Composition can be defined as looking at a particular measure compared to the whole.

For example, in a "Sales by Region" chart, the sales for each singular region would be a discrete value, while the total sales across all countries would be the "Whole".

Total sales can be divided into "Relative shares" for each region. Having information on "Relative Sales Percentages," as compared to total sales, has a greater impact rather than viewing just the plain sales figures. Eureka moments are much more likely when people use a tool to answer their own questions, which is a core belief behind the design of Qlik Sense.

As with everything else, data composition can be visualized in multiple ways. Understanding what you are trying to achieve will eventually dictate the best choice of visualization.

For example, depending on what matters, each of the following points will favor a different form of visualization:

• Relative differences
• Relative and absolute differences
• Share of the total
• Accumulation to the total (or subtraction)
• Breaking down components of components

As such, each example in the next four recipes will be supported by a goal, questions,
and an analysis description, as follows:

• Goal: As a business analyst, I want to report on the best regions for focusing our marketing strategy
• Question: I want to see how our total revenue is shared this year across the various regions
• Analysis: I want to see how the total revenue is divided per region and whether it is performing positively