---
title: Charts
description: Visualize query results as charts, tables, KPIs, and maps directly inside Cube workbooks.
---

Every tab in a Cube workbook has a chart panel. Once your query returns results, switch to the chart panel to pick a visualization type and configure how the data is displayed — from a simple bar chart to a composable KPI tile or a fully custom Vega-Lite spec.

## Chart types

Cube has built-in support for bar, line, area, pie, scatter, heatmap, KPI, map, boxplot, and more. See the [chart types overview](/docs/explore-analyze/charts/chart-types) for a full list and guidance on which type fits which data shape.

### Selecting a chart type

Chart type icons at the top of the chart panel let you quickly switch between common layouts — grouped vs. stacked bars, line vs. area, table vs. chart view — without opening the full configuration panel.

When you run a query on a new tab, Cube shows the chart type picker rather than picking for you. It outlines the type that best fits your query and labels it **Recommended** — see [Recommended chart type](/docs/explore-analyze/charts/chart-types#recommended-chart-type) — but choosing one is always your action. Any manual configuration you apply is preserved when you change query fields.

### Resetting chart settings

Sections of the configuration panel — fields, series, pivot, column widths — each carry their own **Reset** control, which clears that section back to its defaults. Resetting does not change the chart type you picked.

## Generate charts with AI

Describe the visualization you want in plain language — for example, _"show this as a stacked bar grouped by status"_ — and the AI agent will build and configure it. You can also let the agent auto-suggest the best chart for your query results. This is a separate mechanism from the **Recommended** outline in the chart type picker: the agent writes a Vega-Lite spec and applies it, while the recommendation only marks a built-in type for you to pick.

Charts generated by the AI are written as [Vega-Lite v5](https://vega.github.io/vega-lite/) specs and can be further edited in the [custom visualization](/docs/explore-analyze/charts/custom) spec editor.

## Configure charts

Adjust the appearance of any chart through the configuration panel:

- **[Color and stacking](/docs/explore-analyze/charts/configuration/color-and-stacking)** — Color palettes, series coloring, and stacking behavior
- **[Series configuration](/docs/explore-analyze/charts/configuration/series-configuration)** — Per-series mark type, color, and display options
- **[Series mapping](/docs/explore-analyze/charts/configuration/series-mapping)** — Assign query fields to chart channels (X, Y, color, size)
- **[Axes](/docs/explore-analyze/charts/configuration/axes)** — Axis titles, grid lines, scale, and reference lines
- **[Tooltips](/docs/explore-analyze/charts/configuration/tooltips)** — Fields shown on hover
- **[Data labels](/docs/explore-analyze/charts/configuration/data-labels)** — Values displayed directly on chart marks

## Custom visualizations

When the built-in chart types don't cover your use case, write a raw [Vega-Lite spec](/docs/explore-analyze/charts/custom) or use an HTML template with Handlebars. Both options give you complete control over the rendered output.
