SSRS 2008 - charts by groups with matrices underneath

Question

The report user wants to have groups by business unit and within each group they want to chart a set of same 4 metrics one under another: metric1, metric2... metric4. Under each of the merticN chart they want a matrix showing metricN values in rows where the months are the columns (metricN is actually 3 metrics: current month's, YTD and previous YE which is the same for every month).

Question: I know that it is possible to use list, bound to a group, to show charts by groups. Is it possible to insert a matrix for the same group under the chart (not to the right of it)? I tried inserting nested rectangles, but a matrix inside a nested rectangle can no longer be bound to the same dataset, needless to say to the group (dataset is disabled).

As a proof of concept I can build a matrix with a chart inside the proper group, which does not solve the task of putting charts above the data. The charts, even so small, look fine in design, but in preview mode SSRS plays some dirty tricks. The resulting chart (occupying 100% of the group box and leving no space for group title, of course) is very ugly - horrible combination of scaling (why?!) and being squeezed into a small area. It looks like SSRS is going mad when a chart is in a confined space. The charts are stretched vertically and horizontally, the lines are thick and fuzzy. Only those charts, that end up in a partial group at the end of the page, look OK from graphical POV.

The most scandalous part is that even though data is correctly groupped by the matrix and reflected in the axis auto-scaling ticks and legends, it is not plotted. The charts remain empty. There must be some 'advanced option' hidden somewhere that is necessary for the charts to work within a matrix, or it is simply bugged.

Edit:

The best I've done so far was adding a Total row above a group and inserting a chart into that cell. It is somewhat closer to the requirement with several drawbacks:

1. The chart is only above the group name, not above whole matrix
2. Due to p.1 the chart cannot be made large enough
3. The matrix's column headers are separated from matrix data by the area height of the chart

However the chart is still not plotting data. Playing with Category/Series Groups 'Synchronize group in' property is not helping.

Answer 1

To have a chart per group and group data in a matrix one on top of another, one should create a list and insert the required row groups with header rows. Then make group columns except the innermost hidden, delete the detail row and insert both chart and matrix into the innermost child group. Then put the group fields into the group header cells. This way the group titles appear at the beginning, then the chart, then the matrix and the last two are repeated in every child group.