How to Name Dashboard Charts Like a Pro
When building a dashboard or creating charts, we often spend an unnecessary amount of time figuring out what to name our sheets rather than focusing on the actual data visualization. To save you from this hassle, we have put together a straightforward, standardized naming guide.
The Perfect Basic Formula
The easiest and most widely used format for naming a chart is the [Measure] by [Dimension] structure.
For example, if you created a bar chart using the 'Category' dimension and the 'Sales' measure, naming it Sales by Category is the clearest and most standard approach. This structure intuitively tells the user 'what' they are looking at (Sales) and 'how' it is sliced (Category).
- Profit by Region
- Traffic by Channel
- User Count by Age Group
Applied Naming Formats by Context
Building on the basic formula, you can apply a few variations depending on the core message your chart intends to convey.
Trends Over Time (Time-Series Charts)
When using a Date dimension, use by [Time Unit] or over Time to emphasize the overall trend.
- Sales by Month
- Daily Active Users (commonly abbreviated as DAU)
- Revenue Growth over Time
Rankings (Top N / Bottom N)
When showing top or bottom data based on specific criteria, clearly state the rank and the criteria. The Top/Bottom [N] [Dimension] by [Measure] structure works best.
- Top 10 Customers by Sales
- Bottom 5 Products by Profit Margin
Data Comparison (Actual vs Target, Year-over-Year, etc.)
When comparing two or more measures, use vs (versus) to place the contrasting items side-by-side.
- Actual vs Target Sales by Region
- 2024 vs 2025 Revenue by Quarter
Capitalization Rules (Title Case)
When writing dashboard or chart titles in English, maintaining consistent capitalization is crucial for a polished, professional look. Generally, sheet titles within a dashboard should use Title Case (capitalizing the first letter of major words while keeping prepositions and articles lowercase).
- Recommended (Title Case): Sales by Product Category
- Not Recommended (Mixed): Sales by product Category
A well-named sheet acts as an excellent compass, guiding the reader through the context of your data. By utilizing this standardized guide, we hope you can reduce the time spent on naming and focus more on extracting true insights from your visualizations.