EXCEL CHAPTER 7

EXCEL CHART TYPES AND

CREATING A CHART

Topics Covered in This Chapter

The different types of charts you can create in Excel

The concepts of an X axis and a Y axis
The difference between 2-D and 3-D charts
The concept of a Z axis on a 3-D chart
How to create an embedded chart on a worksheet
How to create a chart on a chart sheet
How to create a column chart
How to create a line chart
How to create a chart with the F11 key
How to select a chart
How to size, move, and copy a chart

Chart Types and Subtypes

Chart Type
Chart Subtypes 3-D Subtypes
Area
6
3
Bar
15
3
Bubble
2
1
Column
19
7
Doughnut
2
0
Line
7
1
Pie
6
2
Radar
3
0
Stock
4
0
Surface
4
2
XY (Scatter)
5
0

Differences between 2-D Charts

and 3-D Charts

Most 2-D charts have two axes (Category and

Value axes)

3-D charts have three axes (Category, Series,

and Value axes).

Some 2-D charts, such as pie and doughnut

charts, do not have any axes.

Completed 2-D Column Chart

After Chapter 9

Completed 3-D Column Chart

after Chapter 8

Combination Charts

Within the 2-D category of chart subtypes, you can apply a

chart subtype to all data series in a chart, to selected data
series, or to a single data series.
Consequently, you can combine multiple 2-D chart subtypes
into a single chart by selecting different chart subtypes for
your various data series, thereby creating a combination chart.
For example, you might create a combination chart for your
sample worksheet by choosing a 2-D column chart subtype for
the forecasted sales, cost of sales, and total expenses values,
and a 2-D line chart subtype for the forecasted income from
operation values.
By using different combinations of standard chart types and
subtypes and custom chart types in a single chart, you have
an almost unlimited variety of ways to present your data in
graphic form.

Completed Combination Chart

after Chapter 8

Creating an Embedded Chart

When you create a chart, you can either embed it as an

object on the active worksheet or place it in its own chart
sheet in the workbook.

Embedding a chart essentially floats the chart on top of

the worksheet and enables you to display or print the
chart along with its associated data.

For example, you can use embedded charts for reports

and other documents in which it's best to print a chart
with related parts of the worksheet.

However, if the occasion presents itself, you can also

print an embedded chart independently of the worksheet.

To embed a chart, click on one of the Chart symbols in

the Charts group of the Insert tabs Ribbon.

Creating a Chart on a
Chart Sheet

A chart sheet is a sheet in the workbook that contains the

chart you create.

When you create a chart sheet, Excel inserts a new

sheet to the left of the active worksheet in the workbook
and places the chart on this new sheet.

Creating a chart as a separate sheet in a workbook

enables you to display the chart apart from its associated
data.

To create a chart on a chart sheet, select the ranges and

press the F11 key. Excel places a column chart on the
chart sheet. Now you can change the chart type to
another chart type, etc.

Creating a Chart on a
Chart Sheet

For example, as a part of a presentation, you might want

to create one or more charts on separate chart sheets in
a workbook in order to facilitate showing the charts on an
overhead projector.

Moreover, if you want to create many charts from the

same worksheet data, creating separate chart sheets
allows you to avoid cluttering the worksheet.

Furthermore, if you rename each chart sheet tab to

correspond to the chart it contains, this technique of
creating charts on chart sheets makes it easier to locate
a particular chart.

Moving and Copying Charts

If you create an embedded chart and

subsequently want to place it on its own chart
sheet, you can change the embedded chart to a
chart sheet by clicking on the chart and then
either
clicking on the Change Chart Type button in
the Type group of the Design tab, or
choosing the Change Chart Type command
from the shortcut menu.

Moving and Copying Charts

Similarly, you can change a chart sheet to an

embedded chart.

You can copy a chart, whether it is embedded or

on a chart sheet, to any worksheet in the
workbook.

Chart Is Linked to the

Source Data

Regardless of where you place a chart in the

workbook, it is linked to the source data in the
worksheet.

Consequently, whenever the data in the

worksheet changes, Excel automatically updates
the chart to reflect the changes in the data.

Relating Data in a
Worksheet to a Chart

The data for the category names (which appear on the

X axis) and the data series (which appear on the Y axis
or Z axis, depending on the chart type and subtype) must
be oriented in rows or in columns of the worksheet.
For example, the data in the sample worksheet from the
Forecast workbook are oriented in rows.
Category names are located in row 5.
Potential data series can be found in rows 7, 8, 10, 13
to 16, 18, 19, and 21.
The row titles in column A, the first column of each
row of data, can be used as a legend text for the data
series.

Sample Worksheet from

Forecast Workbook

Chart Data
Oriented in Columns

The data in the worksheet for Trans Continental

Products Inc. are arranged in columns.
Category names for the X axis are located in
column A.
Data series are arranged in columns B, C, D,
and E.
The column titles in row 7, the first row, can be
used as legend text for the data series.

Column-Oriented Data in Trans

Continental Products Worksheet

Trans Continental Products

2-D Column Chart

Creating a 2-D Embedded Column

Chart with the Column Button

Select (i.e., highlight) the nonadjacent ranges:

A5 through F5,
A7 through F7,
A8 through F8, and
A16 through F16, and
A18 through F18 in your sample worksheet.

You select nonadjacent ranges with the Ctrl key as follows:

Select the first range
Hold down the Ctrl key
Select the remaining ranges
Release the Ctrl key.

Creating a 2-D Embedded Column

Chart with the Column Button

Click on the Column button in the Charts group

of the Insert menu. Excel displays a chart
subtype dialog box.

Select the chart subtype, for example the 2-D

Column chart in the upper left corner of the
dialog box.

As soon as you click on the chart subtype, Excel

places an embedded chart on top of the data in
the worksheet.

Highlighted or Selected Ranges

in a Worksheet

Creating a 2-D Embedded Chart

with the Column Chart Button

Creating a Line Chart on a

Chart Sheet by Pressing F11 and
Then Changing the Chart Type from a
Column Chart to a Line Chart

Moving an Embedded Chart

Select the chart by clicking on it (if necessary).

Position the mouse pointer anywhere on the border

of the chart, except on one of its black handles. The
pointer changes to a large arrow.

Click and hold down the left mouse button and drag
the chart to the left until its upper-left border is in the
upper-left corner of cell A25.

Release the mouse button.

Move a Chart with

Cut and Paste Commands

Select the chart by clicking on it.

Cut the chart to the clipboard by pressing Ctrl + X (or by clicking on
the Cut button in the Clipboard group of the Home tabs Ribbon or
by choosing the Cut command in the shortcut menu).
Select a location to paste the chart from the clipboard:
Select a cell in the same worksheet.
Click on a worksheet tab to activate a different worksheet and
select a cell in that worksheet
Switch to another open workbook either by selecting the
workbooks name from the Windows menu (the Windows menu
lists the names of workbooks open in other windows) or by
pressing Ctrl + F6.
Switch to another Windows application.
Paste the chart to the selected location by pressing Ctrl + V (or by
clicking on the Paste button in the Clipboard group of the Home
tabs Ribbon or by choosing the Paste command in the shortcut
menu.

Resizing an Embedded Chart and

Changing its Proportions

Select the chart by clicking on it.

Position the mouse pointer on one of the black handles until the
pointer changes to a double-headed arrow.

Press the left mouse button, and drag the border(s) of the chart to
the desired position.

If you position the mouse pointer on a black handle in one of the four
corners of the chart, you can drag two of the charts borders to a
new location. For example, by positioning the mouse pointer on the
lower-right corner, you can drag the right and bottom borders to a
new location.

Alternatively, if you position the mouse pointer on a black handle that

is not in one of the corners, then you will drag only that border to a
new location.

Repositioned and Resized Chart

Copying an Embedded Chart

to Another Worksheet

Select the chart by clicking on it.

Copy the chart to the clipboard by pressing Ctrl + C (or by

clicking on the Copy button in the Clipboard group of the
Home tabs Ribbon or by choosing the Copy command in
the shortcut menu).

Select Sheet2 by clicking on its tab on the status bar.

Select a cell in Sheet2 by clicking on it. For example,

select cell B2.

Paste the chart from the clipboard to Sheet2 by pressing

Ctrl + V (or by clicking on the Paste button in the
Clipboard group of the Home tabs Ribbon or by choosing
the Paste command in the shortcut menu).

Copying an Embedded Chart

to Another Workbook

Select the chart by clicking on it.

Copy the chart to the clipboard by pressing Ctrl + C (or
by clicking on the Copy button in the Clipboard group of
the Home tabs Ribbon or by choosing the Copy
command from the shortcut menu).
Either open another workbook or create a new workbook.
For example, create a new workbook by clicking on the
Office button and choosing the New command.
Paste the chart from the clipboard to Sheet1 of the
workbook by pressing Ctrl + V (or by clicking on the
Paste button in the Clipboard group of the Home tabs
Ribbon or by choosing the Paste command from the
shortcut menu).

Copying a Chart from a

Chart Sheet to Another Chart Sheet

Select the Chart1 sheet.

Choose the Move or Copy Sheet command from the

shortcut menu. Excel displays the Move or Copy dialog
box.

Click on Sheet1 in the Before sheet list box.

Check the Create a copy box.

Click on OK to close the dialog box and create a new

chart sheet, which contains the line chart from the
previous chart sheet.