
Include annotations: Include percentages and labels for your pie charts to make it easy to read. Verify that the pie slices are valued to 100% when added up. If you have more than five categories then it is recommended to use a different type of chart. It is really difficult to read a large number of slices. Best practices for using pie chartsĪlways make sure to use a minimal number of slices when creating a pie chart. I have sorted the data in decreasing order (from largest to smallest). In order to create a pie chart where the biggest pie slice comes first followed by the second biggest pie slice and so on. What that means, do not create a pie chart where the various pie slices do not represent parts of the whole pie.įor example, the following pie chart is not a good representation of data composition as the two pie slices add up to 82% and not 100%: In other words, the various pie slices you use must add up to 100%. #1 Use a pie chart when you want to show a 100% composition of data. Stacked bar charts – It is a bar chart that represents the comparisons between categories of data but with the ability to compare and break down the data.

Grouped bar charts – Grouped bar charts are a combination of representing the different time period numbers that belong to a single category. These are used mainly to display age ranges, salary ranges. It represents the numerical values represented in the vertical bars. Vertical bar charts – Also called a column chart. In this, the data categories are shown on the vertical axis and data values are shown on the horizontal axis. Horizontal bar charts – Represents the data horizontally. What are the different types of bar charts? What are the most popular excel charts and graphs types?įollowing are the most popular Excel charts and graphs: Tell meaningful and engaging stories to decision-makers.Detect outliers and other anomalies in data.Visualize data (make sense of data esp.The type of Excel chart you select for your analysis and reporting depends upon the type of data you want to analyze and report and what you want to do with data: Frequently asked questions about Excel charts.Articles on data analysis and reporting.
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