IT SKILL LAB – KMBN251

“CREATING AND FORMATTING OF CHARTS IN

MS-EXCEL”

Submitted to

DR. A.P.J ABDUL KALAM TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY LUCKNOW

In partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of degree of Master of

Business Administration (MBA)

Session (2023-24)

Project Guide Submitted by

Dr. Shikha Singh Simran Rajak

Assistant Professor Roll No - 2303610700044

(Dept of Computer Science & Engineering)

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 DECLARATION

This is to certify that the project work titled “Creating and Formatting of Charts
in MS Excel” is a bonafide piece of work conducted under the supervision of
Dr. Shikha Singh, Assistant professor, R.R.Institute of Modern Technology,
Lucknow. No part of this work has been submitted for any other degree of any
university. The data sources have been duly acknowledged.

Date: Student’s Signature

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I feel immense pleasure to give the credit of my project work not only to one
individual as this work is integrated effort of all those who concerned with it. I
want to owe my thanks to all those individuals who guided me to move on the
track.

I am highly indebted to my esteemed learned teacher, project guide and

Assistant Professor Dr. Shikha Singh, R.R.Institute of modern Technology,
Lucknow for his rich knowledge and experience, invaluable guidance, constant
supervision and constructive suggestions which he had been patiently imparting
to me and without whose help the completion of the present work would not
have been possible.

Last but not least, I would thank all my friends, faculty members and all
respondents who rendered their precious time for contributing their skills, which
made my project more appealing and attractive.

Simran Rajak

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 INDEX

SR.NO PARTICULARS PAGE NO

1. Introduction 5

2. How to insert chart in excel 6

3. Types of Charts 9

4. Formatting of Charts 13

5. Conclusion 32

6. Refrences 33

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CREATING AND FORMATTING OF CHARTS IN MS-EXCEL

INTRODUCTION

MS-EXCEL

MS-EXCEL is a part of Microsoft Office suite software. It is an electronic

spreadsheet with numerous rows and columns, used for organizing data,
graphically representing data(s), and performing different calculations. It
consists of 1048576 rows and 16384 columns, a row and column together make
a cell. Each cell has an address defined by column name and row number
example A1, D2, etc. This is also known as a cell reference.
Microsoft Excel is a software application designed for creating tables to input
and organize data. It provides a user-friendly way to analyze and work with
data. The image below provides a visual representation of what an Excel
spreadsheet typically appears like

Microsoft Excel, commonly referred to as MS Excel, is a powerful spreadsheet

application developed by Microsoft. Introduced in 1985 for the Macintosh and
later for Windows in 1987, Excel has since become an integral tool in various
industries, aiding in data management, analysis, and visualization. Its versatile
nature and robust features have made it the preferred choice for both personal
and professional use.

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How to Insert Chart in Excel

MS Excel is one of the most powerful spreadsheet tools in Office Suite, and
charts are essential presentation elements of Excel. The charts help us to
visualize the Excel data graphically. The graphical representation makes it
easier to analyze or interpret data than the displayed data in cells. Sometimes, a
simple chart in Excel can be more meaningful and helpful than a sheet full of
values or numbers. Therefore, it is essential to know the process of inserting a
chart in Excel.

This article discusses the step-by-step procedure to insert a chart in an Excel

workbook. Since Excel has various charts, the article also covers choosing
different types of charts available in Excel that best fit the Excel data.

Inserting a Chart in Excel

Inserting charts into Excel is an easy-to-use process. For instance, we take the
following sheet as an example and insert a chart for it.

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To create a chart for the above data in Excel, we need to follow the steps
mentioned below:

o First, we must select all the cells we want to record in a chart, including
the corresponding row labels and column titles. The selected cells are
used as source data for the chart to be created. In our example, we need to
select cells from cell A1 to cell G6.

o Next, we need to navigate to the Insert tab and select the desired chart to
insert from the Charts group.

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If there are more charts under the selected chart type, Excel displays all
the available options. For example, when we select Insert Column or Bar
Chart, we get the following chart options:

In the above image, we only need to click on the desired chart type. As
soon as we click on the desired chart type, the corresponding chart is
immediately inserted into the active datasheet.

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Types of Charts

A wide range of charts is supported in Excel to help us choose the right chart,
making graphical representation more effective with the data. The following
charts are frequently used in Excel:

o Pie Chart: Pie charts easy comparisons between different proportions.

Each value is drawn as a slice of the pie; thus, it is called a pie chart. Pie
charts are mainly used when we want to quantity values and display them
in percentages. These charts make it easy to see the specific values,
making up the percentage of a whole pie.

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o Column Chart: Column charts represent values using the vertical bars.
These charts can easily work with several data types. However, they are
usually used to compare data. Column charts can be helpful while
comparing values across different categories in a vertical representation.

Bar Chart: Bar charts are almost identical to column charts. The only
difference between a bar chart and a column chart is that the bar chart
uses horizontal bars rather than the vertical bars of the column chart. Bar
charts are mostly used when we want to compare values across some
categories in a horizontal representation.

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o Line Chart: Line charts are best known for highlighting trends. These
charts connect data points using different lines in the graphical interface.
Line charts help us understand whether the respective values increase or
decrease over time, i.e., days, months, years, etc.

o Area Chart: Area charts work in the same way as line charts. The only
difference between area charts and line charts is that the areas below the
lines are filled in area charts, whereas they are kept blank in the line

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 charts.

Surface Chart: Surface charts represent data in a 3D view. They are best
suited for large data. Surface charts can help us view a variety of relevant
information simultaneously in a 3D landscape.

o Combo Chart: Combo charts help us select different chart types

clustered together. For example, we can insert a combo chart to get a
clustered column-line chart, clustered column-line in secondary axis,
stacked area-clustered column, etc. Alternately, we can also customize
the chart types in our style under the combo chart.

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ADDepending on the Excel version we are using, several other charts can be
found under the Charts section. Each chart is designed for a specific purpose
and has its advantages. If we are not sure to select an appropriate chart type, we
can go through the Recommended Chart section under that Insert tab. This
option typically suggests some specific charts based on the source data.
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Formatting Chart

If we insert any chart but do not like it for some reason, we can always change it
to another chart type. We don't need to repeat the whole process. We need to
follow the below steps:

o In the above example, we have inserted a column chart. Now, we will

replace our G chart with a line chart.

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 G

o First, we need to go to the Design tab and click on the 'Change Chart
Type' option. We must ensure that the existing chart is selected;
otherwise, the Design tab will not be displayed.

o After completing the previous step, Excel will display a dialogue box of
Change Chart Type. We must click on the 'All Charts' tab and select the
desired chart and corresponding layout. In our case, we click and select
the Line chart.

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 o Once the desired chart is selected, we will see a preview of the new chart.
Finally, we need to click on the OK button, and the corresponding chart
will be instantly inserted into our Excel sheet with the same data. In our
example, the Column chart has been replaced with the Line chart.

Adjusting Chart Layout & Style

Once a chart is inserted, there are several elements of the chart that we may
wish to change their parameters on how our data is displayed. It's easy to edit
the layout and style of a chart from the Design tab. Some of the most common
adjustments in chart layout and style are discussed below:

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Customizing Charts

Excel allows us to add or insert desired chart elements, such as chart titles,
legends, data labels, etc. Chart elements help make our charts easier to read. To
insert a chart element, we need to click on the 'Add Chart Element' option
under the Design tab, then select the desired element from the drop-down menu.

If we do not want to insert chart elements manually, we can use one of the
predefined layouts of Excel. We need to click on the 'Quick Layout' option and
select the required layout by clicking the drop-down menu icon.

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Excel also provides many different chart styles, so we can easily change the
look and interface of our inserted charts. To modify the chart style, we need to
choose the desired style from the Chart Styles menu.

We can also use chart formatting shortcut buttons to insert desired chart
elements, change chart styles, and quickly filter chart data. The shortcut is
located on the right side of the chart and looks like the following image:

Switching Row and Column Data

Sometimes we may need to alter the way charts group our data. For example,
salary distribution data is grouped by year in the chart below, with columns for
each distribution source type.

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However, we can switch the rows and columns to group the data by the
distribution source type, with columns for each year. In both the cases (before
and after switching rows and columns), the chart contains the same data-it's
only arranged differently. We can follow the below steps to switch row and
column data:

o First, we need to select a chart in which we want to switch row and

column data.

o Next, we need to go to the Design tab and select the option Switch Row/
Column.

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 o

o As soon as we click the Switch Row/ Column option, the rows and
columns data is switched instantly. In our example data set, the data is
switched and now visible by the distribution source type, with a column
for each year:

Positioning Legend

Excel also allows us to move the legend position to any side of the chart. For
example, we can move a legend to the left, right, top and bottom.

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We need to perform the following steps to change the legend position in our
chart:

o First, we need to select the chart in which we want to change the legend
position.

o Next, we need to click on the plus (+) button on the right side of the
chart. After this, we will see a list of chart elements. We must select the

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 arrow next to the option Legend and then choose the desired position for
the legend in the corresponding chart.

In our example data, we move the legend from the bottom to the right
side of the chart:

Similarly, we can move other chart elements. Despite this, we can

enable/disable chart elements by selecting the checkbox in a list that we get by
clicking on the plus (+) icon from the right side of the chart.

AD

Moving a Chart
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When we insert a chart in our Excel sheet, it is inserted in the form of an object
with the source data. Excel allows us to move the inserted data to another sheet.
This way, we can insert an existing chart from one sheet to another and keep our
data organized.

We need to follow the below steps to move/ insert a chart from one Excel sheet
to another:

o First, we need to select a specific chart that we want to move into another
sheet.

o Next, we need to go to the Design tab and select the option 'Move
Chart'.

o Upon selecting the Move Chart option, Excel will display a Move Chart
dialogue box.

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Here, we must choose the desired location or sheet to move the
corresponding chart. As shown below, we choose a New Sheet option to
move a selected chart to a new sheet.

After selecting the desired location, we must click the OK button. Excel
will create a new sheet, and the selected chart will be moved to the
respective sheet. In our example, the chart is now moved to a new sheet,
i.e., Sheet2:

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Keeping Charts Up to Date

By default, when we add more data to our spreadsheet, the new data may not be
included in the chart. We can fix it by adjusting the specific data range
manually. We can click and select the chart, which will highlight the data range
in an active sheet. We can then click and drag the handle from the lower-right
corner to change the range of the data.

If we frequently add more data to our worksheets, it can become difficult to

update the data range. However, there is an easier way. We should format our
source data as a table, then create a chart based on that table. Adding more data
to the bottom of the table will automatically join both the table and the chart,
keeping everything consistent and up to date. Feb, 2023

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One of the major uses of Excel is to create different types of charts for a given
data set. Excel provides us with a lot of modification options to perform on
these charts to make them more insightful.
In this article, we are going to see the most common “Formatting” performed on
charts using a suitable example shown below.
Example: Consider the performance of a batsman in a T20 match. The data set
contains the runs scored by the batsman in various matches.

Now we will insert a bar chart using the above table. To insert a bar chart :
Select dataset -> Click on Insert -> Chart Sets Pop Down -> 2-D column
The key steps to format anything on the chart is :
Select the part of the chart which needs to be formatted.
Right-click on it and select “Format”. The format window will open.

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Formatting the Chart Title :
Select the Title -> Right Click on it -> Format Chart Title

In the Format Chart Title window, you can change the Font color, add
Borders surrounding the title and various other modifications can be done. You
can also rename the title by simply selecting and retyping a new name.

Formatting Axis Titles:

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You can add the axis title by using the “+” button in the top right corner of the
chart.

Now, rename the X-axis and Y-axis by selecting them. You can edit the
appearance of the axis title by right-clicking on it and selecting “Format Axis
Title”.

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Formatting Data labels:
You can add Data Labels by using the “+” button on the top right corner of the
chart.

Now open the Format Data Labels Window and can change the Font color, size,
alignment, and many other options.

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Formatting Data Series:

You can change the color of the bar charts by selecting them and then open
the “Format Data Series” window. By default, on left-clicking once on any of
the bars all the data sets bar will be selected. If you want to select only one of
these bars, left-click twice on the bar which is to be formatted.

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Formatting Axis:
This is the most important formatting mostly used by us to change the scale of
the axes according to our requirements.

Bound is used to provide the minimum value from which axis to chart and also
the maximum value of the axis. The Major unit is used to provide the intervals
in the axis.

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Formatting Chart Style:
Excel provides us with dynamic chart styles. Select the “Paint brush icon” in the
top right corner of the chart and select your desired style.

Formatting Chart Type:

Excel provides us with a lot of different charts along with bar charts. To change
the chart type :
Right Click on the Chart -> Select Change Chart Type

Now from the Chart Type window select the desired chart type from the list of
options as shown below :

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Formatting Plot Area:
You can also add a background color to your chart. Select the “Format Plot
Area” after right-clicking.

These are some of the most frequent formatting done on Excel charts. Excel
provides us with dynamic options to format a chart and it can be explored with
some self-research easily.

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 CONCLUSION
Excel provides a range of chart types such as bar, line, pie charts, and more,
making it versatile for various data representation needs. To create a chart,
select your data, click on the "Insert" tab, choose your desired chart type, and
Excel will generate a basic chart.

Formatting is crucial to enhance the chart's readability and aesthetic appeal. You
can modify colours, fonts, axis labels, titles, and gridlines to better convey your
message. Excel offers extensive customization options through the "Chart
Tools" menu, allowing you to adjust every aspect of the chart to suit your
preferences or your audience's expectations.

Charts in Excel are dynamic, meaning they update automatically when the
underlying data changes, saving time and ensuring accuracy. This feature makes
Excel charts invaluable for presentations, reports, and data analysis where
clarity and precision are paramount. By mastering chart creation and formatting
in Excel, you can effectively communicate insights and trends derived from
your data, enhancing both understanding and decision-making processes.

REFERENCE
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● https://www.tutorialspoint.com/excel_charts/
excel_charts_introduction.htm
● https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-a-chart-from-start-to-
finish-0baf399e-dd61-4e18-8a73-b3fd5d5680c2
● https://www.microsoft.com/en/microsoft-365/excel
● https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Excel
● https://www.excelhelp.com/the-history-of-microsoft-excel/
#:~:text=Microsoft%20Excel%20has%20been%20around,3%20and
%20the%20emerging%20QuatroPro.
● https://www.nobledesktop.com/classes-near-me/blog/history-of-
microsoft-excel

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