Access 2010: The Missing Manual

Pivot Charts

Access lets you create charts based on the data in a pivot table report. In fact, every Pivot Table view has an associated Pivot Chart view. To switch from the table to the chart that displays your results graphically, select PivotTable Tools | Design→ View→PivotChart View, or use the view buttons at the bottom-right corner of the window.

With the product pivot-table example from earlier in this chapter, the pivot chart lets you easily spot high-flying groups. You just need to look for the biggest bars, as shown in Figure 9-21.

Tip

Choose PivotChart Tools | Design→Show/Hide→Legend to see a legend box that identifies your groups.

Like pivot tables, pivot charts are interactive. If you look closely at a pivot chart, you see that the field headers you’ve chosen for rows, columns, and data items appear on the chart itself. You can use these field headers to change the data that’s displayed, rearrange the grouping levels, or apply filtering, all without leaving your chart. For example, in Figure 9-21, if you want to show fewer countries, just click the Country field header on the right side of the chart. A list of countries appears, with a checkmark next to each country you’ve chosen to display. If you turn off a checkmark, that country disappears from the pivot chart and the underlying pivot table.

Figure 9-21. This pivot chart shows a pivot table that’s been split into category ...