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Mike Bostock

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Robert Kosara Headshot

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Allison Horst headshot

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Observable Canvases

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Allison Horst

Robert Kosara

A look at the basics of querying databases using SQL, to count values, add up numbers, and compute averages. We also cover filtering data to only consider specific values.

How to query databases for data analysis

A new way to explore, visualize, and collaborate with data — all in one shared canvas.

Introducing Observable Canvases

An introduction to database basics for analysts, covering the basics of how they work and why they are structured the way they are.

Databases 101 for data analysts

An exploration of using Claude to help write basic D3 code for time series data

How effective are AI tools for writing D3 code?

We took a look at where treemaps originated, and how this common data visualization is used on BI dashboards today

A brief history of treemaps

Few chart types are irredeemably bad, but the radar chart definitely is. In this post, we share why radar charts are ultimately a poor representation of data.

Why you should avoid radar charts in data visualization

Learn about eight useful (and underused!) chart options in Observable Plot that will help you to quickly update the look, feel, and behavior of your data visualizations, without reinventing the wheel.

Eight underused options to customize charts in Observable Plot

Exploring a new dataset? Follow these key steps to make sure you know what the data is, that it contains valid and meaningful data, and that you know what might be missing.

How to explore data: A checklist for navigating datasets 

A closer look at bar charts, why they work better for categorical data than line charts, and why things are a bit more complicated when it comes to time

When to use bar or line charts for time series data

Fil Rivière, Data Visualization Engineer at Observable, describes his path into data visualization, what he likes in a map, what’s hard about mapmaking, and why he’s asking if we need a “slow cartography movement.” 


Observable blog

How to query databases for data analysis

How to query databases for data analysis

Introducing Observable Canvases

Databases 101 for data analysts

How effective are AI tools for writing D3 code?

A brief history of treemaps

Why you should avoid radar charts in data visualization

Eight underused options to customize charts in Observable Plot

How to explore data: A checklist for navigating datasets

When to use bar or line charts for time series data

We can always talk about maps