Computer Training - How To Make MS Excel Graphs
Creating Microsoft XL Bar, Line, and Pie Charts and Formatting Them
Jul 24, 2009
MS Excel provides at least 15 standard format graphs for the user. Choosing the correct type of graph to suit the data to be plotted is critical for any presentation. This article explains which type of graph to use, as well as how to insert the Excel graph data, and then format the graph that is produced.
When to Use Bar Charts and Line Graphs
Excel graphs may be created using the "Insert" and "Chart" options (see Figure 1), or simply by clicking on the chart icon in any version of Excel. The main types of graphs to be plotted are Bar Graphs, Line Graphs, Scatter Plots, and Pie Charts.
As a general rule, bar graphs and line graphs are used when the x axis is a continuous factor common to the items to be plotted. For example, the power consumption by different factories in a state needs to be plotted by year. Bar charts are used when there are only a few factories, but a line graph can show many more factories without the chart looking "crowded".
When to Use Excel Scatter Plots and Pie Charts
Scatter plots may be used when the spreadsheet contains pairs of numbers. For instance, two Excel columns contain data showing monthly salary and mortgage payments, for a number of people. The user wants to check if there is a correlation between salary and mortgage payments.
A pie chart is used when the contribution of several factors to a total needs to be shown. For example, death rates for over-70 year olds from heart problems, diabetes, vital organ failure, cancer, and other reasons.
Plotting The Excel Graph - Selecting Chart Data
Having selected the Excel chart type, the user will then be asked to provide the spreadsheet data from which to make the graph. In Excel, this is called a "Data Range". The user simply needs to highlight the columns of data, including the title cells.
A further option in this step is the "Series". At this point, the x-axis data is entered (or selected from the spreadsheet) in the "Category labels" section. (See Figure 2). Any other y-axis data to be plotted can also be selected at this point, using the Add and Remove options. The user will then be able to see how the chart will look with the data supplied to Excel.
Excel Graph Formatting
The next step is to select the "Chart Options" to use. This includes the chart title, as well as whether and where to show the chart legend, and whether each point on the chart should show the value on the graph. When these options have been completed, the user then only needs to decide whether the graph should appear on the same spreadsheet as the data, or in a separate sheet. The graph is then complete.
Any of the formats that need to be changed like font size, colors and shades, number format, placement, rotation, titles etc, may all be changed by double-clicking on the item and changing the options for that feature.
Summary of Excel Graphs
Microsoft Excel graphs are extremely easy to use, change, and format. It is important to select the correct graph type for the data to be presented, and the uses for the main graph types are described in this article. There is an option available to automatically produce a graph when creating an Excel Pivot Table. More information about Excel functions is available free on-line, or in Excel for Dummies by Greg Harvey.
 |
 |
 |
