Excel Lesson 8
Working with Charts
Eddons Munthali
1
Objectives
Identify the types of charts you can create in
Excel.
Create an embedded chart in a worksheet
and move a chart to a chart sheet.
Update a data source.
Choose a chart layout and style.
Create a 3-D chart.
Display and hide chart elements.
Format and modify a chart.
2 Create sparklines.
Vocabulary
axis data table
chart area embedded chart
chart layout exploded pie chart
chart sheet legend
chart style line chart
column chart
pie chart
data label
data marker
plot area
data series scatter chart
data source sparkline
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Comparing Chart Types
A chart is a graphical representation of data.
The four most commonly used charts are a
column chart, a line chart, a pie chart, and a
scatter chart.
These charts as well as several other types
of charts are available in the Charts group on
the Insert tab on the Ribbon.
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Comparing Chart Types (continued)
A column chart uses bars of varying heights
to illustrate data in a worksheet. It is useful
for showing relationships among categories
of data.
Column chart
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Comparing Chart Types (continued)
A line chart uses points connected by a line to
show data, and is ideal for illustrating trends
over time.
Line chart
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Comparing Chart Types (continued)
A pie chart shows the relationship of parts to
a whole. Each part is shown as a “slice” of the
pie.
Pie chart
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Comparing Chart Types (continued)
A scatter chart, sometimes called an XY chart,
shows the relationship between two categories of
data, such as a person’s height and weight.
Scatter chart
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Creating a Chart
The process for creating a chart is similar no
matter which chart type you want to create.
– First, you select the data you want to use for the
chart.
– Second, you select a chart type.
– Finally, you select the chart location.
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Creating a Chart (continued)
Selecting the data to chart is the first step.
The chart data, called the data source, is
stored in a range of cells in the worksheet.
You can also choose whether to chart more
than one series of data.
A data series is a group of related information
in a column or row of a worksheet that is
plotted on the chart.
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Creating a Chart (continued)
Selecting the chart type is the second step.
The next step is to select the type of chart you
want to create, such as a column, pie, or line
chart.
Each chart type has a variety of subtypes you
can choose from.
The chart types are available on the Insert tab
in the Charts group.
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Creating a Chart (continued)
Insert chart dialog box
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Creating a Chart (continued)
Choosing the chart location is the third step.
After you select a chart type and subtype, the
chart is inserted in the center of the
worksheet.
This is called an embedded chart. You can
move an embedded chart to a chart sheet,
which is a separate sheet in a workbook that
stores a chart.
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Updating a Data Source
Charts are based on the data stored in a
worksheet.
If you need to change the data in the
worksheet, the chart is automatically updated
to reflect the new data.
You switch between a chart sheet and a
worksheet by clicking the appropriate sheet
tabs.
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Designing a Chart
Most charts include some basic elements,
such as a title and legend, which you can
choose to include or hide.
Charts are made up of different parts, or
elements. The chart on the next slide
identifies some common chart elements.
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Designing a Chart (continued)
Chart elements
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Designing a Chart (continued)
A chart layout specifies which elements are
included in a chart and where they are
placed.
A chart style formats the chart based on the
colors, fonts, and effects associated with the
workbook’s theme.
You can modify a chart’s appearance by
displaying or rearranging the chart title, axis
titles, legend, data labels, data table, axes,
gridlines, and the plot area.
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Creating a 3-D Chart
In a pie chart, the slices are different colors
to distinguish each data marker. Pie charts
can be 2-D or 3-D.
To create a 3-D chart, choose one of the 3-D
chart styles, such as “Pie in 3-D.”
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Formatting and Modifying a Chart
The Chart Tools provide a simple way to
create professional-looking charts.
To make changes to an element’s fill, border
color, and border style, and so forth, you
need to open its Format dialog box.
Select the chart element. Then, on the
Format tab, click the Format Selection button
to open the Format dialog box.
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Formatting and Modifying a Chart
(continued)
Format Axis dialog
box for the horizontal
(value) axis
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Formatting and Modifying a Chart
(continued)
You use the standard text formatting tools to
make changes to the fonts used in the chart.
You can change the chart type or subtype.
Select the chart, and then on the Design tab,
click the Change Chart Type button.
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Inserting Sparklines
Sparklines are mini charts that you can
insert into a cell.
– A line sparkline is a line chart that appears within
one cell.
– A column sparkline is a column chart that appears
within one cell.
– A win/loss sparkline inserts a win/loss chart,
which tracks gains and losses, within one cell.
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Inserting Sparklines (continued)
Examples of line, column, and win/loss sparklines
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Inserting Sparklines (continued)
To create a sparkline, first select the range
where you want to insert the sparkline.
In the Sparklines group on the Insert tab,
click the button corresponding to the type of
sparkline you want to create.
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Summary
In this lesson, you learned:
A chart is a graphical representation of data. You can
create several types of worksheet charts, including
column, line, pie, and scatter charts.
Charts can be embedded within a worksheet or
created on a chart sheet.
The process for creating a chart is the same for all
chart types. Select the data for the chart. Select a
chart type. Move, resize, and format the chart as
needed.
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Summary (continued)
Charts are made up of different parts, or elements. You
can apply a chart layout and a chart style to determine
which elements appear in the chart, where they appear,
and how they look.
If the data in a chart’s data source is changed in the
worksheet, the chart is automatically updated to reflect
the new data.
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Summary (continued)
You can fine-tune a chart by clicking a chart element
and then opening its Format dialog box. You can also
edit and format the chart text, using the standard text
formatting tools.
You can change the type of chart in the Change Chart
Type dialog box.
Sparklines are mini charts you can insert into a
worksheet cell to show a pattern or trend. The three
types of sparklines are line, column, and win/loss.
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