Charting Your Data

One of the best ways to present your data in a clear and understandable form is to use a well-designed chart. A chart provides the clarity and visual impact that make your data come alive in such a way that difficult concepts and comparisons become immediately understandable. You’ll need to decide what you want to include in the chart, where to put everything, and the type of chart that will best illustrate the information.

Create a Chart

  1. Select the data you want to use in the chart.

  2. On the Insert tab, click the type of chart you want to use.

  3. In the gallery that appears, click the chart design you want.

  4. Click the chart to select it, and, on the Chart Tools Design tab, select a layout for the chart.

  5. If you don’t like the way the chart looks, do either of the following:

    1. Click the Change Chart Type button, and choose a different type of chart in the Change Chart Type dialog box.

    2. Click the Switch Row/Column button to change the way the data will be plotted.

  6. If you want the chart to appear in its own worksheet, click Move Chart, and, in the Move Chart dialog box, click select New Sheet. Click OK.

    Create a Chart
    Create a Chart

Tip

Tip

Your data doesn’t have to be contiguous. To select noncontiguous data, hold down the Ctrl key while you’re dragging over the data.

Complete the Layout

  1. On the Chart Tools Layout tab, with the chart selected, click any of the Labels buttons. Specify whether you want a label, and, if so, where you want it. Type the text for any labels you’ve created.

  2. Click the Axes button, and select the style and/or scale for any axis you want to modify.

  3. Click the Gridlines button, and, if you want to display gridlines for an axis, specify the types of gridlines you want.

  4. Click any of the Background buttons, and choose to hide or display background elements or to modify the 3-D rotation.

  5. Click to show a trendline, drop lines, up/down bars, or error bars. Note that not all line types are available for all chart types.

    Complete the Layout

Tip

Tip

The numbers and/or the text on the chart’s axes are based on the worksheet data you’re using. To make changes to these elements, you’ll need to make the changes in your worksheet.

Tip

Tip

There are numerous types of lines you can display. For example, the trendline can be linear, exponential, linear forecast, or a two-period moving average. The error bars can be based on standard error, percentage, or one standard deviation. Make sure that you choose the correct type of line for the information that you’re presenting.

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