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DAT268x Lab 1 - Visual Literacy

This document provides instructions for three exercises to teach data visualization basics using Microsoft Excel. The exercises have students: 1) Create a table to track expenses in Excel, 2) Generate a column chart to visualize the expense data, and 3) Modify the chart by changing the chart type to a bar chart, updating the data range, and sorting the data. The overall goal is to learn how easy it is to visualize data and see differences using basic Excel functions and charts.

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63 views6 pages

DAT268x Lab 1 - Visual Literacy

This document provides instructions for three exercises to teach data visualization basics using Microsoft Excel. The exercises have students: 1) Create a table to track expenses in Excel, 2) Generate a column chart to visualize the expense data, and 3) Modify the chart by changing the chart type to a bar chart, updating the data range, and sorting the data. The overall goal is to learn how easy it is to visualize data and see differences using basic Excel functions and charts.

Uploaded by

sudiptodatta
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Data Visualization: A Practical Approach

for Absolute Beginners


Lab 1 – Visual Literacy

Overview
In this lab, you’ll create a worksheet in Microsoft Excel that keeps tracks of basic expenses and then charts
those expenses. You’ll create a couple different chart types and modify the data that the chart is based
on. You’ll learn quickly that it’s easy to visualize basic data, and that visualizations can help you quickly
see differences in your underlying data.

What You’ll Need


To complete the labs, you will need the following:
• A Windows, Linux, or Mac OS X computer with a web browser.
• A Microsoft account (for example a hotmail.com, live.com. or outlook.com account). If you do not
already have a Microsoft account, sign up for one at https://signup.live.com.
• Microsoft Excel Online or Microsoft Excel for your desktop.
o You can get Microsoft Office Online with your Microsoft account here:
https://products.office.com/en-us/office-online/documents-spreadsheets-presentations-
office-online
o There are instructions in Module 0 for getting the trial version of Microsoft Office.

Exercise 1: Create a Table of Data in Excel Online


In this exercise, you will create a workbook and then add some data in Microsoft Excel Online.

Create a workbook
1. In your web browser, navigate to https://office.live.com/start/Excel.aspx, and sign in using your
Microsoft account credentials. You’ll see Microsoft Excel Online.
2. Click New Blank Workbook to create your first Workbook. It will appear like this:
3. Add four column headers in row 1. Name them Place, Item, Price and Date
4. Add a few rows of data under your column headings to simulate some things you could imagine
spending on things.
5. You can format your table using the toolbar in excel. Try bolding your column headings &
formatting the price column as currency. Here’s an example of a worksheet with this data:

Exercise 2: Create a Chart in Excel Online


In this exercise, you will create your first chart in Excel Online.

Chart your data


1. Complete exercise 1 above. You’ll need a worksheet with some data to create a chart.
2. Select Columns B and C, and then click Column on the Insert tab of the Excel toolbar, and
choose one of the 2-D Column chart types. Here’s an image that shows the columns selected,
and the Column icon selected:
3. After you click the Column icon, your column chart will be automatically added to your
worksheet. Notice how easy it is to see in the chart the prices of your items relative to each
other!

Exercise 3: Modify your data and chart


In this exercise, you will add data and modify your chart.

Change the chart type


1. Complete exercise 1 and 2 above.
2. Click on your chart and notice that the toolbar switches to options you can make to your chart.
3. Change the chart type to a Bar chart: Click on Bar, and then one of the 2-D Bar chart options.
Your bar chart should look like this:

Change the data displayed in your chart


1. Add a few extra rows of data to your worksheet below the data you already have. Simulate a
few new expenses. You can create your own, or use this table:

Gas Station Car wash $9.00 2/23/2017


Grocery Store Fruit $4.00 2/25/2017
Pizza Parlor Pizza $13.00 2/28/2017
Museum Tickets $5.00 3/1/2017
Grocery Store Sandwich $5.00 3/3/2017
Gas Station Car wash $12.00 3/3/2017
Grocery Store Fruit $6.00 3/4/2017
Pizza Parlor Pizza $11.00 3/5/2017
Grocery Store Candy $6.00 3/6/2017

2. Click on Select Data in the Chart menu and observe the formula that is specifying the data range
in your chart. It may look like this: =Sheet1!$B$1:$C$5

In this example, Sheet1 is the name of the worksheet, and the chart is based on the Excel range
B1:C5. The dollar signs are special notation so Excel knows to indicate a range of data.

3. Change the data range to include all of your data. If your data goes to row 10, then change the
range to go all the way to C10, like this: =Sheet1!$B$1:$C$10

Your chart should resemble the following that includes all the data in your worksheet:
Sort the chart
We can improve the visualization by adding a sort order to the data. The chart will also sort the bars to
bring order to the visualization.

1. Click DATA to bring up the data ribbon in Microsoft Excel.


2. Make sure the price column is selected, and then click Sort Ascending in the ribbon to sort your
rows by price. The rows will sort by price, and the chart will also re-draw in sorted order.
3. Resize your chart so you can see the labels for each of your expenses. Your chart should
resemble the following:

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