over the chart, a tooltip will appear showing both the Bar and Line values for that X-axis category.

      Need help deciding which bar chart to use? Check out our visualisation selection guide.