1. The Fundamental Rule of MIS Visuals
A business chart has exactly one purpose: to help decision-makers comprehend a business reality in under three seconds. Decorative charts with 30 multicolored slices or uncalibrated dual axes create confusion rather than clarity.
When OpenMIS automatically generates a dashboard canvas from an uploaded file, it evaluates data types and cardinality to select the optimal visualization.
2. The Visual Decision Matrix
To pick the right chart, determine what relationship you need to communicate: Comparison, Trend over Time, Composition, or Distribution.
When displaying categories with high cardinality (e.g. 150 customer names), sort descending and display the Top 10. Label the remainder as 'Other' to maintain executive readability.
1. Time-series (Date + Measure) -> Line / Area Chart
2. Discrete Ranking (Dim + Measure) -> Horizontal Bar Chart
3. Small Composition (<= 6 slices) -> Donut Chart
4. Distribution Spread (1 Measure) -> Boxplot / Histogram
5. Measure vs Measure (2 Measures) -> Scatter Plot3. When to Use a Donut Chart (and When Never To)
Donut charts are effective only when showing part-to-whole relationships with a small number of distinct segments (e.g., Regional Split: North, South, East, West).
Never use a donut chart for fine comparisons between 12 months or 20 product SKUs. The human eye struggles to compare arc lengths with precision; use a column chart instead.
4. The Value of the Screen-Reader Accessible Data Table Toggle
Executive charts must be auditable. In OpenMIS, every widget includes a one-click 'Switch to Data Table' toggle. This allows analysts to immediately verify the exact calculated values backing any chart point.