In MS Excel, you can create two types of charts: embedded charts and charts on separate sheets. Embedded charts are created on the worksheet alongside tables, data, and text, and are mainly used in reports. Charts on separate sheets are more convenient for preparing slides or printing.
In the new version, Excel 2010, creating a chart is practically done with a single mouse click: select the prepared data for the chart, go to the Insert tab on the ribbon, and in the Charts group choose the required chart type. By default, the created chart is placed next to the data on the worksheet. When the chart is activated, three additional contextual tabs of the ribbon become available: Design, Layout, and Format. The tools on these tabs allow you to format the chart, change its type, style, location, etc.
MS Excel charts consist of different objects, each of which can be modified and formatted. In addition, MS Excel offers a variety of chart types.
Elements of an MS Excel chart include:
- Chart area
- Chart title
- Data point
- Plot area
- Value axis
- Side wall
- Data label
- Data series
- Back wall
- Category axis
- Floor
- Legend
Table. Types of MS Excel Charts
| Chart Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Column Chart (Histogram) | Used to compare individual values or their changes over a certain period of time. Suitable for displaying discrete data. |
| Line Chart | Displays the dependence of data (Y-axis) on a variable that changes at a constant rate (X-axis). Category axis labels should be arranged in ascending or descending order. Line charts are commonly used for commercial or financial data evenly distributed over time (continuous data), such as sales, prices, etc. |
| Pie Chart | Displays the relationship between parts and the whole, based on only one data series (the first in the selected range). Best used when components sum to 100%. |
| Bar Chart | Similar to column charts but rotated 90° clockwise. Used to compare separate values at a specific point in time; does not show changes over time. The horizontal layout helps emphasize positive or negative deviations from a reference value. Useful, for example, for displaying budget deviations across different categories. |
| Area Chart | Shows the cumulative change of values across data series and the contribution of each series to the total. Often used to represent production or sales processes over equally spaced intervals. |
| Scatter Chart (XY) | Clearly demonstrates data trends with irregular time intervals or measurement scales on the category axis. Useful for displaying discrete measurements on X and Y axes. The X-axis divisions are evenly distributed between the lowest and highest X values. |
| Stock Chart | Used to display stock market data (e.g., opening, closing, and highest prices). Shows sets of three or more values. |
| Surface Chart | Displays high and low points of a surface, used for datasets depending on two variables. The chart can be rotated and viewed from different angles. |
| Doughnut Chart | Similar to a pie chart but can display two or more data series to compare contributions of parts to a whole. |
| Radar Chart (Spider Chart) | Typically used to show relationships among multiple data series or to compare one specific series to all others. Each category has its own axis (ray). Data points along the rays are connected to form a shape representing the distribution of values. Useful for showing, for example, time distribution across project tasks. |
| Bubble Chart | Displays sets of three values in two dimensions: X and Y represent coordinates, while bubble size represents the third value. |
Additional Chart Operations
With charts, you can also:
- add or remove data series;
- edit, format, and add different chart elements;
- change the 3D orientation of charts;
- add graphical objects (arrows, callouts, etc.);
- adjust axes and scales;
- change chart types;
- create picture-filled charts (instead of color fill);
- link text on the chart to worksheet cells;
- build charts from structured data;
- use charts for data analysis, e.g., add trendlines and make forecasts.
Note
In Microsoft Office Excel 2010, a new feature was introduced: you can now place so-called sparklines directly in worksheet cells. Sparklines are microcharts displayed inside a single cell, visualizing data from the corresponding row in the table. With sparklines, you can show trends in value series (such as currency markets, economic cycles, sales by region, etc.) and highlight maximum and minimum values. Unlike regular charts, sparklines are not objects: essentially, a sparkline is the background of a cell. You can add a sparkline from the Sparklines group on the Insert tab of the ribbon. Further work with sparklines is done using the commands on the Design tab in the Sparkline Tools context mode.