Donut Chart
Donut Chart
What Is This Report Type?
A Donut Chart is a circular statistical graphic—similar to a pie chart—divided into proportional segments, but with a hollow center. The ring-shaped design allows the center space to display a summary metric (such as a total or label), while the outer ring shows how each category contributes to the whole.
Why Is It Used?
Donut Charts are used to visualize part-to-whole relationships with a modern aesthetic. The hollow center adds functional value by providing space for a key summary figure (e.g., “Total: $1.2M”), making it more informative than a standard pie chart. They are best suited for datasets with 2 to 6 categories.
Key Features and Characteristics
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Ring-Shaped Layout | A cleaner alternative to pie charts that avoids the “pizza slice” visual overload. |
| Center Metric | The hollow center can display a total, label, or aggregated value for at-a-glance context. |
| Proportional Segments | Each arc’s length is proportional to the category’s share of the total. |
| Smart Grouping | Automatically consolidates small categories into an “Other” segment to maintain readability. |
| Segment Highlighting | Hover or click to “explode” a segment outward for emphasis. |
When to Use It (Use Cases)
- Budget Distribution: Showing how a company’s annual budget is allocated across departments.
- Market Share: Comparing your company’s revenue share against top competitors.
- Customer Demographics: Visualizing user distribution by subscription plan (Free, Basic, Premium, Enterprise).
- Traffic Sources: Displaying the proportion of website traffic from Organic, Paid, Social, and Direct channels.
Real-Time Business Example
Scenario: A CFO wants to review the company’s annual technology spend by category at a board meeting.
Visualization: A Donut Chart displays four segments: Cloud Hosting (45%, blue), Software Licenses (25%, green), Hardware (18%, orange), and IT Consulting (12%, purple). The center of the donut displays “Total: $1.2M”. The CFO can instantly see that cloud hosting dominates the IT budget and may warrant a cost-optimization review.
Common Metrics Displayed
- Percentage of Total: Each category’s proportional share of the entire value.
- Absolute Values: The raw dollar amount or count behind each segment.
- Market Concentration: How few or many categories dominate the overall total.
- Category Counts: Number of items (e.g., users, orders, products) per segment.
User Interactions
| Interaction | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Filters | Apply “Top N” filters to limit the chart to the most significant segments, grouping the rest as “Other.” |
| Hover / Tooltip | Hovering over a segment reveals the category name, its exact value, and its percentage of the total. |
| Click / Drill-Down | Clicking a segment filters the rest of the dashboard to show data for only that selected category. |
| Segment Explode | Clicking a segment can visually pull it away from the ring for emphasis in presentations. |
| Export | Export to Excel. |
Creation Steps
- Select Donut Chart as the report type.
- Group By: Drag a category field (e.g., Department).
- Metrics: Drag the value field for segment sizing (e.g., Budget).