If Excel is installed on your computer, you can take advantage of the advanced charting capabilities in Word. Show
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Learn about chartsCharts are used to display series of numeric data in a graphical format to make it easier to understand large quantities of data and the relationship between different series of data.
1. Worksheet data 2. Chart created from worksheet data Excel supports many types of charts to help you display data in ways that are meaningful to your audience. When you create a chart or change an existing chart, you can select from a variety of chart types (such as a column chart or a pie chart) and their subtypes (such as a stacked column chart or a pie in 3-D chart). You can also create a combination chart by using more than one chart type in your chart. For more information about the chart types that you can select in Excel, see Available chart types. Getting to know the elements of a chartA chart has many elements. Some of these elements are displayed by default, others can be added as needed. You can change the display of the chart elements by moving them to other locations in the chart, resizing them, or by changing the format. You can also remove chart elements that you do not want to display.
1. The chart area of the chart. 2. The plot area of the chart. 3. The data points of the data series that are plotted in the chart. 4. The horizontal (category) and vertical (value) axis along which the data is plotted in the chart. 5. The legend of the chart. 6. A chart and axis title that you can use in the chart. 7. A data label that you can use to identify the details of a data point in a data series. Modifying a basic chart to meet your needsAfter you create a chart, you can modify any one of its elements. For example, you might want to change the way that axes are displayed, add a chart title, move or hide the legend, or display additional chart elements. To modify a chart, you can:
Applying a predefined chart layout and chart style for a professional lookInstead of manually adding or changing chart elements or formatting the chart, you can quickly apply a predefined chart layout and chart style to your chart. Word provides a variety of useful predefined layouts and styles that you can select, but you can fine-tune a layout or style if it is needed by making manual changes to the layout and format of individual chart elements, such as the chart area, plot area, data series, or legend of the chart. When you apply a predefined chart layout, a specific set of chart elements (such as titles, a legend, a data table, or data labels) are displayed in a specific arrangement in your chart. You can select from a variety of layouts that are provided for each chart type. When you apply a predefined chart style, the chart is formatted based on the document theme that you have applied, so that your chart matches your organization's or your own theme colors (a set of colors), theme fonts (a set of heading and body text fonts), and theme effects (a set of lines and fill effects). You cannot create your own chart layouts or styles, but you can create chart templates that include the chart layout and formatting that you want. Adding eye-catching formatting to a chartIn addition to applying a predefined chart style, you can easily apply formatting to individual chart elements such as data markers, the chart area, the plot area, and the numbers and text in titles and labels to give your chart a custom, eye-catching look. You can apply specific shape styles and WordArt styles, and you can also format the shapes and text of chart elements manually. To add formatting, you can:
Reusing charts by creating chart templatesIf you want to reuse a chart that you customized to meet your needs, you can save that chart as a chart template (*.crtx) in the chart templates folder. When you create a chart, you can then apply the chart template just as you would any other built-in chart type. In fact, chart templates are custom chart types — you can also use them to change the chart type of an existing chart. If you use a specific chart template frequently, you can save it as the default chart type. Top of Page Step 1: Create a basic chartYou can add a chart to your Word document in one of two ways: insert a chart by embedding it into your Word document, or paste an Excel chart into your Word document that is linked to data in an Office Excel 2007 worksheet. The main differences between embedded charts and linked charts are where the data is stored and how you update the data after you place it in the Word document. Note: Some chart types require a specific data arrangement in the Excel worksheet. For more information, see Arrange the Excel worksheet data. Insert a chart by embedding it in your documentWhen you embed an Excel chart, information in the Word file doesn't change if you modify the source Excel file. Embedded objects become part of the Word file and, after they are inserted, they are no longer part of the source file. Because the information is totally contained in one Word document, embedding is useful when you don't want the information to reflect changes in the source file, or when you don't want the document recipients to be concerned with updating the linked information.
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Top of Page Paste a linked Excel chart into your documentYou can create and copy a chart in an external Excel 2007 worksheet, and paste a linked version of the chart into your Word document. When a chart is linked, information can be updated if the external Excel worksheet is modified. Linked data is stored in the Excel worksheet. The Word document stores only the location of the source file, and it displays a representation of the linked data. Linking is also useful when you want to include information that is maintained independently, such as data collected by a different department, and when you need to keep that information up-to-date in a Word document. For more information about creating charts in Excel, see Create a chart.
You can also create visual representations of information by using SmartArt graphics. For more information, see Create a SmartArt graphic. Top of Page Arrange the Excel worksheet dataFor most charts, such as column and bar charts, you can plot the data that you arrange in rows or columns on a worksheet into a chart. However, some chart types (such as pie and bubble charts) require a specific data arrangement.
Top of Page Step 2: Change the layout or style of a chartAfter you create a chart, you can instantly change its look. Instead of manually adding or changing chart elements or formatting the chart, you can quickly apply a predefined layout and style to your chart. Word provides a variety of useful predefined layouts and styles (or quick layouts and quick styles) that you can select from, but you can customize a layout or style as needed by manually changing the layout and format of individual chart elements. Apply a predefined chart layoutClick the chart that you want to format by using a predefined chart layout. This displays the
Chart Tools tab, adding the Design and Format tabs. On the Design tab, in the Chart Layouts group, click Quick Layout, and then click the chart layout that you want to use. To see all available layouts, click More Top of Page
Top of Page Apply a predefined chart styleClick the chart that you want to format by using a predefined chart style. This displays the Chart Tools, adding the Design and Format tabs. On the Design tab, in the Chart Styles group, click the chart style that you want to use. To see all predefined chart styles, click More .Top of Page
Top of Page Change the format of chart elements manually
Top of Page Step 3: Add or remove titles or data labelsTo make a chart easier to understand, you can add titles, such as a chart title and axis titles. Axis titles are typically available for all axes that can be displayed in a chart, including depth (series) axes in 3-D charts. Some chart types (such as radar charts) have axes, but they cannot display axis titles. Chart types that do not have axes (such as pie and doughnut charts) cannot display axis titles either. You can also link chart and axis titles to corresponding text in worksheet cells by creating a reference to those cells. Linked titles are automatically updated in the chart when you change the corresponding text on the worksheet. To quickly identify a data series in a chart, you can add data labels to the data points of the chart. By default, the data labels are linked to values on the worksheet, and they update automatically when changes are made to these values. Add a chart titleClick the chart to which you want to add a title, and then click the Chart Elements
In the Chart Elements list that appears, select Chart Title. In the Chart Title text box that appears in the chart, type the text that you want. To insert a line break, click to place the pointer where you want to break the line, and then press ENTER. To format the text, select it, and then click the formatting options that you want on the Mini toolbar. Top of Page
Top of Page Add axis titlesClick the chart to which you want to add axis titles, and then click the Chart Elements In the Chart Elements list that appears, select Axis Titles. Select the axis titles that are added to your chart and type the text that you want. To format the text, select it, and then click the formatting options that you want on the Mini toolbar. Top of Page
Top of Page Add data labelsClick the chart to which you want to add data labels, and then click the Chart Elements In the Chart Elements list that appears, select Data Labels. Select the data labels that are added to your chart and type the text that you want. Note: Depending on the chart type that you used, different data label options will be available. For more information about how to change data label entries or how to reposition data labels, see Add or remove data labels in a chart. Top of Page
For more information about how to change data label entries or how to reposition data labels, see Add or remove data labels in a chart. Top of Page Step 4: Show or hide a legendWhen you create a chart, the legend appears, but you can hide the legend or change its location after you create the chart. Click the chart in which you want to show or hide the legend, and then click the Chart Elements In the Chart Elements list that appears, select or clear Legend. When a chart has a legend displayed, you can modify the individual legend entries. For more information, see Modify chart legend entries. Top of Page
When a chart has a legend displayed, you can modify the individual legend entries. For more information, see Modify chart legend entries. Top of Page Step 5: Display or hide primary chart axes or gridlinesWhen you create a chart, primary axes are displayed for most chart types. You can turn them on or off as needed. When you add axes, you can specify the level of detail that you want the axes to display. A depth axis is displayed when you create a 3-D chart. To make a chart easier to read, you can display or hide the horizontal and vertical chart gridlines that extend from any horizontal and vertical axes across the plot area of the chart. Click the chart in which you want to display or hide axes or gridlines, and then click the Chart Elements In the Chart Elements list that appears, select or clear Axes or Gridlines. Top of Page
Top of Page Step 6: Move or resize a chartYou can move a chart to any location on a document. You can also change the size of the chart for a better fit. Move a chart
Top of Page Resize a chartTo resize a chart, do one of the following:
For more sizing options, on the Format tab, in the Size group, click the Dialog Box Launcher . On the Size tab, you can select options to size, rotate, or scale the chart.Top of Page Step 7: Save a chart as a templateIf you want to create another chart like the one that you just created, you can save the chart as a template that you can use as the basis for other similar charts. Right-click the chart that you want to save as a template, and then click Save as Template. In the File name box, type a name for the template. Note: A chart template contains chart formatting and stores the colors that are in use when you save the chart as a template. When you use a chart template to create a chart in another workbook, the new chart uses the colors of the chart template — not the colors of the document theme that is currently applied to the workbook. To use the document theme colors instead of the chart template colors, right-click the chart area, and
then click Reset to Match Style on the shortcut menu. Top of Page Click the chart that you want to save as a template. On the Design tab, in the Type group, click Save as Template. In the File name box, type a name for the template. Note: A chart template contains chart formatting and stores the colors that are in use when you save the chart as a template. When you use a chart template to create a chart in another workbook, the new chart uses the colors of the chart template — not the colors of the document theme that is currently applied to the workbook. To use the document theme colors instead of the chart template colors, right-click the chart area, and then click Reset to Match Style on the shortcut menu. Top of Page Which axis displays descriptive labels for the data points in a chart?Category axis
The chart element that displays descriptive group names or labels, such as college names or cities, to identify data.
What chart element identifies which data point or data series is represented by each color in the chart?Legend. The legend identifies which data series each color on the chart represents. In this example, the legend identifies the different months in the chart.
What information is contained in a data label?Data labels are text elements that describe individual data points. Displaying data labels. You may display data labels for all data points in the chart, for all data points in a particular series, or for individual data points.
Which chart type compares data values in a vertical format where the height represents its value?A vertical bar graph contains data that's displayed vertically using rectangular bars that represent a measure of data. The rectangular bars start and extend from the bottom x-axis. The y-axis allows users to measure the height of the bars against specific levels of value inscribed on it.
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