Observatory Charts Overview - Visualization Guide
Charts are the building blocks of analytics in Observatory. Each chart visualizes a specific metric or trend and helps you understand test execution, repository health, requirements coverage, and overall quality at a glance.
Charts live inside Panels, where multiple related visualizations come together to form a meaningful dashboard.
What Are Charts?
Charts are individual visualizations that turn raw data into insights.
They are:
- Visual Representations – Convert data into bars, lines, pies, and more
- Interactive – Support hover, focus, and data exploration
- Configurable – Customizable titles, data sources, and chart types
- Dynamic – Automatically update as underlying data changes
Each chart is connected to a data source and displays data based on configured axes and chart type.
Chart Creation Methods
Observatory supports multiple ways to create charts. Currently, charts are created using the Custom Builder, with Smart Insights planned for a future release.
Smart Insights (Coming Soon)
Smart Insights will provide pre-configured chart templates for common analytics use cases.
Planned Capabilities:
- One-click chart creation
- Pre-selected data source, axes, and chart type
- Built-in best-practice visualizations
- Minimal configuration required
Intended Use Cases:
- Quick insights without manual setup
- Common execution, repository, and coverage metrics
- Faster dashboard creation for new users
Status:
🚧 Smart Insights are currently under development and will be available in a future release.
Custom Builder (Available)
Custom Builder is the primary way to create charts in Observatory today. It gives you full control over chart configuration and data selection.
What You Can Configure:
- Data source
- X-axis and Y-axis
- Chart type
- Chart title
Best For:
- Custom analytics
- Project-specific metrics
- Advanced and exploratory dashboards
How to Create:
- Open a panel dashboard
- Click Add Chart
- Select the Custom Builder tab
- Configure:
- Title
- Data Source
- X-Axis
- Y-Axis
- Chart Type
- Click Create Chart
Data Sources
Charts pull data from one of the supported Observatory data sources.
Repository
Repository charts visualize test case data.
Common Metrics:
- Priority
- Severity
- Test Type
- Automation Status
Use Cases:
- Test case distribution
- Automation coverage
- Priority and severity analysis
Executions
Execution charts visualize test run and release execution data.
Common Metrics:
- Test case status
- Defects
- Requirements linked to executions
- Execution counts and trends
Use Cases:
- Execution progress tracking
- Pass/fail trends
- Defect analysis during execution
Requirements
Requirement charts visualize requirement-level data.
Common Metrics:
- Requirement count
- Requirement status
- Coverage in executions
Use Cases:
- Requirements coverage tracking
- Validation completeness
- Requirement status distribution
Chart Types
Observatory supports multiple chart types to match different analytical needs.
- Bar Chart – Compare values across categories
- Line Chart – Visualize trends over time
- Pie Chart – Show proportional distribution
- Doughnut Chart – Compact summary view with proportions
- Stacked Bar Chart – Compare multiple series within categories
The available chart types depend on the selected data source and axes.
When to Use Which Chart
- Bar / Stacked Bar → Category comparison
- Line → Trends over time
- Pie / Doughnut → Distribution and proportions
Choosing the right chart improves readability and insight quality.
Key Takeaways
- Charts are the core visualization units in Observatory
- Each chart focuses on a single metric or insight
- Smart Insights provide fast, ready-made analytics
- Custom Builder enables full control and customization
- Charts update automatically as data changes
Well-designed charts make complex test data easy to understand.
Next Steps
- Review Best Practices for Charts
- Learn how to Create & Manage Charts
- Understand Organizing Panels for better insights