Chapter

4
GRAPHS AND CHARTS FOR BUSINESS
Charts and graphs are used to make information clear and easier to understand. A
good picture is worth a thousand words. Spreadsheet offers many types of charts
including: Column, Line, Pie, Bar, Area, Scatter and more.

Types of Charts in Spreadsheet

Spreadsheet provides wide variety of charts to express the data more meaningfully.
Following are the most widely used charts.

Column Chart : In the column chart, categories are displayed horizontally and values
vertically. Column chart works well when we want to compare data
sets between each other.

Bar Chart : The bar chart is similar to the column chart, with the difference being that
the data series are displayed horizontally and not vertically. Similar
to the column chart, in the bar chart we can compare one or more
data series.

Line Chart : The line chart shows data changes for a certain period of time. In other
words, the line chart is good for determining trends.

Pie Chart : The pie chart contains only one data series. A series of data in a pie
chart is displayed as a percentage of the total.

Exploded pie Chart: Exploded pie chart is the kind of pie chart in
which one or several slices are separated from the other. It is useful
because it makes the highlighted portion more visible.

Donut Chart: A Donut or Doughnut chart is a pie chart, with two

exceptions: It has a hole in the middle and it can display more than
one series of data. Doughnut charts display data in rings, where
each ring represents a data series. The first data series is displayed
in the centre of the chart.
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4
Exploded Donut Chart: It is a Donut chart with all slices
exploded. It shows the outer sectors already separated
from the remaining Donut.

Area Chart : Area charts emphasize the size of changes in time and allow you to
focus on the sum of the whole trend. By using the area chart, you
can display data that represents the gain in time, in order to

emphasize the amount of profits.

Scatter Chart (XY Chart): This type of chart is often used to show the relations hip
between two variables. The Scatter charts are commonly used for
scientific and financial data.

Radar Chart / Net Chart: This chart shows the data in the form of a
cobweb (spider net).

Stock Chart: This chart is used to demonstrate the fluctuations in security market
with respect to stock market price.

Column and Line Chart: It shows different sets of data in

the form of column and line at a time (Minimum 2 sets of
data required).

Steps to Create Charts

1. Data Entry: Enter the data in a

spreadsheet with column headers and row
headers.

2. Data Selection: Select the data

including column headers and row headers
if necessary.

3. Plotting the Chart: Insert – Chart – Chart

Type – Next.

4. Data Range – Tick the options First row

as label and First column as label.
Exploded Donut Chart: It is a Donut chart with all slices
5. Click on Finish.
exploded. It
Elements of a Chart

1. Chart Area – Entire area of the chart, which includes labels, data, axis etc.

2. Plot Area – It is the area in which the actual data is plotted.

3. Chart Floor – It is the lower area on which the data points are placed.

It can be seen only in 3D charts.

4. Chart Main Title – This is the heading of the chart.

5. Chart Subtitle – This identifies the purpose of a chart.

6. X axis - It is the horizontal axis in the chart.

7. Y Axis – It is the vertical axis of a chart.

8. Z Axis – It represents the depth of a 3d chart.

9. Axis Titles – This mention the name or title for X, Y and Z axis.

10. Data Point – A symbol that represents the data, it may be a bar, pie, line, bubble
etc.

11.Data Series – A group of data points.

12. Legend – They are the indicators of data items. It is shown in the form of colours or
symbols.

13. Data Label – It is the value of data labels in the chart.

14. Grid lines – Optional lines extending from tick marks across the plot area.
Formatting Charts – Format menu is used to make changes in the chart. Double click
to
theget into the edit mode, then select the chart element that we want to change from
chart
the Format Menu on the menu bar.

The following changes can be made in a chart with the help of Format Menu:

1. Format Selection – This option wil be enables only when we select the chart wall.
It opens a dialog box in which we can specify the area fill (colour), borders,
transparency etc.

2. Position and Size – It is also available on when the chart wall is selected.
Here we can rearrange the position and size of the chart.

3. Title – This option is active only when there is a title on the chart. It helps to make
changes on the title of the chart.

4. Legend – This allows to format the location, borders etc. of the legend.

5. Axis – It allows to format the lines and font of the text on both X and Y axis.

6. Grid – It is used to make changes in the grid lines of the chart.

7. Chart Type – It enables us to change the type of chart.

8. Data ranges – It allows to change the data range of a chart if needed.

9. 3D View – It is available only on 3D charts, by which we can make changes in

appearance of the chart.

Moving Chart Elements

To move or resize any of the chart elements:

1. Double click on the chart.

2. Click and drag the element to be moved.

Changing the Chart Type

Inorder to change the chart type such as column chart to bar

chart etc. Steps:

1. Double click on the chart.

2. Do any of the following:

a. Format – Chart Type

b. Click on the Chart Type icon from the formatting tool bar.

c. Right click on the chart – Choose the Chart Type

3. Select the new chart type and click OK.

2D – 3D Charts

The term 2D and 3D are used to indicate dimensions. 2D stands for Two-
Dimensional, whereas 3D stands for Three-Dimensional. 2D represents an object in
just two dimensions in X and Y axes, while 3D represents it in three dimensions in X,
Y and Z axes.

2D Chart 3D Chart

Advantages of using Graphs and Charts

1. Visually appealing

2. Easy to read the data

3. Quick analysis and interpretation of data with a little time

4. To know the trends easily

5. To grasp the data quickly

6. A large volume of information can be exhibited through charts easily