Charts and Graphics
Scope
Charts and Graphics tests choosing an appropriate chart type, binding a chart to the right data, and controlling chart elements and embedded objects.
Chart type logic
Column and bar charts compare categories; line charts show trends over evenly spaced time; XY scatter plots numeric Y against numeric X and is the correct choice for correlation or scientific data; pie and doughnut show one series as parts of a whole; area emphasizes cumulative volume; combo charts pair a column and a line on dual axes; sparklines are tiny in-cell charts.
Building and editing
Select the data including headers before inserting, so series names and category labels are picked up. Switch Row/Column corrects a chart that plots categories as series. Chart Elements add title, axis titles, legend, data labels, gridlines, trendline and error bars. A secondary axis is needed when two series differ greatly in scale. Move Chart places the chart on its own sheet. Charts read from their source range; if rows are added outside it, reselect the range or base the chart on a table, which expands automatically.
Worked example
A user plots monthly advertising spend against monthly revenue and gets a meaningless zigzag. Revenue is in thousands and spend in hundreds, so the smaller series hugs the axis and the categories never line up as a trend. Adding a secondary axis gives each series its own scale, and a column-plus-line combo makes the comparison readable. If the X values were true dates, a line chart with a date axis would be preferable to scatter.
Traps
- Hidden rows and columns are excluded unless Show Data in Hidden Rows and Columns is enabled.
- Pie charts show only one data series; extra series are ignored.
- Data outside the original source range does not appear until the range is extended.
- Number formats on axes come from the source cells and may need separate adjustment.