It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Years ago, I was lucky enough to attend a seminar on data visualization. In that talk, we were introduced to the work of Charles Joseph Minard, a French civil engineer who was renowned for his data visualization maps—the most famous of which is Napoleon’s failed Russian Campaign.
The map shows how Napoleon’s army started with 422,000 soldiers (in beige), and by the time it reached Moscow, it was down to 100,000. It retreated (in black) and only 10,000 arrived at where they started.
If you click on the chart and study it a little, several details jump at you. For example, 60,000 soldiers split at Wilna but only 33,000 made it to Polotzk. Also, on their return from Moscow, they suffered heavy losses at the Berezina river. Thirty thousand soldiers from Polotzk join 20,000 retreating soldiers, but only 28,000 make it across the river.
Although no software that I am aware of can create a masterpiece like this one, I believe that, whenever possible, a good graphic should always accompany tabular data. The story is simply easier to tell, and easier to remember.