# Data structure

A ridge line plot requires three key components to create the diagram:

* **Series**: This is often a date, providing the temporal context for the data.
* **Category**: This represents different groups or levels within your data.
* **Measure**: This is the numerical value that will be depicted across the ridges.

By combining these elements, the plot displays how the measure varies over the series for each category.

<figure><img src="https://1632500807-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F0ARtwElTSzdwWxw4t1pi%2Fuploads%2F6wokgkk4SycW2aZGsEc1%2FRidgeline%20plot%20data%20structure.png?alt=media&#x26;token=ac7f92f5-b5dd-41f2-acdb-6851dc383760" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>
