Use the right grain first; then choose the visual, measure, filters and chart settings. This guide helps users build reliable Datplan DataPull dashboards from Xero and HubSpot data without guessing which table or chart type to use.
A grain is the level of detail behind a dashboard chart, such as one invoice, one invoice line, one payment, one Trial Balance account/month row, one HubSpot deal or one HubSpot activity. Choosing the wrong grain can create a chart that is technically valid but analytically misleading.
| Visual | Best use | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| KPI | One headline number | Revenue, deal value, activity count, outstanding invoices |
| Column chart | Small category comparisons or monthly totals | Revenue by month, deals by stage |
| Bar / horizontal bar | Ranked lists | Top customers, expenses by account, activities by owner |
| Line chart | Trends over time | Revenue trend, deals created by month, activity count by month |
| Area chart | Trend shape where total movement matters | Payments by month, sales by month |
| Pie / doughnut | Simple share-of-total with few categories | Deal value by pipeline, activity split by type |
| Table | Detailed review of records and multiple fields | Trial Balance rows, open deals, invoice lists |
Open the source you are building a dashboard for. Keeping recipes grouped by source makes the help page easier to scan as more Datplan DataPull sources are added.
Use Datplan-controlled facts and dimensions for dashboard charts. Raw API tables are retained for source review, audit and troubleshooting. Live reporting facts exclude non-reporting operational rows such as deleted, voided and draft records where applicable.
| Grain | Best for | Avoid using for |
|---|---|---|
| Financial Summary | P&L, balance sheet, account movement by month, revenue, expenses and Trial Balance summaries | Customer, invoice, item or payment drilldown |
| Financial Activity | Reconstructed accounting activity, source type, line role and tracking analysis | Official ledger parity or complete system journals |
| Invoice Summary | Invoice totals, due dates, paid amounts, outstanding balances and customer/supplier invoice values | P&L or balance sheet reporting |
| Invoice Lines | Item, product, tracking and line net/tax/gross analysis | Invoice ageing or payment settlement |
| Payments | Receipts, supplier payments, payment timing and settlement reporting | Revenue or expense recognition |
| Official Ledger Lines | Official ledger reporting where the relevant source access is available | Tenants without the required ledger access |
| Question | Visual | Grain | Measure | Filter guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | KPI | Financial Summary | Reporting amount, SUM | Filter to revenue reporting section and selected month/snapshot. |
| Expenses | KPI or line | Financial Summary | Reporting amount, SUM | Filter to expense reporting section and sort time ascending. |
| Net P&L | KPI or column | Financial Summary | Reporting amount, SUM | Filter to profit and loss rows. |
| Outstanding invoices | KPI or bar | Invoice Summary | Outstanding gross, SUM | Filter by receivables or payables depending on the question. |
| Top customers by invoice value | Horizontal bar | Invoice Summary | Gross amount, SUM | Sort descending and use top 10 or top 20. |
| Payments by month | Line, area or column | Payments | Payment amount, SUM | Use payment date for settlement timing. |
HubSpot dashboard facts are organised as one row per company, contact, deal or activity. Standard charts use these direct facts. Many-to-many attribution should be treated as an advanced reporting model.
| Grain | Best for | Avoid using for |
|---|---|---|
| Companies | Company counts, industry, country, lifecycle, owner and company activity summaries | Deal amount or pipeline value |
| Contacts | Contact counts, lifecycle, owner, company and contact activity summaries | Deal amount or many-to-many company analysis |
| Deals | Pipeline value, deal stage, won/lost reporting, close dates, sales cycle and owner reporting | Activity volume |
| Activities | Calls, emails, meetings, tasks, notes, activity count, call duration and owner activity | Pipeline value or revenue reporting |
| Question | Visual | Grain | Measure | Filter guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company count | KPI | Companies | Company count, SUM | Optional filters: industry, country, owner. |
| Open pipeline amount | KPI | Deals | Amount or company-currency amount, SUM | Filter to open deals. |
| Weighted pipeline | KPI or bar | Deals | Weighted amount, SUM | Filter to open deals and stage/pipeline where needed. |
| Closed-won by owner | Horizontal bar | Deals | Company-currency amount, SUM | Filter to won deals and selected close period. |
| Activities by owner | Horizontal bar | Activities | Activity count, SUM | Sort descending and limit top 10 or top 20. |
| Call duration by month | Line or column | Activities | Call duration minutes, SUM | Filter to call activities. |
For dashboard questions, source access issues, billing support or privacy requests, contact info@datplan.com.