CHAPTER 18Getting Started with Excel Charts
Charts offer a visual representation of numeric values; they are at-a-glance views that allow you to specify relationships between data values, point out differences, and observe business trends. Few mechanisms allow you to absorb data faster than a chart, which can be a key component in your dashboard.
When most people think of a spreadsheet product such as Excel, they think of crunching rows and columns of numbers. But Excel also has a plethora of tools to present data visually in the form of a chart. In this chapter, we present an overview of Excel's charting capabilities and show you how to create and customize your own charts using Excel.
What Is a Chart?
A chart is a visual representation of numeric values. Charts (also known as graphs) have been an integral part of spreadsheets since the early days of Lotus 1-2-3. Charts generated by early spreadsheet products were extremely crude by today's standards. Over the years, however, the quality and flexibility have improved significantly. You'll find that Excel provides you with the tools to create a wide variety ...
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