Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Microsoft® Office PowerPoint® 2003

Chapter 9. Presenting Numbers by Using Data Charts

In this chapter

• Find out how charts can make numbers understandable

• Learn how to use the Microsoft Graph program

• Explore the wide variety of chart types available in PowerPoint

• Learn how to enter chart data and import it from other sources

• Find out how to modify individual chart elements to make them more effective

For those of us who come from relatively nontechnical, nonnumeric backgrounds, the very thought of creating data charts causes fear and trepidation. You might ask “What is an x-axis anyway?” or “Why do I want an area chart instead of a pie chart?” Or perhaps you’re even asking whether you want to create a data chart at all.

In my experience, data charts—graphic representations of numeric information—can ...