Learning Excel: Choosing and reading the right chart
Charts
At the brewery's annual meeting, nobody reads a table. Isla wants charts that show what's going on at a glance. But which chart suits which question?
The column chart
A column chart compares amounts: the taller the column, the more. Here the litres of Wise Owl per quarter, from the Overview tab.
When the bars lie flat, it's called a bar chart. That's easier to read with long names.
| Wise Owl | |
|---|---|
| Q1 | 900 |
| Q2 | 550 |
| Q3 | 1,050 |
| Q4 | 320 |
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quarter | Wise Owl | Night Owl | Tripel Hoot | Barn Owl | Beer | Litres | |
| 2 | Q1 | 900 | 150 | 80 | 60 | Wise Owl | 2,820 | |
| 3 | Q2 | 550 | 120 | 90 | 250 | Night Owl | 770 | |
| 4 | Q3 | 1,050 | 100 | 110 | 180 | Tripel Hoot | 650 | |
| 5 | Q4 | 320 | 400 | 370 | 90 | Barn Owl | 580 | |
| 6 |
The line chart
A line chart shows how something changes over time: from quarter to quarter. Each series is a line in its own colour, and the legend says which is which.
Look at the direction of the line: does it go up, or down?
- Wise Owl
- Night Owl
| Wise Owl | Night Owl | |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 900 | 150 |
| Q2 | 550 | 120 |
| Q3 | 1,050 | 100 |
| Q4 | 320 | 400 |
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quarter | Wise Owl | Night Owl | Tripel Hoot | Barn Owl | Beer | Litres | |
| 2 | Q1 | 900 | 150 | 80 | 60 | Wise Owl | 2,820 | |
| 3 | Q2 | 550 | 120 | 90 | 250 | Night Owl | 770 | |
| 4 | Q3 | 1,050 | 100 | 110 | 180 | Tripel Hoot | 650 | |
| 5 | Q4 | 320 | 400 | 370 | 90 | Barn Owl | 580 | |
| 6 |
The pie chart
A pie chart shows parts of a whole: each beer is a slice of all the litres together.
It only works when the parts really make up one whole, and when there aren't too many of them.
- Wise Owl
- Night Owl
- Tripel Hoot
- Barn Owl
| Litres | |
|---|---|
| Wise Owl | 2,820 |
| Night Owl | 770 |
| Tripel Hoot | 650 |
| Barn Owl | 580 |
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quarter | Wise Owl | Night Owl | Tripel Hoot | Barn Owl | Beer | Litres | |
| 2 | Q1 | 900 | 150 | 80 | 60 | Wise Owl | 2,820 | |
| 3 | Q2 | 550 | 120 | 90 | 250 | Night Owl | 770 | |
| 4 | Q3 | 1,050 | 100 | 110 | 180 | Tripel Hoot | 650 | |
| 5 | Q4 | 320 | 400 | 370 | 90 | Barn Owl | 580 | |
| 6 |
Ready for more?
The full lesson has 5 exercises, from easy to challenging, with hints, points and a streak you can build.
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