Special Edition Using Microsoft® Word 2000

Tips for Selecting Which Data to Include

To get a chart that says what you want to say, you must select the correct information from your data source. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

• Include at least one header row or column in your selection.

• If your table includes a cell, row, or column that contains totals, you may not want to select those totals, unless they measure an average rather than a quantity. Otherwise, including totals can skew the scale of your graph, making all the other data points look small in relation to the data point or points that contain the total. If you're creating a pie chart, exactly half the pie will contain your total. This is probably not the result you had in mind.

• Select only the data and headings you need. In ...