MS Excel Training 02

MS Excel Training Two

SECTION GOALS

CREATE A NEW WORKBOOK.

ENTER TEXT AND NUMBERS.

EDIT TEXT AND NUMBERS.

INSERT AND DELETE COLUMNS AND ROWS.

Section One: Excel 2007

The Ribbon

The band at the top of the Excel 2007 window is the Ribbon . The Ribbon is made up of different tabs . Each tab is related to specific kinds of work that people do in Excel. You click the tabs at the top of the Ribbon to see the different commands on each tab. The Home tab, the first tab on the left, contains the everyday commands that people use the most.

Commands are organized in small related groups . For example, commands to edit cells are grouped together in the Editing group, and commands to work with cells are in the Cells group.

The Ribbon

The Ribbon spans the top of Excel.

Related commands on the Ribbon are organized in groups.

More Commands, when you need them…

The commands on the Ribbon are the ones you use the most. Instead of showing every command all the time, Excel 2007 shows some commands when you may need them, in response to an action you take. For example, if you don't have a chart in your worksheet, the commands to work with charts aren't necessary. But after you create a chart, the Chart Tools appear, with three tabs: Design , Layout , and Format . On these tabs, you'll find the commands you need to work with the chart. The Ribbon responds to your action.

Use the Design tab to change the chart type or to move the chart location; the Layout tab to change chart titles or other chart elements; and the Format tab to add fill colors or to change line styles. When you complete the chart, click outside the chart area. The Chart Tools go away. To get them back, click inside the chart. Then the tabs reappear.

Create a chart by clicking a button on the Insert tab in the Charts group. Then the Chart Tools tabs become available: Design, Layout, and Format.

Don't worry if you don't see all the commands you need at all times. Take the first steps. Then the commands you need will be at hand.

Even More Options

When you see this arrow (called the Dialog Box Launcher ) in the lower-right corner of a group, there are more options available for the group. Click the arrow, and you'll see a dialog box or a task pane.

For example, on the Home tab, in the Font group, you have all the commands that are used the most to make font changes: commands to change the font, to change the size, and to make the font bold, italic, or underlined.

Click the arrow at the bottom of a group to get more options if you need them.

If you want more options, such as superscript, click the arrow to the right of Font , and you'll get the Format Cells dialog box, which has superscript and other options related to fonts.

Click the arrow in the Font group.

The Format Cells dialog box opens.

What About Keyboard Shortcuts?

If you rely on the keyboard more than the mouse, you'll want to know about keyboard shortcuts in Excel 2007. The Ribbon design comes with new shortcuts which brings two big advantages over previous versions:

Shortcuts for every single button on the Ribbon.

Shortcuts that often require fewer keys.

Using the new shortcuts

The new shortcuts also have a new name: Key Tips . You press ALT to make the Key Tips appear.

You'll see Key Tips for all Ribbon tabs, all commands on the tabs, the Quick Access Toolbar, and the Microsoft Office Button. Press the key for the tab you want to display. This makes all the Key Tip badges for that tab's buttons appear. Then, press the key for the button you want.

You can use Key Tips to center text in Excel, for example.

Press ALT to make the Key Tips appear.

Then press H to select the Home tab.

Press A, then C in the Alignment group to center the selected text.

Old Keyboard Shortcuts

What about the old keyboard shortcuts? Keyboard shortcuts of old that begin with CTRL are all still intact, and you can use them like you always have. For example, the shortcut CTRL+C still copies something to the clipboard, and the shortcut CTRL+V still pastes something from the clipboard.

A New View

Not only the Ribbon is new in Excel 2007. Page Layout view is new too. If you have worked in Print Layout view in Microsoft Office Word, you'll be glad to see Excel with similar advantages.

To see the new view, click Page Layout View on the View toolbar on the bottom right of the window. Or click the View tab on the Ribbon, and then click Page Layout View in the Workbook Views group.

In Page Layout view there are page margins at the top, sides, and bottom of the worksheet, and a bit of blue space between worksheets. Rulers at the top and side help you adjust margins. You can turn the rulers on and off as you need them (click Ruler in the Show/Hide group on the View tab).

With this new view, you don't need print preview to make adjustments to your worksheet before you print. You'll see more about that in the next lesson. It's easy to add headers and footers in Page Layout view. When you type in the new header and footer area at the top or bottom of a page, the Design tab opens with all the commands you need to create your headers and footers.

You can see each sheet in a workbook in the view that works best for that sheet. Just select a view on the View toolbar, or in the Workbook Views group on the View tab, for each worksheet. Normal view and Page Break preview are both there.

The new Page Layout view in Excel.

Tip If you like Page Layout view, but you'd prefer a little less white space in the margins, you can hide some of that white space.

Column headings.

Row headings.

Margin rulers.

Section Review

You can customize Excel 2007 by adding commands to the Quick Access Toolbar.

If you don't like all the white space in Page Layout view, how do you change to Normal view?

The best thing to do to get started in Excel 2007 is to go to the _____.

Some commands appear only when you need them. True or False?

SECTION GOALS:

LEARN HOW TO BUILD A PIVOTTABLE REPORT.

CHANGE THE LAYOUT OF A PIVOTTABLE.

FIND THE PIVOTTABLE FIELDS.

UNDERSTAND THE PIVOTTABLE FIELD LIST.

REMOVE A FIELD FROM A PIVOTTABLE REPORT.

SORTING FIELDS IN A PIVOTTABLE REPORT.

EXPLAIN WHAT A PLUS SIGN (+) BESIDE A FIELD IN THE REPORT MEANS.

Section Two: Pivot Tables

Introduction

Your worksheet has lots of data, but do you know what the numbers mean? Does your data answer all your questions? PivotTable reports can help to analyze numerical data and answer questions about it.

Imagine an Excel worksheet of sales figures with hundreds or thousands of rows of data. The worksheet lays out all the data about salespeople in two countries and how much they sold on individual days. But it's a lot of data to deal with — listed in row after row and divided into multiple columns. How can you get information out of the worksheet? How can you make sense out of all of this data?

Who sold the most overall? Who sold the most per quarter or per year? Which country has the most sales? You can get answers to all these questions with PivotTable reports — it's like turning a mob into a marching band. A PivotTable report turns all that data into small, concise reports that tell you exactly what you need to know.

Rows and rows of data summarized in a PivotTable report.

Review Source Data

Before you start to work with a PivotTable report, take a look at your Excel worksheet to make sure it is well prepared for the report. When you create a PivotTable report, each column of your source data becomes a field that you can use in the report. Fields summarize multiple rows of information from the source data.

The names of the fields for the report come from the column titles in your source data. Be sure that you have names for each column across the first row of the worksheet in the source data. In the picture below, the column titles Country , Salesperson , Order Amount , Order Date , and OrderID will become field names. When you create a report, which you'll do in the practice at the end of the lesson, you'll know, for example, that the Salesperson field represents the Salesperson data from the worksheet.

The remaining rows below the headings should contain similar items in the same column. For example, text should be in one column, numbers in another column, and dates in another column. In other words, a column that contains numbers should not contain text, and so on.

Finally, there should be no empty columns within the data that you are using for the PivotTable report. We also recommend that there be no empty rows; for example, blank rows that are used to separate one block of data from another should be removed.

A tidy Excel worksheet.

Getting Started

When the data is ready, place the cursor anywhere in the data. That will include all the worksheet data in the report. Or select just the data you want to use in the report.

Then, on the Insert tab, in the Tables group, click PivotTable , and then click PivotTable again. The Create PivotTable dialog box opens.

Select a table or range is already selected for you. The Table/Range box shows the range of the selected data. New Worksheet is also selected for you as the place where the report will be placed (you can click Existing Worksheet if you don't want the report placed in a new worksheet).

The Create PivotTable dialog box.

PivotTable Basics

On one side is the layout area ready for the PivotTable report, and on the other side is the PivotTable Field List . This list shows the column titles from the source data. As mentioned earlier, each title is a field : Country, Salesperson, and so on.

You create a PivotTable report by moving any of the fields to the layout area for the PivotTable report. You do this either by selecting the check box next to the field name, or by right-clicking a field name and selecting a location to move the field to. If you have worked with PivotTable reports before, you may wonder if you can still drag fields to build a report. You can, and you'll see how at the end of the lesson.

Tip If you click outside of the layout area (of a PivotTable report), the PivotTable Field List goes away. To get the field list back, click inside the PivotTable layout area or report.

This is what you see in the new worksheet after you close the Create PivotTable dialog box.

The layout area for the PivotTable report.

The PivotTable Field List .

Build a PivotTable Report

Now you are ready to build the PivotTable report. The fields you select for the report depend on what you want to know.

Let's start with finding out how much each salesperson has sold. To get the answer, you need data about the salespeople. So select the check box in the PivotTable Field List next to the Salesperson field. You also need data about how much they have sold, so select the check box next to the Order Amount field. Notice that you don't have to use all the fields on the field list to build a report.

When you select a field, Excel places it in a default area of the layout for you. You can move the field to another area if you want to. For example, if you want a field to be in the column area instead of the row area.

Build a PivotTable Report (cont’d)

The data in the Salesperson field (the salespeople's names), which does not contain numbers, is automatically displayed as rows on the left side of the report. The data in the Order Amount field, which does contain numbers, correctly shows up in an area to the right.

The heading over the salesperson data says "Row Labels" above the field. The heading over the order amounts says "Sum of Order Amount"; the "Sum of" part of the heading is because Excel uses the Sum function to add up fields with numbers.

Note that it doesn't matter whether you select the check box next to the Salesperson field before or after the Order Amount field. Excel will automatically put them in the right place every time. Fields without numbers will land on the left, fields with numbers will land on the right, regardless of the order in which you select them.

That's it. With just two mouse clicks you know how much each salesperson sold. By the way, you could stop with just one question answered. You can use a PivotTable report as a fast way to get the answer to just one or two questions. The report doesn't have to be complex to be useful.

PivotTable Dialogue

Tip Don't worry about building a report incorrectly. Excel makes it easy to try things out, to see how data looks in different areas of the report. If a report isn't how you want it at first, it doesn't take long at all to lay out data another way, to move pieces around to your satisfaction, or even to start over again if you want.

Sales By Country

Now you know how much each salesperson sold. But the source data lays out data about salespeople in two countries, Canada and the United States of America (USA). So another question you might ask is: What are the sales amounts for each salesperson by country?

To get the answer, you can add the Country field to the PivotTable report as a report filter . You use a report filter to focus on a subset of data in the report, often a product line, a time span, or a geographic region.

By using the Country field as a report filter, you can see a separate report for Canada or the USA, or you can see sales for both countries together.

Sales By Country

To add this field as a report filter, right-click the Country field in the PivotTable Field List and then click Add to Report Filter . The new Country report filter is added to the top of the report. The arrow by the Country field shows (All) , and you see the data for both countries. To see just the data for either Canada or the USA, click the arrow and select either country. To see the data for both countries again, click the arrow and then click (All) .

Tip To remove a field from a report, clear the check box beside the field name in the PivotTable Field List . To remove all the fields from the report so that you can start over, on the Ribbon, on the Options tab, in the Actions group, click the arrow on the Clear button, and then select Clear All .

Sales By Date

The original source data has a column of Order Date information, so there is an Order Date field on the PivotTable Field List . That means you can get the answer to another question: What are the sales by date for each salesperson? To get the answer, select the check box next to the Order Date field to add the field to the report.

The Order Date field is automatically added on the left, in row label orientation. That's because the field does not contain numbers (dates may look like numbers, but they are formatted as dates, not numbers). Because the Order Date field is the second non-numerical field to be added to the report, it is nested within the Salesperson field, indented to the right.

Sales By Date (cont’d)

Now the report shows sales for each salesperson by individual date, but that's a lot of data to view at one time. You can easily get this data into a more manageable view by grouping the daily data into months, quarters, or years.

To group the dates, click a date in the report. Then on the Options tab, in the Group group, click Group Field . In the Grouping dialog box, select Quarters , which seems like a good solution here, and then click OK .

Now you see the sales data grouped into four quarters for each salesperson.

Pivot the Report

Though the PivotTable report has answered your questions, it takes a little work to read the entire report; you have to scroll down the page to see all the data.

You can pivot the report to get a different view. To do that, you move a field from the Row Labels area to the column area of the report (called Column Labels), which is an area of the layout you haven't used before. When you pivot a report, you transpose the vertical or horizontal view of a field, moving rows to the column area or moving columns to the row area. It's easy to do.

To pivot this report, right-click one of the "Qtr" rows, point to Move , and then click Move "Order Date" to Columns . This will move the entire Order Date field from the Row Label area to the Column Label area of the report.

Pivoting the Data

Now the names of the salespeople are all together, and it says Column Labels above the first quarter of the sales data, which is now laid out in columns across the report. Also, the grand totals for each quarter are at the bottom of each column. Instead of scrolling down the page to see the data, you can see it all at a glance.

If you want to pivot the report back to the original view, right-click one of the "Qtr" headings, and then select Move "Order Date" to Rows . That will move the Order Date field back to the row area of the report.

Where did Drag-and-Drop Go?

As mentioned earlier in the lesson, if you prefer to build a PivotTable report by using the drag-and-drop method, as you could in previous versions of Excel, there is still a way to do that.

There are four boxes at the bottom of the PivotTable Field List . The boxes are called Report Filter , Row Labels , Column Labels , and Values . You can drag fields to this area.

Normally in Excel 2007 you add fields to the report layout from the field list either by selecting check boxes next to the field names, or by right-clicking the field and selecting a location from a menu. As you do so, the fields are automatically placed in the layout, and they are simultaneously placed in the appropriate box at the bottom of the list.

Drag-and-drop method.

For example, as the Salesperson field is placed in the Row Labels area of the report layout, the Salesperson field name is also displayed in the Row Labels box at the bottom of the field list.

But if you prefer the drag-and-drop method , you can just drag fields from the top of the field list into the boxes at the bottom of the field list. The label at the top of each box tells you into which area of the report the field should go. For example, if you drag the Order Amount field to the Values box, that field will be in the Values area of the report. You can also drag the fields between the boxes to change locations in the report layout area, and you can drag fields out of the boxes to remove them from the report.

Section Review

After you build a PivotTable report, you can't change the layout.

What are PivotTable fields?

In the PivotTable Field List, you can tell which fields are already displayed on the report.

How do you remove a field from a PivotTable report?

The first field you add to a PivotTable report that does not contain numbers will automatically be added in the _____ part of the report.

What does it mean when you see a plus sign (+) beside a field, there is more detail about the field in the report.

SECTION GOALS:

APPLY A FILTER TO A FIELD.

KNOW HOW TO CLEAR ONE FILTER.

CLEAR A FILTER BY CLICKING IN THE PIVOTTABLE FIELD LIST.

BE ABLE TO ADD FILTERS BY CLICKING THE ARROW NEXT TO ROW LABELS OR COLUMN LABELS.

ADD A REPORT FILTER TO A PIVOTTABLE REPORT.

USE THE DATE FILTERS COMMAND PIVOTTABLE REPORT.

Section Three: More Pivot Tables

See Only the Data You Want

Imagine that you have opened a PivotTable report for products sold by Adventure Works, a sporting goods company. The report nicely summarizes more than 6,000 rows of Excel worksheet data, showing you what all that data means. You can see, for example, the yearly sales totals for each product over a three-year period, and there is also a grand total of sales for each product.

PivotTable report before filtering.

Now you want to look at specific details. Adventure Works sells products ranging from water bottles to road bikes and vests. You'd like to see the sales amounts for road bikes only. Then you'd like to see which road bikes sold the most. And then you want to see how selected road bikes sold during a certain period of time. You can see exactly what you want by filtering the PivotTable report data.

Filter to see one product out of many

You want to see just the sales data for road bikes, and hide all the other data for now. To filter the report, click the arrow next to Row Labels . You click there because road bikes are displayed in the row area of the report. When you click that arrow, a menu appears with the Select field box at the top for you to use in selecting where to apply the filter.

On this menu is a list that shows all the rows in whatever field you select. Looking at the items in the list is a way to verify that you've selected the correct field to filter. In this example, the Product Category field, which includes Road Bikes, is the one you want.

Choose the filter you want.

To filter the report, clear the (Select All) check box in the list. That clears the check boxes next to every item in the list. Then select the check box next to Road Bikes . Now the PivotTable report shows only data for road bikes. The other data is not changed, but for now it does not appear.

Tip It's not always easy to tell if data has been filtered or not just by looking at it. To remind you that this report is filtered, a filter icon appears on the arrow that you clicked to begin setting the filter: . There's also a filter icon in the PivotTable Field List next to the field name that the filter is applied to.

Narrow the filter to see a single item

Now you have set a filter, and the report shows only the sales totals for road bikes. But Adventure Works sells many different types of road bikes, and you would like to see the sales totals for just one type, the Road-350-W.

You could filter the report to a single type by using the method shown in the last section. In the Select field box, you would choose Product Name instead of Product Category . In the list of product names, you would select the check boxes for the Road-350-W road bike.

Select Cells and Right-Click.

But a different method can save you time, by refining the filter you have already set. In the filtered report, select the cells with Road-350-W data in them. Then right-click, point to Filter , and click Keep Only Selected Items .

Now just the Road-350-W data is displayed. The new filter hides all the other road bike product names and data that were in the report before.

Set a value filter to view products by specifying amounts

Suppose you want to see which road bike models have sales totals of $100,000 or more. How do you tell Excel to select those rows and hide the others? You use a value filter.

First, you filter to view only road bikes, using the method you saw in the first animation. Then, to set the value filter, click the arrow on the filter icon next to Row Labels . In the Select field box, choose Product Name . You filter the Product Name field because that field contains every individual road bike model.

Next, point to Value Filters . This filter reads the data and selects rows with cells that match your criteria. Click Greater Than Or Equal To , and in the Value Filter dialog box, enter 100,000 in the empty box.

Value Filter.

The report contains 38 road bike models, of which 13 have total sales of $100,000 or more, and only those now appear. To change the dollar amount you want to filter for, point to Value Filters and repeat the process with a different value. You can imagine how filtering like this lets you analyze your data in all sorts of ways with comparatively little effort.

Set a date filter to see data for a selected time

Finally, suppose you want to see how well road bikes sold during a specific year, month, or other period of time. By setting a filter, you can tell the report what time period you are interested in, and temporarily hide data for all other periods.

To filter on a specific year is easy. To see the data for 2011 only, click the arrow next to Column Labels . You click there because dates are displayed in the column area of the report. In the list that appears, clear the check box next to (Select All) and then select the check box next to 2011 . Excel hides the 2009 and 2010 figures. It's just that fast.

Set Date Filter.

Next, say that you want to see how well road bikes sold during a particular month in 2011. To specify a time period for the date filter, click the arrow next to Column Labels . Point to Date Filters . Click Between . In the Date Filter dialog box, type 11/8/2011 in the first empty box. In the and box, type 12/8/2011 . The report displays data for road bikes for the specified month only.

Remove filters

Do you want to see the hidden data again, to look at the big picture? You can go slow and easy by removing filters one at a time, or you can quickly remove all filters at once.

The key to removing filters one at a time is using the filter icon, which appears in two different places: on the PivotTable report , and in the PivotTable Field List .

To remove all filters at once, you use commands on the Ribbon at the top of the window.

Remove a filter in the PivotTable report

To remove a filter from a specific field, click the filter icon wherever the filtered field appears in the report, either on Row Labels or on Column Labels . Then click Clear Filter From <Field Name> . Or select the check box next to (Select All) to make all data in that field visible.

If you do not see the Clear Filter From command for the filtered field:

Be sure that you have selected the correct area of the report to clear the filter from: either rows or columns.

Is the correct field name in the Select field box? You see that box when you click the filter icon. The field name in that box must match the name of the field you want to clear the filter from. If the field name in the box is incorrect, select the correct field from the list that appears when you click the arrow next to the box.

Remove a filter in the PivotTable Field List

Move the cursor over the filter icon next to the field name you want to remove the filter from. Click the arrow that appears, and then click Clear Filter From <Field Name> . Or select the check box next to (Select All) to make all data in the field visible.

Remove all filters at one time

At the top of the window, on the Ribbon, click the Options tab under PivotTable Tools . In the Actions group, click Clear , and then click Clear Filters . Be sure you really want to do this before you undo all your selections.

Clearing Filters

Removing a filter in the PivotTable report by clicking the filter icon , and then clicking Clear Filter From "Product Category" .

Removing a filter in the PivotTable Field List by moving the cursor over the filter icon next to the field name, clicking the arrow that appears, and then clicking Clear Filter From "Product Category" .

Section Review

How can you can see if a filter has been applied to a field.

You have two filters applied. How do you clear only one filter?

Can you clear a filter by clicking in the PivotTable Field List?

The only way to add filters is by clicking the arrow next to Row Labels or Column Labels. T or F?

You add a report filter to a PivotTable report. That filter is used to do what?

You have dates in your PivotTable report, but when you try to apply a filter, the Date Filters command doesn't appear. What is the problem?

SECTION GOALS:

CREATE A CHART AND ALSO CREATE A SECOND CHART

REFRESH A CHART AFTER YOU REVISE THE WORKSHEET DATA THAT THE CHART DISPLAYS.

USE THE CHART TOOLS.

KNOW HOW TO CHANGE THE CHART TYPE.

UNDERSTAND HOW TO ADD DATA LABELS ABOVE EACH COLUMN TO SHOW A VALUE FOR EACH COLUMN.

HOW TO CREATE A PIE CHART.

CHANGE CHART COLORS IN THE CHART STYLES GROUP ON THE DESIGN TAB.

EXPLAIN HOW TO ADD AN EXCEL CHART TO A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION.

REUSE A CHART STYLE CREATED FOR A WEEKLY OR MONTHLY REPORT.

USE CHART TOOLS THAT ARE IN EXCEL ARE IN POWERPOINT 2007.

Section Four: Charts & Graphs

Create a basic chart.

After you create a chart, you can easily add new elements to it. For example, you can add chart titles to add more information to the chart, or change how chart elements are laid out.

Create a chart by clicking a chart type in the Charts group on the Insert tab.

Select the data that you want to chart, including the column titles (January, February, March) and the row labels (the salesperson names).

Then click the Insert tab, and in the Charts group, click the Column button. You could select another chart type, but column charts are commonly used to compare items and will get your point across.

After you click Column , 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. A ScreenTip displays the chart type name when you rest the pointer over any chart type. The ScreenTip also provides a description of the chart type and gives you information about when to use each one.

That's it, you've created a chart in about 10 seconds.

Tip If you want to change the chart type after you create your chart, click inside the chart. On the Design tab under Chart Tools , in the Type group, click Change Chart Type , and select another chart type.

How worksheet data appears in the chart

As you can see at once in this column chart, Cencini (represented by the middle column for each month) sold the most tea in January and February, but she was outdone by Giussani in March.

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. The chart shows you how the salespeople stack up against each other, month by month.

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.

In this chart, the data from each worksheet cell is a column. Row titles (salespeople names) are the chart legend text on the right, and column titles (months of the year) are at the bottom of 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.

Tip Any changes that you make to the worksheet data after the chart is created are instantly shown in the 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 the chart is inserted on the worksheet, the Chart Tools appear, with three tabs: Design , Layout , and Format . On these tabs you'll find the commands you need to work with charts.

When you create a chart, Chart Tools appear on the Ribbon, which include the Design, Layout, and Format tabs.

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. Then the commands you need will be at hand.

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 the chart view from one view to another. The chart you created compares salespeople to each other. Excel grouped data by worksheet columns and compared worksheet rows to show how each salesperson compares against the others. This is shown in the chart on the left in the picture.

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. Now the chart says something different: It shows how each salesperson did, month by month compared against themselves.

Different views of the same worksheet data.

You can switch the chart back to the original view by clicking Switch Row/Column again.

Tip To keep both views of the data, select the second view of the chart, copy it, and then paste it on the worksheet. Then switch back to the original view of the chart by clicking in the original chart and clicking Switch Row/Column .

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 (also known as the value or y axis). This axis 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 (also known as the category or x axis).

A quick way to add chart titles is to click the chart to select it and then go to the Chart Layouts 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.

Chart titles give descriptive information to your charts.

The picture shows Layout 9, which adds placeholders for a chart title and axes titles. You type the titles directly in the chart.

The title for this chart is Northwind Traders Tea, the name of the product.

The title for the vertical axis on the left is Cases Sold.

The title for the horizontal axis at the bottom is First Quarter Sales.

You'll see how to type the titles in the practice at the end of the lesson. You'll also have a chance to try out other layouts to see how to change the way various chart elements such as the legend and titles are laid out.

Tip Another way to enter titles is on the Layout tab, in the Labels group. There you can add titles by clicking Chart Titles and Axis Titles .

Customize your chart

After you create your chart, you can customize it to give it a more professional design. You can change the look of your chart by selecting a new chart style, which quickly changes the chart colors. You can 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.

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.

Click in the chart. Then on the Design tab, in the Chart Styles group, click the More button to see all the choices, and then click the style you want. 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).

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, the color is shown in a temporary preview on the chart, which is different from what happens when you look at a chart style. You see the color's effect before you apply it, saving you the step of undoing it if you don't like it. Click the one you like to apply it to the chart.

Change the look of your chart by using a chart style to change colors.

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.

Format titles

If you'd like to make the chart or axis titles stand out more, that's easy to do, too. On the Format tab, in the WordArt Styles group, there are many ways to work with the titles. In the picture, a text fill, one of the options in the group, has been added to change the color.

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.

Other options in the WordArt Styles group include Text Outline and Text Effects , which include Shadow , Reflection , and Glow effects.

Add a color to your chart and axis 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.

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). To do this, you click on one of Giussani's columns. That will select all three columns for Giussani (known as a series).

On the Format tab, in the Shape Styles group, you click the arrow on Shape Effects , point to Shadow , and then rest the pointer on the different shadow styles in the list. You can see a preview of the shadows as you rest the pointer on each style. When you see one you like, select it.

Next, you click on one of Cencini's columns to select all three of those columns and follow the same steps. Then do the same for Kotas. All this takes only a moment or so to do. You'll have a chance to try it in the practice.

There are more options in Shape Styles that you can choose from. For example, click Shape Fill , where you can add a gradient or a texture to the columns. Click Shape Outline to add an outline around the columns. And Shape Effects offers more than shadows. For example you can add bevel effects and soft edges to columns, or even make columns glow.

Add your chart to a PowerPoint presentation

When your chart looks just the way you want it to, it's easy to add it to a PowerPoint presentation so that everyone can see it. And if the chart data changes after you add the chart to PowerPoint, don't worry. Changes to the chart data in Excel are updated in the chart in PowerPoint as well.

Here is how it works. Copy the chart in Excel. Open PowerPoint 2007. On the slide you want the chart to be on, paste the chart. In the chart's lower-right corner the Paste Options button appears. Click the button. You'll see that Chart (linked to Excel data) is selected. That ensures that any changes to the chart in Excel will automatically be made to the chart in PowerPoint.

Your Excel chart in a PowerPoint presentation.

Now you are ready to present your chart.

Section Review

You've created a chart. Now you need to compare data another way. To do this, you must create a second chart – how do you do this?

What must you do to refresh a chart when you revise the worksheet data that the chart displays?

You create a chart. But later on you don't see the Chart Tools. What do you do to get them back?

Can you change the chart type after you create a chart?

You want to add data labels above each column to show a value for each column. How can you do this?

What is the difference between a column and a pie chart, other than the pie shape?

If you don't see all the color options you want for your chart in the Chart Styles group on the Design tab, what is another way you have another way to get more colors?