Grain first, chart second

Leadership rarely argues about colours. They argue about whether the bar means orders, order lines, or invoices. Grain mistakes hide inside joins that “look fine” in a preview of twenty rows.

Before you choose a chart, write the noun of the row in plain language: one row equals one what? If two analysts disagree, stop. Fix the query lane, then return to visuals.

A useful rehearsal: take last month’s board question and restate it with the grain noun included — “weekly delivered shipments per region,” not “performance.” If the noun will not fit on a pin title, the query is not ready to become a chart.