WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:08.490 --> 00:00:12.900 When working with numerical data in Excel, sometimes a chart is just what you need to 00:00:12.900 --> 00:00:15.200 show the meaning behind the numbers. 00:00:15.200 --> 00:00:19.119 In this video, we're going to look at some of the different types of charts, and also 00:00:19.119 --> 00:00:23.740 some ways that you can customize them to best represent your data. 00:00:23.740 --> 00:00:28.760 Column charts are good all-around charts—they work with many different types of data… 00:00:28.760 --> 00:00:32.800 Whereas line charts are best for showing trends over time... 00:00:32.800 --> 00:00:36.850 Pie charts are unique because they let you see your data in proportion, instead of on 00:00:36.850 --> 00:00:38.640 a graph… 00:00:38.640 --> 00:00:44.320 We also have the bar chart, which is basically just a column chart turned on its side… 00:00:44.320 --> 00:00:48.990 And finally area charts, which are similar to line charts, except the areas under the 00:00:48.990 --> 00:00:52.320 lines are filled in. 00:00:52.320 --> 00:00:56.070 In this example, I have a table of sales figures for a bookstore. 00:00:56.070 --> 00:01:00.090 They're organized by genre and month, but it's hard to see any trends without looking 00:01:00.090 --> 00:01:02.019 at the numbers one-by-one. 00:01:02.019 --> 00:01:05.140 A chart would make things much easier. 00:01:05.140 --> 00:01:10.390 To create a chart, select your data, including any headers that you want to use. 00:01:10.390 --> 00:01:15.380 Then go to the Insert tab… and look to the commands in the Charts group. 00:01:15.380 --> 00:01:20.210 For this data, I think I'll go with something in the column category... 00:01:20.210 --> 00:01:23.520 This one looks nice and simple. 00:01:23.520 --> 00:01:25.030 Now this is a lot clearer. 00:01:25.030 --> 00:01:30.670 I can see that Romance has the strongest sales, with an all-time high in February. 00:01:30.670 --> 00:01:32.480 How do I know this column is from February? 00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:37.240 Well, below the chart, there's a type of key called a legend, and this tells us what each 00:01:37.240 --> 00:01:39.420 color represents. 00:01:39.420 --> 00:01:43.490 Right now the columns are grouped by genre, but you might prefer to see them grouped by 00:01:43.490 --> 00:01:45.149 month instead. 00:01:45.149 --> 00:01:47.630 There's an easy way to make this change. 00:01:47.630 --> 00:01:54.299 Just make sure the chart is selected, then click Switch Row/Column on the Design tab. 00:01:54.299 --> 00:01:56.240 See how the chart has been rearranged? 00:01:56.240 --> 00:02:01.350 Basically, it's the same data, but the months and the genres have switched places. 00:02:01.350 --> 00:02:04.960 You can always experiment with this to see which option is going to work best for your 00:02:04.960 --> 00:02:06.740 data. 00:02:06.740 --> 00:02:11.330 If you want to try a different chart all together, click the Change Chart Type command on the 00:02:11.330 --> 00:02:16.530 far right of the tab… then pick something else from the dialog box. 00:02:16.530 --> 00:02:21.920 I think I'll go with a line chart this time. 00:02:21.920 --> 00:02:24.420 Line charts work well for data like this. 00:02:24.420 --> 00:02:29.580 For example, we can see right away that Mystery novels are starting to catch up to Romance. 00:02:29.580 --> 00:02:35.670 But Sci-Fi & Fantasy sales have stayed consistently low. 00:02:35.670 --> 00:02:42.780 If you want, you can change the chart style to give your chart a different look and feel. 00:02:42.780 --> 00:02:48.920 As you can see, you have several different options to choose from. 00:02:48.920 --> 00:02:51.670 You can also change the chart layout itself. 00:02:51.670 --> 00:02:57.670 Just go to the Quick Layout command… and make a selection from the menu. 00:02:57.670 --> 00:03:01.400 Not all of these options will work well for the data in your chart. 00:03:01.400 --> 00:03:04.880 Just keep going until you find something you like. 00:03:04.880 --> 00:03:10.150 Let’s go with something a little bit like this… 00:03:10.150 --> 00:03:14.680 You can make further adjustments using the Add Chart Element command… or the Chart 00:03:14.680 --> 00:03:18.830 Elements shortcut—just look for the button with the plus sign. 00:03:18.830 --> 00:03:24.570 Here, you can add or remove elements from your chart, depending on your preferences… 00:03:24.570 --> 00:03:31.090 Or you can click the arrow to the right to access even more options. 00:03:31.090 --> 00:03:35.250 To edit one of your chart elements (like the chart title in this example), all you have 00:03:35.250 --> 00:03:41.380 to do is select the placeholder… then replace the text. 00:03:41.380 --> 00:03:49.210 Finally, whenever you insert a chart, it appears on the same sheet as the source data by default. 00:03:49.210 --> 00:03:53.310 If you want, you can move it to a different worksheet by following these steps. 00:03:53.310 --> 00:03:59.030 First, make sure your chart is selected, then click the Move Chart command. 00:03:59.030 --> 00:04:02.650 Next, select the sheet where you want the chart to go. 00:04:02.650 --> 00:04:05.690 In this example, we'll choose new sheet. 00:04:05.690 --> 00:04:13.430 When you're ready, click OK… and now the chart appears in whatever location you chose. 00:04:13.430 --> 00:04:17.440 Charts are a great tool for presenting numerical data and also enhancing your worksheets in 00:04:17.440 --> 00:04:18.489 Excel. 00:04:18.489 --> 00:04:22.189 With so many options to choose from, you can achieve exactly the result you want.