EXCEL CHARTS

• It can be difficult to interpret Excel workbooks that contain a lot of data.

• Charts allow us to illustrate our workbook data graphically, which makes

it easy to visualize comparisons and trends.

• A picture is worth of thousand words; a chart is worth of thousand sets of

data.

• A chart is a visual representation of data in both columns and rows.

• Charts are usually used to analyze trends and patterns in data sets.

• Suppose someone has been recording the sales figures in Excel for the
past three years.

• Using charts, he/she can easily tell which year had the most sales and
which year had the least.

• Can also draw charts to compare set targets against actual achievements.
Types of Excel charts

• Excel has several types of charts, allowing one to choose the one that best
fits their data.

• Different scenarios require different types of charts.

• The type of chart to choose depends on the type of data that is to be

visualized.

• To help simplify things for the users, Excel has an option that analyses the
data and makes a recommendation of the chart type that should be used.

• In addition to chart types, will need to understand how to read a chart.

• Charts contain several elements, or parts, that can help one interpret data.
• Excel has a variety of chart types, each with its own advantages.

Column Chart/Graph

• Column charts use vertical bars to represent data.

• The can work with many different types of data, but they are most frequently
used for comparing information.

• When we want to compare values across a few categories, the values run
vertically
Line Chart/Graph

• The line charts are ideal for showing trends.

• The data points are connected with lines making it easier to see whether values
are increasing or decreasing over time.

• When we want to visualize trends over a period of time i.e. months, days, years,
etc.
Pie Chart

• Pie charts make it easy to compare proportions.

• Each value is known as a slice of the pie, so its easy to see which values make
up the percentage of the whole.

• When we want to quantify items and show them as percentages.

Bar Chart

• Bar charts work just like column charts, but they use horizontal rather than vertical
bars.

• When we want to compare values across a few categories, the values run horizontally.

• The bar charts plots the variable value horizontally, and the fixed dimension such as
time, vertically.

• A column chart plots the variable value vertically, and the fixed dimension horizontally.
Area Chart
• Area charts are similar to line charts, except the areas under the lines are
filled.

Surface Chart
• Surface charts allow to display data across 3D landscape.
• They work best with large data sets, allowing us to see a variety of information at the
same time.
Combo Chart

• When we want to highlight different types of information

• Can be a combination of two column charts, two line graphs, or a column chart
and a line graph.

• Can make a combo chart with a single dataset or with two datasets that share
a common string field.

• Combo charts can answer questions about the data, such as: What are the
trends for the same categories?
The importance of charts

• Allow you to visualize data graphically.

• It’s easier to analyze trends and patterns using charts in MS Excel

• Easy to interpret compared to data in cells

Parts of a chart
Chart Title

• The title should clearly describe what the chart is illustrating.

Vertical Axis

• The vertical axis (also known as the y axis) is the vertical part of the chart.

• The vertical axis measures the value of the columns.

• In the figure, the measured value is each genre's total sales.

Horizontal Axis

• The horizontal axis (also known as the x axis) is the horizontal part of the
chart.

• The horizontal axis identifies the categories in the chart.

• In the figure, each genre is placed in its own group.

Data Series

• The data series consists of the related data points in a chart.

• In the figure, as can be seen in the legend, the yellow columns represent net
sales in February.

Legend

• The legend identifies which data series each color on the chart represents.

• In the figure, the legend identifies the different months in the chart.
 Creating charts in Excel

Below are the steps to create chart in MS Excel:

• Select the cells you want to chart, including the column titles and row
labels.

• These cells will be the source data for the chart.

• From the Insert tab, click the desired Chart command. In our example, we'll
select Column.

• Choose the desired chart type from the drop-down menu.

• The Selected chart will be inserted into the worksheet.

• ****If not sure which type of chart to use, the Recommended Charts
command will suggest several charts based on the source data.
Chart and layout style
• After inserting a chart, there are several things we may want to change about the way the data is
displayed.

• It's easy to edit a chart's layout and style from the Design tab.

• Excel allows to add chart elements—including chart titles, legends, and data labels—to make
the chart easier to read.

• To add a chart element, click the Add Chart Element command on the Design tab, then choose
the desired element from the drop-down menu.
• To edit a chart element, like a chart title, simply double-click
the placeholder and begin typing.

• If we don't want to add chart elements individually, we can use one of Excel's
predefined layouts.

• Simply click the Quick Layout command under the design tab, then choose
the desired layout from the drop-down menu.
• Excel also includes several chart styles, which allow us to quickly modify the
look and feel of the chart.

• To change the chart style, select the desired style from the Chart
styles group.

• Can also click the drop-down arrow on the right to see more styles.
• Can also use the chart formatting shortcut buttons to quickly add chart
elements, change the chart style, and filter chart data.
 Other chart options

• There are many other ways to customize and organize charts.

• For example, Excel allows to rearrange a chart's data, change the chart
type, and even move the chart to a different location in a workbook.

Switching row and column data

• Sometimes we may want to change the way charts group the data.

• For instance, in the following chart Book Sales data is grouped by genre,
with columns for each month.

• However, we could switch the rows and columns so the chart will group the
data by month, with columns for each genre.

• In both cases, the chart contains the same data—it's just organized
differently.
1.Select the chart you want to modify.
2.From the Design tab, select
the Switch Row/Column command.
3.The rows and columns will
be switched.
4.In our example, the data is now
grouped by month, with columns for each
Changing the chart type

• If we find that the data isn't working well in a certain chart, it's easy to switch
to a new chart type.

• In the given example, we'll change the chart from a column chart to a line
chart.

• From the Design tab, click the Change Chart Type command.

• The Change Chart Type dialog box will appear.

• Select a new chart type and layout, then click OK.

• For example, change to a line chart.

• The selected chart type will appear.

The line chart makes it easier to see
trends in sales data over time.
Moving a chart

• Whenever we insert a new chart, it will appear as an object on the same

worksheet that contains its source data.

• Can easily move the chart to a new worksheet to help keep the data
organized.

• Select the chart to move.

• Click the Design tab, then select the Move Chart command.

• The Move Chart dialog box will appear.

• Select the desired location for the chart.

• In the example, we choose to move it to a New sheet, which will create a new
worksheet.

• The chart will appear in the selected location.

Keeping charts up to date

• By default, when we add more data to the spreadsheet, the chart may not
include the new data.

• To fix this, we can adjust the data range.

• Simply click the chart, and it will highlight the data range in the spreadsheet.

• Can then click and drag the handle in the lower-right corner to change the
data range.
• If we frequently add more data to the spreadsheet, it may become tedious to
update the data range.

• Luckily, there is an easier way, simply format the source data as a table, then
create a chart based on that table.

• When we add more data below the table, it will automatically be included in
both the table and the chart, keeping everything consistent and up to date.
 Excel Tables
• When we have a lot of data, it can sometimes be difficult to analyze all of the information in the
worksheet.

• PivotTables can help make the worksheets more manageable by summarizing data and
allowing to manipulate it in different ways.

• There will be times when we will be required to analyze large amounts of data and produce
easy to read and understand reports.

• Pivot tables allow us to analyze such data and produce reports that meet our business reporting
requirements.

What is a Pivot Table?

• A Pivot Table is a summary of a large dataset that usually includes the total figures, average,
minimum, maximum, etc.

• Say we have a sales data for different regions, with a pivot table, we can summarize the data
• Consider the example below.

• Let's say we wanted to answer the question What is the amount sold by each
salesperson?

• Answering it could be time consuming and difficult; each salesperson appears on

multiple rows, and we would need to total all of their different orders individually.

• We could use the Subtotal command to help find the total for each salesperson, but
we would still have a lot of data to work with.
• Fortunately, a PivotTable can instantly calculate and summarize the data in
a way that will make it much easier to read.

• When done, the PivotTable will look something like this:

Once we've created a PivotTable, we can use it to answer different questions by

rearranging—or pivoting—the data.
For example, let's say we wanted to answer What is the total amount sold in
each month? We could modify our PivotTable to look like this:
To create a PivotTable

• Select the table or cells (including column headers) to be included in the

PivotTable.

• From the Insert tab, click the PivotTable command.

• The Create PivotTable dialog box will appear.

• Choose the settings, then click OK.

• We'll use Table1 as our source data and place the PivotTable in a new
worksheet.

• Or click on the select table/range button and a mini window will follow.

• Click in starting cell address, press Ctrl + A on the keyboard to select all the data
cells

• A blank PivotTable and Field List will appear in a new worksheet.

• Once a PivotTable IS CREATED, will need to decide which fields to add.

• Each field is simply a column header from the source data.

• In the PivotTable Fields list, check the box for each field to add.

• Using the example, we want to know the total amount sold by each salesperson, so we'll check
the Salesperson and Order Amount fields.

• The selected fields will be added to one of the four areas below.

• In our example, the Salesperson field has been added to the Rows area, while Order
Amount has been added to Values.

• can also drag and drop fields directly into the desired area.
The PivotTable will calculate and
summarize the selected fields.
In the example, the PivotTable
shows the amount sold by each
salesperson.
• Just like with normal spreadsheets, can sort the data in a PivotTable using
the Sort & Filter command on the Home tab.

• Also notice the drop down button next to Rows Labels. This button allows us to
sort/filter our data.

• Can also apply any type of number formatting we want.

• For instance, we may want to change the number format to Currency.

• However, be aware that some types of formatting may disappear when we

modify the PivotTable.

• If we change any of the data in your source worksheet, the PivotTable will not
update automatically.

• To manually update it, select the PivotTable and then go to Analyze >
Refresh.
 2-Dimensional pivot tables

• A two-dimensional pivot table is a table that has fields on both rows and columns.

• Say we want to list employee names as rows and use columns to represent customer
names and fill in the cells with the total sales.

• Activate the Sales Datasheet

• Click on INSERT tab

• Click on Pivot Chart & Table button

• Select all the data. Excel should now remember the previous range so you just have to
click on OK button

• A new sheet will be created with the pivot table tools

• Select the fields as shown in the image below

• Note: With Excel 2013 and above, we do not need to create the charts
manually.

• Excel will create the charts for as we create the pivot tables, change
aggregate functions, apply filters, etc.

Pivoting data

• One of the best things about PivotTables is that they can quickly pivot—or
reorganize—the data, allowing us to examine our worksheet in several ways.

• Pivoting data can help answer different questions and

even experiment with the data to discover new trends and patterns.

To add columns

• To show multiple columns, we'll need to add a field to the Columns area.

• Drag a field from the Field List into the Columns area as shown (using the
The PivotTable will include multiple columns.
In the previous example, there is now a
column for each person's monthly sales, in
addition to the grand total.
To change a row or column
• Changing a row or column can give a completely different perspective on the data.

• All we have to do is remove the field in question, then replace it with another.

• Drag the field to be removed out of its current area.

• Can also uncheck the appropriate box in the Field List.

• In the example, we've removed the Month and Salesperson fields.

• Drag a new field into the desired area.

• In the example, we'll place the Region field under Rows.

• The PivotTable will adjust—or pivot—to show the new data.

• In the example, it now shows the amount sold by each region.

 EXCEL SPARKLINES
• Excel is a great tool for all of the marketing needs.

• Can create graphs to visualize data, use formulas to calculate conversion rates, or
even create social media calendars.

• Can also monitor trends in the marketing campaign data.

• Sparklines are charts in individual cells that provide visual representations of trends
in the sheet data.

• They are miniature, condensed charts that provide a quick visual representation of
data trends and patterns within a single cell in Microsoft Excel.

• These tiny graphs allow to analyze data at a glance, without the need to create full-
sized charts.

• Sparklines are an excellent tool for displaying data in a compact and easy-to-read
format, making them particularly useful for dashboards, reports, and presentations.
• For example, if we track month-over-month progress, a sparkline can show
how each month compares to the other.

• Unlike regular charts, sparklines are not objects.

• These reside in a cell as the background of that cell.

• Sparklines can be of many types: Line, Column, and Win/Loss.

• An example of a sparkline is as follows :

• A win-loss sparkline effectively visualizes data trends and gains/losses over
time, making it easier to analyze data trends.

• A win-loss sparkline chart is a graph that displays only two outcomes - either
positive or negative values.

• Note that the win-loss sparkline won't indicate the size of the values on the
chart.

• In the Win-Loss chart below, we visualize four data points, it's evident that all,
except for the second data point, have a positive value.
Inserting Sparklines in Excel
• Go to the Insert tab.

• Select the cell to insert the sparkline.

• Go to insert > Sparklines > Select option

• Select the range of cells for which to add a sparkline.

• Click on the OK button, the sparkline is now added to the selected cell.
Customize the Sparkline

• To format the sparkline, select the sparkline to format and then select
the Sparkline option on the menu bar as shown in the picture below:

Using show submenu

• In the show submenu, there are 6 options :
• High Point: Marks the maximum point on
the sparkline.
• Low Point: Marks the minimum point on the sparkline.

• First Point: Marks the leftmost ( first ) point on the sparkline.

• Last Point: Marks the rightmost ( last ) point on the sparkline.

• Markers: Mark all the edge points on the sparkline.

• Negative Points: Marks the negative points in the graph with a different color which is illustrated in the
figure below:
Using Style submenu

• In the style submenu, we can select the style of the sparkline, many options
are available ( different variety of colors ).

• We can also set the color of the sparkline and marker color using Sparkline
Color and Marker Color options.

Using Group submenu

• In the Axis section, there are many options by which we can reformat the
sparkline.

• One of the options is Plot Data Right-to-Left, in this case, the data is plotted
on the sparkline from the rightmost data to the leftmost data.

• In the given figures, the first figure shows the data plotted from left to right
and the second figure shows the same data plotted from right to left.
Group, Ungroup, and Clear Sparklines

• Group: It groups all the sparklines together.

• In simple words, you can treat all the sparklines as having the same
characteristics and applying style on any one of them, styles all the other
sparklines in that group.

• If we change the color of one sparkline, all the other sparklines get affected.

• Ungroup: Ungroup option reverses the effects done by the Group option, it
again makes the sparklines as different entities.

• Clear: This option can clear/delete the selected sparkline or the selected
sparkline group( all the sparklines in that group ).
Edit the Dataset of Existing Sparklines

• Editing the dataset of existing sparklines in Excel is a simple process that allows to modify the data

and update the sparklines accordingly.

• Select the Sparklines: First, click on the sparkline to edit. Excel will highlight the selected

sparkline, including that it is active for editing.

• Access the Edit Data Option: Next, go to the “Design” tab in the Excel ribbon. In the

“Type” group, will find the “Edit Data” drop-down menu.

• Choose the Editing Option: Click on the “Edit Data” drop-down menu to reveal the following

options:

Edit Group Location & Data

• Select this option when you have grouped multiple sparklines, and want to change the data for the

entire group.

• Grouping Sparklines is a useful feature for managing and updating multiple Sparklin

simultaneously.
Edit Single Sparkline’s Data

• Choose this option to change the data for the selected sparkling only.

• This is helpful when we have individual sparklines with unique data that we
want to modify independently.
Hidden and Empty Cells

• When working with the line sparklines in a dataset that contains empty cells, may
observe that the sparkline displays a gap to indicate the absence of data in those
cells.

• This gap can sometimes disrupt the continuity of the sparkline and affect data
visualization.

• However, Excel provides effective ways to handle hidden and empty cells within
sparklines, ensuring a smooth and acute representation of data trends.

Ignoring Hidden Cells

• By default, Excel considers hidden cells in sparklines, leading to gaps in the line
when data is hidden.

• To overcome this, can instruct Excel to ignore hidden cells while creating
sparklines.
• Click the cell that has the sparkline.

• Click the Design Tab.

• Click on the Edit data Option.

• In the drop-down, select the ‘Hidden & Empty Cells’ option.

• By enabling this setting, sparklines will disregard data in hidden cells,

maintaining the line’s continuity.
Changing sparklines in Excel

• Can also change the Sparkline type – from line to column or vice-versa

• Click the sparkling you want to change.

• Click the sparkling Tools Design Tab.

• In the type group, select the sparkling you want.

Deleting Sparklines

• It is not possible to delete a sparkline by selecting the cell and hitting the delete key.

• Select the cell that has the sparkline that you want to delete.

• Click the Sparkline Tools Design tab.

• Click the clear option.