Bar charts have always been one of the simplest means of conveying information, even somewhat complex information. Bar charts take into account at least two variables and have become one of the most useful tools in corporate reporting. Budget plans, market reports, comparative analysis reports on products or locations, and many other sets of information are communicated within the simple, yet informational displays of bar charts.

As businesses grow more and more complex, business reporting needs tend to also grow more and more complex, and bar charts have had to keep up. Happily, technology has combined with simple bar charts to create interactive bar charts. In other words, one bar taken from any number of bar charts may represent a general statistic. In “drilling down,” or clicking on that bar, more detailed information is displayed to elaborate one what the original bar represented. This interactive technology is called Data Visualization.

Data visualization uses .net technology to make bar charts interactive. Multiple levels of information are now accessible through a single bar of a bar chart. For example, Company C is a nationwide corporation reviewing a sales report comprised of bar charts. Normally poster boards are brought in and displayed one at a time, indicating overall sales for the entire company across quarters of the year. Then the sales information is broken down by regions, then by states, then by counties, then by cities, then by specific store. This results in a lot of poster board shuffling.

Using data visualization, Company C now reviews reports electronically. First, the general bar charts show general sales across fiscal quarters. Company C now wants to see sales broken down by region in the second quarter, so they click on the 2nd quarter bar of the original bar chart. The regional sales for the second quarter are displayed, and within a click or two, Company C can gather information as specific or general as they need to. A few clicks will take Company C from a specific store all the way back to general sales trends without any shuffling, allowing information to be compared and analyzed quickly and easily.

Bar charts have come alive through data visualization, which has enabled information to become interactive. Information can now be compiled and compared according a company’s needs.

Interactive bar graphs are also referred to as Flash Charts and Interactive Maps.