Combination Chart
A Combination Chart in Salesforce reports and dashboards is a chart type that displays two or more data series using different chart styles on the same visualization.
Definition
A Combination Chart in Salesforce reports and dashboards is a chart type that displays two or more data series using different chart styles on the same visualization. For example, it can show bar columns for revenue alongside a line for the number of deals closed, using a secondary Y-axis. Combination charts help users compare metrics with different scales on a single component.
In plain English
“A Combination Chart is a chart that mixes two different chart styles in one picture. For example, you might show revenue as bars and the number of deals as a line on top. It's useful when you want to compare two metrics that don't share the same scale.”
Worked example
The CFO at Glenway Bottling reviews a quarterly revenue dashboard with a Combination Chart showing two metrics on one component: vertical bars for monthly revenue (left Y-axis, scale in millions of dollars) and a line graph for monthly customer count (right Y-axis, scale in thousands of customers). The two metrics use different scales - putting them on the same single-axis chart would dwarf the customer count. The Combination Chart aligns them visually and reveals that revenue grew 22% while customer count grew only 8%, indicating ARPU expansion. One chart, two data series, two scales - exactly the right tool for the comparison.
Why Combination Chart matters
A Combination Chart in Salesforce reports and dashboards displays multiple data series using different chart styles on the same visualization. The most common pattern is bars combined with a line: bars represent one metric (like revenue), and a line represents another (like deal count or conversion rate). A secondary Y-axis lets the two metrics use different scales, so a metric in dollars and one in count don't have to share an axis range.
Combination charts are particularly valuable when you want to show a relationship between two metrics that move differently. Revenue and deal count, for example, might both rise but at different rates, and seeing them on the same chart makes the relationship visible. They're configured in the dashboard component editor by selecting Combination Chart as the chart type and then specifying which fields go on which axis. Used well, they consolidate information that would otherwise need multiple separate components.
How organizations use Combination Chart
Built a quarterly performance dashboard with a combination chart showing revenue as bars and number of deals as a line. The chart made it immediately obvious that one quarter had fewer but larger deals while another had many smaller ones.
Uses combination charts to display marketing campaign performance: cost as a column chart and revenue generated as a line. The two metrics on one chart let stakeholders quickly assess ROI without flipping between components.
Replaced two separate charts (one for active users, one for sessions) with a single combination chart. The consolidated view freed up dashboard space and made the relationship between user count and session volume easier to interpret.
Test your knowledge
Q1. What is a Combination Chart?
Q2. What feature lets a Combination Chart compare metrics with very different scales?
Q3. When are combination charts most useful?
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