Microsoft® Office Excel 2007

Working with Charts

Lesson Objectives

• use charts

• create charts

• change the chart type

• work with pie charts

• change the chart layout

• move and resize charts

• customize charts

• create and modify trendlines

Creating a Basic Chart

• Pictorial representation of data in worksheet

• Select data in worksheet to create chart

– Display on same sheet as data, or in its own sheet

• Each set of data in chart is called series

• Horizontal line referred to as X-Axis and vertical line is Y-Axis

• Legend explains meaning of each line in chart

• To create chart, select cells and on Home tab, in Illustrations group, click Chart

Creating a Basic Chart

• Chart Tools Ribbon displays with chart

Changing Chart Types

• Type of chart to use depends on data

• Variety of chart types, including 2-D and 3-D

• To change chart type, double-click chart and then:– Under Chart Tools, on Design tab and in Type

group, click Change Chart Type, or

– right-click in chart plot area and then click Change Chart Type

Working with Pie Charts

• Useful to display relative sizes (or percentage) of each piece of sum total

• Can only have one data series

• Enhance chart by exploding or moving out portion

Changing the Chart Layout

• Choose a different chart layout at any time

Moving and Resizing Charts

• To move chart, drag chart to new location

• To resize chart, click and drag handles around chart

• Chart sheets can contain only one chart, and chart cannot be moved– must move or resize entire workbook window

Resizing handle

Formatting the Legend

• Legend Options– select where legend to

be positioned

– for more compact appearance, overlap legend on chart

Formatting the Legend

• Fills– Change color and style

of border around legend

– Can also change color and pattern of legend background

Formatting the Legend

• Border Color– Change the color and

style of the border around the legend.

Formatting the Legend

• Border Styles – Choose border line

width, style as well as other style options.

Formatting the Legend

• Shadow– Set and place shadow

behind legend

Formatting an Axis

• Horizontal (X) axis at bottom of chart

• Vertical (Y) axis on left side of chart

• The axis and axis title are separate, and formatted separately– Each can have different font sizes, fill patterns,

displayed or not.

Formatting an Axis

• Axis Options– different

options for tick marks and axis labels for tick marks on axis line

– shows settings for horizontal or vertical axis

Formatting an Axis

• Number– select number formatting

for axis labels

– format codes same as Format Cells dialog box

Formatting an Axis

• Fill, Line Color, Line Style Shadow– same as Format

Legend dialog box

• 3-D Format– Create 3-D

appearance for axis

Formatting an Axis

• Alignment– Orientation of labels in

axis

– angled between 90 and -90 degrees, or with letters stacked on top of each other

Formatting Title Text

• Can have chart title, as well as title for each axis

• Use consistent fonts, colors, and patterns with all chart text

• Formatting options for titles are to text labels, not the axis labels

• To change only text, click twice on text– then use keys to insert, delete,

and move around text

• To apply basic formatting:– On Home tab, in Font group, or

– click option on Mini toolbar

Formatting Data Series

• Series Overlap

– Set distance between each data point in chart

• Gap Width

– Set distance between each group of bars

• Plot Series On

– Choose which axis to scale

• Other formatting options

• Pay special attention to how to use color in your charts

Formatting Plot and Chart Area

• Default plot area– light gray color and white chart area

– Under Chart Tools, onLayout tab, in Background group, click Plot Area, click More Plot Area Options

Adding New Data

• New data may be added after chart

– Under Chart Tools, on Design tab, in Data group click Select Data

– Copy new data into clipboard, and then Paste Special into chart

– With chart selected, drag boundary of data range on worksheet to include new data

Applying QuickStyles to Charts

• Charts formatted with colors and fill patterns

• Choose from variety of built-in styles

– consistent set of colors and patterns, or

– use style you created and saved

• Under Chart Tools, on Design tab, in Chart Styles group, click style to use

Creating a Trendline

• Common method of analyzing data

• Can be easily added to existing chart when selected

• Choice of six types of trendlines

– based on different statistical calculation methods

• Under Chart Tools, on Layout tab, in Analysis group, click Trendline, click More Trendline Options

Choosing Trendline Options

• Select option to forecast beyond time period specified in data

• Change trendline colors to make chart more readable

• Under Chart Tools, on Layout tab, in Layout group, clickTrendline, More Trendline Options

Using the Error Checking Tool

• Reduces time spent auditing formulas for accuracy

• If background error checking enabled– Excel displays dark green triangle in upper

left corner of cell to indicate if formulas:• inconsistent with others in same row or

column

• refer to range but omit cell within or adjacent to range

• evaluate to error

• numbers stored as text

• Trace Error button– Click arrow to display problem identified

Lesson Summary

• use charts

• create charts

• change the chart type

• work with pie charts

• change the chart layout

• move and resize charts

• customize charts

• create and modify trendlines

Review Questions

1. Provide examples of when to use a chart to show the data in the worksheet.

2. Provide examples of when to use a column or bar chart.

3. Provide examples of when to use a pie chart to represent the data.

4. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of exploding pieces from the pie on a pie chart.

5. Provide examples of how you can change the layout of a chart.

Review Questions

6. Provide examples of some chart elements you can adjust in a chart.

7. Provide examples of how you can change the design of a chart.

8. How would you select only two or three rows or columns of data to be included in a chart?

9. Why would you want to include a legend?

10. Why is it important to format the axis and axis titles separately?

Review Questions

11. Give an example of why you might need to add or remove a data series from a chart.

12. How can using Quick Styles be helpful with charts?

13. Why would you want to include a trendline in a chart?

14. Give an example of why you might want to change the options for a trendline.