Microsoft Office

Excel 2007 Training

®

Create a chart
Course contents
• Overview: Charts make data visual

• Lesson 1: Create a basic chart

• Lesson 2: Customize your chart

Each lesson includes a list of suggested tasks and a set of

test questions.

Create a chart
Overview: Charts make data visual
A chart gets your point across—fast.
With a chart, you can transform
worksheet data to show comparisons,
patterns, and trends.

So instead of having to analyze

columns of worksheet numbers, you
can see at a glance what the data
means.

This course presents the basics of

creating charts in Excel 2007.

Create a chart
Course goals
• Learn how to create a chart using the new Excel 2007
commands.

• Find out how to make changes to a chart after you create

it.

• Develop an understanding of basic chart terminology.

Create a chart
 Lesson 1

Create a basic chart

Create a basic chart
Here’s a basic chart in
Excel, which you can
put together in about
10 seconds.

After you create a chart, you can easily add new

elements to it such as chart titles or a new layout.

In this lesson you’ll find out how to create a basic chart

and learn how the text and numbers from a worksheet
become the contents of a chart. You’ll also learn a few
other chart odds and ends.

Create a chart
Create your chart
Here’s a worksheet
that shows how many
cases of Northwind
Traders Tea were sold
by each of three
salespeople in three
months.

You want to create a chart that shows how each

salesperson compares against the others, month by
month, for the first quarter of the year.

Create a chart
Create your chart
The picture shows the
steps for creating the
chart.

1 Select the data that you want to chart, including the

column titles (January, February, March) and the row
labels (the salesperson names).
2 Click the Insert tab, and in the Charts group, click the
Column button.

Create a chart
Create your chart
The picture shows the
steps for creating the
chart.

3 You’ll see a number of column chart types to choose

from. Click Clustered Column, the first column chart in
the 2-D Column list.

That’s it. You’ve created a chart in about 10 seconds.

Create a chart
Create your chart
If you want to change
the chart type after
creating your chart,
click inside the chart.

On the Design tab under Chart Tools, in the Type

group, click Change Chart Type. Then select the chart
type you want.

Create a chart
How worksheet data appears in the chart
Here’s how your new
column chart looks.

It shows you at once that Cencini (represented by the

middle column for each month) sold the most tea in
January and February but was outdone by Giussani in
March.

Create a chart
How worksheet data appears in the chart
Data for each
salesperson appears
in three separate
columns, one for each
month.

The height of each chart is proportional to the value in

the cell that it represents.

So the chart immediately shows you how the

salespeople stack up against each other, month by
month.

Create a chart
How worksheet data appears in the chart
Each row of
salesperson data has
a different color in the
chart.

The chart legend, created from the row titles in the

worksheet (the salesperson names), tells which color
represents the data for each salesperson.

Giussani data, for example, is the darkest blue, and is

the left-most column for each month.

Create a chart
How worksheet data appears in the chart
The column titles from
the worksheet—
January, February,
and March—are now
at the bottom of the
chart.

On the left side of the chart, Excel has created a scale of

numbers to help you to interpret the column heights.

Create a chart
Chart Tools: Now you see them, now you don’t
Before you do more
work with your chart,
you need to know
about the Chart
Tools.

After your chart is inserted on the worksheet, the Chart

Tools appear on the Ribbon with three tabs: Design,
Layout, and Format.

On these tabs, you’ll find the commands you need to

work with charts.

Create a chart
Chart Tools: Now you see them, now you don’t
When you complete
the chart, click outside
it. The Chart Tools go
away.

To get them back,

click inside the chart.
Then the tabs
reappear.

So don’t worry if you don’t see all the commands you

need at all times.

Take the first steps either by inserting a chart (using the

Charts group on the Insert tab), or by clicking inside an
existing chart. The commands you need will be at hand.

Create a chart
Change the chart view
You can do more with
your data than create
one chart.

You can make your chart compare data another way by

clicking a button to switch from one chart view to
another.

The picture shows two different views of the same

worksheet data.

Create a chart
Change the chart view
The chart on the left is
the chart you first
created, which
compares salespeople
to each other.

Excel grouped data by worksheet columns and

compared worksheet rows to show how each
salesperson compares against the others.

Create a chart
Change the chart view
But another way to
look at the data is to
compare sales for
each salesperson,
month over month.

To create this view of the chart, click Switch

Row/Column in the Data group on the Design tab.

In the chart on the right, data is grouped by rows and

compares worksheet columns. So now your chart says
something different: It shows how each salesperson did,
month by month, compared against themselves.

Create a chart
Add chart titles
It’s a good idea to add
descriptive titles to
your chart, so that
readers don’t have to
guess what the chart
is about.

You can give a title to the chart itself, as well as to the

chart axes, which measure and describe the chart data.

This chart has two axes. On the left side is the vertical
axis, which is the scale of numbers by which you can
interpret the column heights. The months of the year at
the bottom are on the horizontal axis.

Create a chart
Add chart titles
A quick way to add
chart titles is to click
the chart to select it,
and then go to the
Charts Layout group
on the Design tab.

Click the More button to see all the layouts. Each

option shows different layouts that change the way chart
elements are laid out.

Create a chart
Add chart titles
The picture shows
Layout 9, which adds
placeholders for a
chart title and axes
titles.

You type the titles

directly in the chart.

1 The title for this chart is Northwind Traders Tea, the

name of the product.
2 The title for the vertical axis on the left is Cases Sold.
3 The title for the horizontal axis at the bottom is First
Quarter Sales.

Create a chart
Suggestions for practice
1. Create a chart.

2. Look at chart data in different ways.

3. Update chart data.

4. Add titles.

5. Change chart layouts.

6. Change the chart type.

Online practice (requires Excel 2007)

Create a chart
Test 1, question 1
You’ve created a chart. Now you need to compare data
another way. To do this, you must create a second chart.
(Pick one answer.)

1. True.

2. False.

Create a chart
Test 1, question 1: Answer
False.

You can quickly create another view of your worksheet data by clicking
the Switch Row/Column button on the Design tab.

Create a chart
Test 1, question 2
You create a chart. But later on you don’t see the Chart Tools.
What do you do to get them back? (Pick one answer.)

1. Create another chart.

2. Click the Insert tab.

3. Click inside the chart.

Create a chart
Test 1, question 2: Answer
Click inside the chart.

The Chart Tools will then be at hand with three tabs: Design, Layout,
and Format.

Create a chart
Test 1, question 3
You can’t change the chart type after you create a chart. (Pick
one answer.)

1. True.

2. False.

Create a chart
Test 1, question 3: Answer
False.

You can always change the chart type after you create your chart. Click
inside the chart. On the Design tab, in the Type group, Click Change
Chart Type, and then select another chart type.

Create a chart
 Lesson 2

Customize your chart

Customize your chart
After you create your
chart, you can
customize it to give it
a more professional
design.

For example, you can give your chart a whole different

set of colors by selecting a new chart style.

You can also format chart titles to change them from

plain to fancy. And there are many different formatting
options you can apply to individual columns to make
them stand out.

Create a chart
Change the look of your chart
When you first create
your chart, it’s in a
standard color.

By using a chart
style, you can apply
different colors to a
chart in just seconds.

First, click in the chart. Then on the Design tab, in the

Chart Styles group, click the More button to see all
the choices.

Then click the style you want.

Create a chart
Change the look of your chart
When you first create
your chart, it’s in a
standard color.

By using a chart
style, you can apply
different colors to a
chart in just seconds.

Some of the styles change just the color of the columns.

Others change the color and add an outline around the

columns, while other styles add color to the plot area
(the area bounded by the chart axes). And some styles
add color to the chart area (the entire chart).

Create a chart
Change the look of your chart
If you don’t see what
you want in the Chart
Styles group, you can
get other color choices
by selecting a different
theme.

Click the Page Layout tab, and then click Colors in the
Themes group.

When you rest the pointer over a color scheme, the

colors are shown in a temporary preview on the chart.
Click the one you like to apply it to the chart.

Create a chart
Change the look of your chart
Important

Unlike a chart style,

the colors from a
theme will be applied
to other elements you
might add to the
worksheet.

For example, a table or a cell style such as a heading

will take on the colors of the theme applied to the chart.

Create a chart
Format titles
If you’d like to make
the chart or axis titles
stand out more, that’s
also easy to do.

On the Format tab, in the WordArt Styles group, there

are many ways to work with the titles.

The picture shows that one of the options in the group, a

text fill, has been added to change the color.

Create a chart
Format titles
To use a text fill, first
click in a title area to
select it.

Then click the arrow on Text Fill in the WordArt

Styles group. Rest the pointer over any of the colors to
see the changes in the title. When you see a color you
like, select it.

Text Fill also includes options to apply a gradient or a

texture to a title.

Create a chart
Format titles
To make font
changes, such as
making the font larger
or smaller—or to
change the font face—
click Home, and then
go to the Font group.

Or you can make the same formatting changes by using

the Mini toolbar.

The toolbar appears in a faded fashion after you select

the title text. Point at the toolbar and it becomes solid,
and then you can select a formatting option.

Create a chart
Format individual columns
There is still more that
you can do with the
format of the columns
in your chart.

In the picture, a shadow effect has been added to each

of the columns (an offset diagonal shadow is behind
each column).

Create a chart
Format individual columns
Here’s how to add a
shadow effect to
columns.

1. Click one of Giussani’s columns. That will select all

three columns for Giussani (known as a series).

2. On the Format tab, in the Shape Styles group, click

the arrow on Shape Effects.

Create a chart
Format individual columns
Here’s how to add a
shadow effect to
columns.

3. Point to Shadow, and then rest the pointer on the

different shadow styles in the list.
4. You can see a preview of the shadows as you rest
the pointer on each style. When you see one you like,
select it.

Create a chart
Format individual columns
The Shape Styles
group offers plenty of
other great formatting
options to choose
from.

For example, Shape Effects offers more than just

shadows. You can add bevel effects and soft edges to
columns, or even make columns glow.

You can also click Shape Fill to add a gradient or a texture

to the columns, or click Shape Outline to add an outline
around the columns.

Create a chart
Add your chart to a PowerPoint presentation
When your chart looks
just the way you want
and it’s ready for a
debut, you can easily
add it to a Microsoft
Office PowerPoint®
presentation.

Here’s how it works.

1. Copy the chart in Excel.

2. Open PowerPoint 2007.

3. On the slide you want the chart to be on, paste the

chart.

Create a chart
Add your chart to a PowerPoint presentation
When your chart looks
just the way you want
and it’s ready for a
debut, you can easily
add it to a Microsoft
Office PowerPoint®
presentation.

Here’s how it works.

4. In the chart’s lower-right corner, the Paste Options

button appears. Click the button.

Now you’re ready to present your chart.

Create a chart
Suggestions for practice
1. Change the look of a chart.

2. Try out a color scheme by using a theme.

3. Format the chart title.

4. Format a column.

5. Format other areas of the chart.

6. Add your chart to a PowerPoint presentation.

7. Bonus exercises: Make a pie chart, and save your chart as a template.

Online practice (requires Excel 2007)

Create a chart
Test 2, question 1
If you don’t see all the color options you want for your chart
in the Chart Styles group on the Design tab, you have another
way to get more colors. (Pick one answer.)

1. True.

2. False.

Create a chart
Test 2, question 1: Answer
True.

You can pick other colors by selecting a theme. Click the Page Layout
tab, and then click Colors in the Themes group. Remember that the
colors from the themes will be applied to other elements in the
worksheet such as a table or cell styles.

Create a chart
Test 2, question 2
What do you do first to add an Excel chart to a PowerPoint
2007 presentation? (Pick one answer.)

1. Click the Data tab.

2. Click the Insert tab.

3. Copy the chart.

Create a chart
Test 2, question 2: Answer
Copy the chart.

Then open PowerPoint 2007, paste, and it’s done.

Create a chart
Quick Reference Card
For a summary of the tasks covered in this course, view the
Quick Reference Card.

Create a chart