---
title: "Creating a Chart"
slug: "creating-a-chart"
updated: 2026-03-05T00:55:45Z
published: 2026-03-05T00:55:45Z
canonical: "docs.preset.io/creating-a-chart"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.preset.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Creating a Chart

👤 This documentation is intended for Limited Creators, Secondary Creators, Primary Creators, and Workspace Admins. Check with your Team Admin for additional access.

## Overview

There are two starting sources to use for creating a chart in Preset:

| Starting Data Source | Access Requirement |
| --- | --- |
| 1. [Pre-saved Dataset](/v1/docs/creating-datasets) | Limited Creators and above |
| 2. [SQL Lab Query](/v1/docs/querying-and-analysis) | Primary Creators and above |

## How to create a chart?

### From Any Page - Start with a dataset

Starting your chart creation with Physical or Virtual datasets allows your to scale chart building and re-use pre-defined metrics. Here's how to create a chart from anywhere in the product.

- In the top navigation, select the plus icon '**+',** and then, in the drop-down menu, select **Chart**.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/4749ddf8-aa05-4f3f-80e1-07a5d2d0f137/Images/Documentation/createchart-1(1).png)

- The *Create a new chart* screen appears. In the **Choose a Dataset** field, select the drop-down arrow and then choose a dataset.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/4749ddf8-aa05-4f3f-80e1-07a5d2d0f137/Images/Documentation/createchart-2.png)

- Choose a chart type and click **Create new chart**. Preset recommends using charts with the *FEATURED* tag in the chart gallery. You can select the desired chart from the **Create a new chart** dialogue and change the chart type in the **Data** tab of Preset Chart Builder.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/4749ddf8-aa05-4f3f-80e1-07a5d2d0f137/Images/Documentation/createchart-3.png)

- To configure the chart, within the [Chart Builder Page](/v1/docs/using-preset-explore), drag entries from the *Metrics and Columns* panel on the left and drop them into the adjacent *Configuration* panel.

### From SQL Lab - Start with a SQL Query

Alternatively, starting your chart creation with a SQL query provides you the flexibility to explore your data ad-hoc and decide how to define new metrics. Here's how to create a chart from a SQL query.

- Navigate to **SQL Query** in the drop-down that appears when you hover over the '**+**' at the top right corner of the dashboard.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/4749ddf8-aa05-4f3f-80e1-07a5d2d0f137/Images/Documentation/createchart-4.png)

- Choose the right data source on the left-hand side, type in a SQL query in the text box, and click **Run** to expose the **Create Chart** button.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/4749ddf8-aa05-4f3f-80e1-07a5d2d0f137/Images/Documentation/createchart-5.png)

- Once it runs successfully, click **Create Chart**.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/4749ddf8-aa05-4f3f-80e1-07a5d2d0f137/Images/Documentation/createchart-6.png)

- To configure the chart, within the [Chart Builder Page](/v1/docs/using-preset-explore), drag entries from the *Metrics and Columns* panel on the left and drop them into the adjacent *Configuration* panel. Here's a preview of what your chart would look like.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/4749ddf8-aa05-4f3f-80e1-07a5d2d0f137/Images/Documentation/createchart-7.png)

Congratulations on your first chart! To learn more about configuring charts using the Chart Builder page, have a look at a more detailed walkthrough at [Using Preset Chart Builder](/v1/docs/using-preset-explore). You can also view [example charts and walkthroughs](/v1/docs/chart-walkthroughs).

Ready to start building collections of charts in a dashboard? Have a look at [Creating a Dashboard](/v1/docs/creating-a-dashboard) to get started.