Trellis charts are grouped sets of visuals that represent different partitions (segments) of the dataset in the same chart type, scale, and axes. This makes the comparison of sub-groups very intuitive. Trellis charts are sometimes called lattice charts, grid charts, panel charts, or small multiples.
For example, in the World Life Expectancy dataset, the field un_region
can be such a partition. Placed on the X shelf along with the year
field, it creates a trellised version of a simple line chart.
Similarly, you can make a trellis for many of the charts where the X and Y shelves are optional, by placing the field that represents the partition on an otherwise empty shelf. In the following visual, the mandatory shelves are Geo and Measures. Adding un_region
to the X shelf creates a trellis.
You can take it one step further, and define a secondary trellis for select years on the Y shelf. Note that we used the year
field both on the Y shelf and on the Filters shelf, selecting years 1910
, 1960
, and 2010
to demonstrate the comparable populations across continents and across years.
You can find thorough examples of creating trellised charts in the following articles: