Starting a New Chart The main difficulty with creating a chart in a non-spreadsheet application such as PowerPoint is that there is no data table from which to pull the numbers. Therefore, PowerPoint creates charts using data that you have entered in an Excel window. By default, it contains sample data, which you can replace with your own data. You can place a new chart on a slide in two ways: you can either use a chart placeholder from a layout, or you can place one manually. If you are using a placeholder, click the Insert Chart icon. If you are placing a chart manually, follow these steps: 1. On the Insert tab, click Chart. The Insert Chart dialog box opens, as shown in Figure 23-28. FIGURE 23-28 Select the desired chart type. 2. Click the desired chart type. See Table 23-2 for an explanation of the chart types. Figures 23-29 and 23-30 show examples of some of the chart types. 3. Click OK. The chart appears on the slide, and an Excel datasheet opens with sample data. 577 Working with Tables and Charts 23 30 046913 ch23.qxp 5/2/07 9:17 PM Page 577 4. Modify the sample data as needed. To change the range of cells that appear in the chart, see the section, “Redefining the data range,” later in this chapter. If you want, you can then close the Excel window to move it out of the way. After you have closed the Excel window, you can open it again by clicking Edit Data on the Chart Tools Design tab. FIGURE 23-29 Examples of chart types, from top left, clockwise: column, line, bar, and pie. NOTE NOTE 578 Persuading and Informing with PowerPoint Part IV 30 046913 ch23.qxp 5/2/07 9:17 PM Page 578 FIGURE 23-30 Examples of chart types, from top left, clockwise: area, scatter, doughnut, and surface. TABLE 23-2 Chart Types in PowerPoint 2007’s Charting Tool Type Description Column Vertical bars, optionally with multiple data series. Bars can be clustered, stacked, or based on a percentage, and either 2-D or 3-D. Line Shows values as points, and connects the points with a line. Different series use different colors and/or line styles. Pie A circle broken into wedges to show how parts contribute to a whole. This de-emphasizes the actual numeric values. In most cases, this type is a single-series only. Bar Just like a column chart, but horizontal. Area Just like a column chart, but with the spaces filled in between the bars. continued 579 Working with Tables and Charts 23 30 046913 ch23.qxp 5/2/07 9:17 PM Page 579 TABLE 23-2 (continued) Type Description XY (Scatter) Shows values as points on both axes, but does not connect them with a line. However, you can add trend lines. Stock A special type of chart that is used to show stock prices. Surface A 3-D sheet that is used to illustrate the highest and lowest points of the data set. Doughnut Similar to a pie chart, but with multiple concentric rings, so that multiple series can be illustrated. Bubble Similar to a scatter chart, but instead of fixed-size data points, bubbles of varying sizes are used to represent a third data variable. Radar Shows changes of data frequency in relation to a center point. At any point, you can return to your PowerPoint presentation by clicking anywhere outside of the chart on the slide. To edit the chart again, you can click the chart to redisplay the chart- specific tabs. If you delete a column or row by selecting individual cells and pressing Delete to clear them, the empty space that these cells occupied remains in the chart. To completely remove a row or column from the data range, select the row or column by clicking its header (letter for column; number for row) and click Delete on the Home tab in Excel. Working with Chart Data After you create a chart, you might want to change the data range on which it is based, or how this data is plotted. The following sections explain how you can do this. Plotting by rows versus by columns By default, the columns of the datasheet form the data series. However, if you want, you can switch the data around so that the rows form the series. Figures 23-31 and 23-32 show the same chart plotted both ways so that you can see the difference. What does the term data series mean? Take a look at Figures 23-31 and 23-32. Notice that there is a legend next to each chart that shows what each color (or shade of gray) represents. Each of these colors, and the label associated with it, is a series. The other variable (the one that is not the series) is plotted on the chart’s horizontal axis. NOTE NOTE TIP TIP NOTE NOTE 580 Persuading and Informing with PowerPoint Part IV 30 046913 ch23.qxp 5/2/07 9:17 PM Page 580 FIGURE 23-31 A chart with the columns representing the series. FIGURE 23-32 A chart with the rows representing the series. 581 Working with Tables and Charts 23 30 046913 ch23.qxp 5/2/07 9:17 PM Page 581 To switch back and forth between plotting by rows and by columns, click the Switch Row/Column button on the Chart Tools Design tab. A chart can carry a very different message when you arrange it by rows versus by columns. For example, in Figure 23-31, the chart compares the quarters. The message here is about improvement — or lack thereof — over time. Contrast this to Figure 23-32, where the series are the regions. Here, you can compare one region to another. The overriding message here is about competition — which division performed the best in each quarter? It’s easy to see how the same data can convey very different mes- sages; make sure that you pick the arrangement that tells the story that you want to tell in your presentation. Redefining the data range After you have created your chart, you may decide that you need to use more or less data. Perhaps you want to exclude a month or quarter of data, or to add another region or salesperson. To add or remove a data series, you can simply edit the datasheet. To do so, follow these steps: 1. On the Chart Tools Design tab, click Edit Data. The Excel datasheet appears. A blue outline appears around the range that is to be plotted. 2. (Optional) To change the data range to be plotted, drag the bottom-right corner of the blue outline. For example, in Figure 23-33, the West division is being excluded. You can also enlarge the data range by expanding the blue outline. For example, you could enter another series in column E in Figure 23-33 and then extend the outline to encompass column E. FIGURE 23-33 You can redefine the range for the chart by dragging the blue outline on the datasheet. TIP TIP 582 Persuading and Informing with PowerPoint Part IV 30 046913 ch23.qxp 5/2/07 9:17 PM Page 582 The preceding steps work well if the range that you want to include is contiguous, but what if you wanted to exclude a row or column that is in the middle of the range? To define the range more precisely, follow these steps: 1. On the Chart Tools Design tab, click Select Data. The Select Data Source dialog box opens, along with the Excel datasheet, as shown in Figure 23-34. 2. Do any of the following: n To remove a series, select it from the Legend Entries (Series) list and click Remove. n To add a series, click Add, and then drag across the range on the datasheet to enter it into the Edit Series dialog box; then click OK to accept it. n To edit a series, select it in the Legend Entries (Series) list and click Edit. Then drag across the range or make a change in the Edit Series dialog box, and click OK. FIGURE 23-34 To fine-tune the data ranges, you can use the Select Data Source dialog box. 3. (Optional) To redefine the range from which to pull the horizontal axis labels, click the Edit button in the Horizontal (Category) Axis Labels section. A dotted outline appears around the current range; drag to redefine that range and click OK. 4. (Optional) To redefine how empty or hidden cells should be treated, click the Hidden and Empty Cells button. In the Hidden and Empty Cell Settings dialog box that appears, choose whether to show data in hidden rows and columns, and whether to define empty cells as gaps in the chart or as zero values. Then click OK. The Hidden and Empty Cells Settings dialog box is shown in Figure 23-35. FIGURE 23-35 Specify what should happen when the data range contains blank or hidden cells. 583 Working with Tables and Charts 23 30 046913 ch23.qxp 5/2/07 9:17 PM Page 583 5. When you are finished editing the settings for the data ranges, click OK to close the Select Data Source dialog box. 6. (Optional) Close the Excel datasheet window, or leave it open for later reference. Chart Types and Chart Layout Presets The default chart is a column chart. However, there are a lot of alternative chart types to choose from. Not all of them will be appropriate for your data, of course, but you may be surprised at the different spin on the message that a different chart type presents. Many chart types come in both 2-D and 3-D models, and you can choose which chart type looks most appropriate for your presentation. However, try to be consistent. For example, it looks nicer to stay with all 2-D or all 3-D charts rather than mixing the types in a presentation. You can revisit your choice of chart type at any time by following these steps: 1. Select the chart, if needed, so that the Chart Tools Design tab becomes available. 2. On the Design tab, click Change Chart Type. 3. Select the desired type, just as you did when you originally created the chart. Figure 23-28 shows the chart types. 4. Click OK. This is the basic procedure for the overall chart type selection, but there are also many options for fine- tuning the layout. The following sections explain these options. To change the default chart type, after selecting a chart from the Change Chart Type dialog box, click the Set as Default Chart button. PowerPoint provides a limited number of preset chart layouts for each chart type. You can choose these pre- sets from the Chart Layouts group in the Chart Tools Design tab. They are good starting points for creating your own layouts, which you will learn about in this chapter. To choose a layout, click the down arrow in the Chart Layouts group and select one from the gallery, as shown in Figure 23-36. Although you cannot add your own layouts to these presets, you can create chart templates, which are basically the same thing with additional formatting settings. This chapter also covers chart template creation. TIP TIP CAUTION CAUTION 584 Persuading and Informing with PowerPoint Part IV 30 046913 ch23.qxp 5/2/07 9:17 PM Page 584 FIGURE 23-36 You can choose one of the preset layouts that fits your needs. Working with Labels On the Chart Tools Layout tab, the Labels group provides buttons for controlling which labels appear on the chart. Figure 23-37 points out the various labels that you can use. 585 Working with Tables and Charts 23 30 046913 ch23.qxp 5/2/07 9:17 PM Page 585 FIGURE 23-37 Labels help to make it clear to the audience what the chart represents. Each of these label types has a button on the Layout tab that opens a drop-down list that contains some pre- sets. The drop-down list also contains a “More” command for opening a dialog box that contains additional options. For example, the drop-down list for the Chart Title button contains a “More Title Options” com- mand, as shown in Figure 23-38. New in PowerPoint 2007, you can add data labels by right-clicking a series and choosing Add Data Labels. You can also format label text from the mini bar, which may be easier than using the Home tab’s controls. You can format the label text, just as you can format any other text. To do this, select the text and then use the Font group on the Home tab. This allows you to choose a font, size, color, alignment, and so on. You can also format the label box by right-clicking it and choosing Format name, where name is the type of label that the box contains. In some cases, the dialog box that appears contains only standard formatting controls that you would find for any object, such as Fill, Border Color, Border Styles, Shadow, 3-D Format, and Alignment. These controls should already be very familiar to you from earlier in this chapter. In other cases, in addition to the standard formatting types, there is also a unique section that contains extra options that are specific to the content type. For example, for the Legend, there is a Legend Options section in which you can set the position of a legend. TIP TIP Axis title Data label Chart title Data table Legend 586 Persuading and Informing with PowerPoint Part IV 30 046913 ch23.qxp 5/2/07 9:17 PM Page 586 [...]... gridline and choose Format Major Gridlines You can then adjust the line color, line style, and shadow from the Format Major Gridlines dialog box, as shown in Figure 23- 56 603 23 Part IV Persuading and Informing with PowerPoint FIGURE 23- 56 You can set gridline colors, styles, and shadows in the Format Major Gridlines dialog box Gridline spacing is based on the major and minor units that you have set in... the same information that appears on the datasheet To display the data table with a chart, click the Data Table button on the Layout tab, as shown in Figure 23- 46, and choose to include a data table either with or without a legend key FIGURE 23- 46 Use a data table to show the audience the numbers on which the chart is based To format the data table, choose More Data Table Options from the Data Table drop-down... range, and use optional text elements on them such as titles, data labels, and so on You also learned how to format charts In the next chapter, you learn how to work with clip art, pictures, and diagrams 60 6 Using SmartArt Diagrams, Clip Art, and Pictures J ust as charts and graphs can enliven a boring table of numbers, a SmartArt diagram can enliven a conceptual discussion SmartArt helps the audience understand... boxes are staggered and connected with arrows implies that the next step begins before the previous one ends 60 8 Using SmartArt Diagrams, Clip Art, and Pictures FIGURE 24-2 A list diagram deemphasizes any progression between items FIGURE 24-3 A process diagram shows a flow from point A to point B 60 9 24 Part IV Persuading and Informing with PowerPoint Cycle A cycle diagram also illustrates a process,... illustrate how parts relate to a whole One common type of relationship diagram is a Venn diagram, as in Figure 24 -6, showing how categories of people or things overlap Relationship diagrams can also break things into categories or show how parts contribute to a whole, as with a pie chart FIGURE 24 -6 A relationship diagram shows how parts relate to a whole Matrix A matrix also shows the relationship of parts... styles, shadow, and 3-D format — and it also adds 3-D rotation if you are working with a 3-D chart You can choose to rotate and tilt the entire chart, just as you did with drawn shapes earlier in this book 60 2 Working with Tables and Charts Formatting the legend When you use a multi-series chart, the value of the legend is obvious — it tells you which colors represent which series Without the legend, your... to see the difference between them Compare this chart to one showing the same data in Figure 23-51, but with an adjusted scale Because the scale is smaller, the differences now appear more dramatic 5 96 Working with Tables and Charts FIGURE 23-50 This chart does not show the differences between the values very well You will probably never run into a case as dramatic as the difference between Figures... choose a fill, including solid, gradient, or picture/texture n Border Color: The border is the line around the shape You can set it to a solid line, no line, or Automatic (that is, based on the theme) 60 4 Working with Tables and Charts n Border Styles: The only option available on this tab for most chart types is Width, which controls the thickness of the border For line charts, you can set arrow options... chart-specific options, as shown in Figure 23-57 For example, you can set the chart to AutoScale, control its depth, and reset it to the default rotation FIGURE 23-57 You can adjust the 3-D rotation of a chart 60 5 23 Part IV Persuading and Informing with PowerPoint Summary In this chapter, you learned the ins and outs of creating and formatting tables in PowerPoint including how to insert, draw, move and resize... example, if you set display units to Thousands, then the number 1000 appears as “1” on the chart If you then select the Show Display Units Label on Chart checkbox, an axis label will appear as “Thousands.” 6 (Optional) You can set tick-mark types for major and minor marks These marks appear as little lines on the axis to indicate the units You can use tick marks either with or without gridlines (To set gridlines, . title Data label Chart title Data table Legend 5 86 Persuading and Informing with PowerPoint Part IV 30 0 469 13 ch23.qxp 5/2/07 9:17 PM Page 5 86 FIGURE 23-38 Each type of label has its own button. smaller, the differences now appear more dramatic. 5 96 Persuading and Informing with PowerPoint Part IV 30 0 469 13 ch23.qxp 5/2/07 9:17 PM Page 5 96 . creation. TIP TIP CAUTION CAUTION 584 Persuading and Informing with PowerPoint Part IV 30 0 469 13 ch23.qxp 5/2/07 9:17 PM Page 584 FIGURE 23- 36 You can choose one of the preset layouts that fits your needs. Working