Background Digitally stored, large healthcare datasets enable nurses to use ‘big data’ techniques and tools in nursing research. Big data is complex and multi-dimensional, so visualisation may be a preferable approach to analyse and understand it.

Aim To demonstrate the use of visualisation of big data in a technique called correspondence analysis.

Discussion In the authors’ study, relations among data in a nursing dataset were shown visually in graphs using correspondence analysis. The case presented demonstrates that correspondence analysis is easy to use, shows relations between data visually in a form that is simple to interpret, and can reveal hidden associations between data.

Conclusion Correspondence analysis supports the discovery of new knowledge.

Implications for practice Knowledge obtained using correspondence analysis can be transferred immediately into practice or used to foster further research.