Excel Charts

CHARTS and GRAPHS

A chart is a visual arrangement of data.

You can create a chart in a Word document, an Excel worksheet or a PowerPoint presentation. You
arrange the data in columns and rows with labels.

1 CREATING CHARTS

1 Enter your data on a worksheet with columns and rows headings.

2 Select the range of cells with the data that you want to create the chart.
3 On the Insert tab in the Charts group, click on one of the chart types and then click the
preferred sub-type to display the chart. Hover the pointer over each one to see a preview.
4 On the Design tab, in the Chart Layouts group, click Quick Layout to display the
predefined layout options from which you can change the layout of your chart. In the
Chart Styles group, you can change the chart style. Hover the pointer over each one to
see a preview.

2 TYPES OF CHARTS IN EXCEL

1 Column and Bar Chart are used to show and compare values across a few categories.
Categories are displayed along the horizontal axis and values along the vertical axis. A
clustered column chart shows values in 2-D columns and a 3-D clustered column chart
shows columns in 3-D columns.

Fig. 2.1.1 – Column or Bar Chart Types Fig. 2.1.2 – Excel table

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Fig. 2.1.3 – Vertical Clustered

Fig. 2.1.4 – 3-D

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Fig. 2.1.5 – Horizontal Clustered

2 Line and Area Chart are used to show the trend of continuous data over a period of
time at equal intervals; e.g., monthly or quarterly.

Fig. 2.2.1 – Line or Area Chart Types Fig. 2.2.2 – Excel Table

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Fig. 2.2.3 – 2-D Line Chart

Fig. 2.2.4 – 3-D Line Chart

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Fig. 2.2.5 – 3-D Area Chart

3 Pie or Doughnut Chart is used to show the size of each item (2 – 3 categories) in the
form of a circle proportional of the whole.

Fig. 2.3.1 – Pie or Doughnut Chart Types Fig. 2.3.2 – Excel table

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Fig. 2.3.3 – 2-D Fig. 2.3.4 – 3-D Fig. 2.3.5 – Doughnut

4 Histogram Charts are used to show the frequencies of data within a distribution. The
columns are referred to as bins. A Pareto histogram contains both columns sorted in
descending order and a line representing the cumulative total percentage.

Fig. 2.4.1 – Histogram Chart Types Fig. 2.4.2 – Excel table

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Fig. 2.4.3 – Pareto Histogram

5 Scatter (X, Y) and Bubble Charts are used to show comparison between two sets of
numeric values or pairs of data or relationships between sets of values; e.g., scientific or
statistical data.

Fig. 2.5.1 – Scatter (X, Y)

and Bubble Chart Type Fig. 2.4.2 – Excel table

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Fig. 2.5.2 – Scatter Chart with Straight Line and Markers

6 Waterfall or Stock Charts are used to show cumulative effect of a series of positive and
negative values, trend of a stock’s performance over time.

Fig. 2.6.1 – Waterfall or Stock Chart Types Fig. 2.6.2 – Excel table

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Fig. 2.6.3 – Waterfall Chart

7 Combo Charts are used to show data that is easy to understand. They combine two or
more chart types on a single chart; e.g., a column chart and a line chart. They have a
secondary axis.

Fig. 2.7.1 – Combo Chart Types

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Fig. 2.7.2 – Excel table

Fig. 2.7.3 – Clustered Combo Chart – Line on Secondary Axis

8 Surface or Radar Charts are used to show the optimum combinations between two sets of
data of numeric values. Radar charts compare the aggregate values of several data series.

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Fig. 2.8.1 – Surface or Radar Chart Types Fig. 2.8.2 – Excel table

Fig. 2.8.3 – 3-D Surface Chart

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3 CHART ELEMENTS

 Chart Area – The area on which the chart or graph is created within the outer border, as
in the light green area in Fig. 3.2.

 Plot Area – The area within the chart or graph area where the Excel data is graphically
displayed within the two axes, as in the orange area in Fig. 3.2.

 Data Series – The graphic element that represents a data series in a chart; e.g., the bars
or columns, as in Fig. 3.2.

 Data Labels – The values of a data series; e.g., the numbers on the bars or columns, as in
Fig. 3.2.

 Horizontal (Category) Axis Labels (x-axis) – (text); e.g., the names of the fruits, as in
Fig. 3.2

 Horizontal (Category) Axis Title (x-axis); e.g., FRUITS as in Fig. 3.2.

 Vertical Value Axis Labels (y-axis) – (number); e.g., the range of numbers 0 – 450, as
in Fig. 3.2.

 Vertical (Value) Axis Title (y-axis); e.g.; QUANTITY, as in Fig. 3.2

 Chart Title – The name of the chart; e.g., SALES, as in Fig. 3.2.

 Legend – The key for the data displayed on the plot area. It can be displayed at any of
these positions: Right, Top, Left or Bottom.

 Grid Lines – The horizontal and vertical lines in a chart, as show in Fig. 3.2.

Fig. 3.1 – Excel table

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Fig. 3.2 – Excel Column Chart

4 ADDING CHART ELEMENTS

1 Select the chart.

2 On the Design tab, in the Chart Layouts group (top left-hand corner), click Add Chart

Element to display the dropdown menu or click the Chart Elements button on the
upper-right corner of the chart to display the expanded menu.

Fig. 4.1 – Add Chart Element dropdown menu

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Fig. 4.2 – Chart and Chart Elements expanded menu

2 To add axis titles, point to Axis Titles on the Add Chart Element dropdown menu
and then click on Primary Horizontal to insert the Axis Title placeholder. Repeat for
Primary Vertical. Alternatively, click the arrow next to Axis Titles on the Chart
Elements expanded menu and then click on Primary Horizontal and then on Primary
Vertical to insert the Axis Title placeholders.

Fig. 4.3 – Axis Titles expanded menu

Click on each placeholder, select the text and then type the name of the axis title; e.g.,
DAYS for Primary Horizontal and SALES for Primary Vertical.

3 To add data labels, click Data Labels on the Add Chart Element dropdown
menu or on the Chart Elements expanded menu and then click on Inside End or any
the other two positions to insert the data labels.

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Fig. 4.4 – Data Labels expanded menu

4 To add grid lines, click on Gridlines on Add Chart Element dropdown menu or on the
Chart Elements expanded menu and then click on Primary Major Vertical.

Fig. 4.5 – Gridlines expanded menu

5 To add a legend, click on Legend on the Add Chart Element dropdown menu or on the
Chart Elements expanded menu and then click on Right or any of the other three
positons. Expand the outer border of the chart if necessary.

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Fig. 4.6 – Legend expanded menu

6 To add data table, click on Data Table on the Add Chart Element dropdown or on
the Chart Elements expanded menu, then click menu and then click on No Legend
Keys. Expand the outer border of the chart if necessary.

Fig. 4.7 – Data Table expanded menu

7 To add chart title, click on the Chart Title placeholder, select the text and type the name
of the chart.

If you want to format the Chart Area and the Plat Area, select the area and on the Format tab,
click Shape Fill and select a colour from the dropdown menu.

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