Did you know that the human mind can swiftly comprehend data when it is presented visually? Think about that for a minute!
The human brain processes visuals more quickly than a word. Therefore data visualization can make it much easier to explain trends and statistics by employing charts, graphs, and design elements.
Whether comparing sales figures or showing a pattern, data visualization can change everything. Your report’s clarity and authority improve with an excellent graph or chart.
But what sort of visualization tools (graphs or charts) should you use?
When you select the chart option in your spreadsheet program, you’ll see a variety of styles. They may all appear to be good choices, but not all data visualization is made equally.
0So which data visualization tool fits your data and audience the best? To determine this, you must have a solid understanding of how graphs and charts work.
This guide will give you practical excel graphs and charts tutorials to ensure your data visualizations are successful. Now, let’s get down to business.
Excel is a very effective data visualization tool and helps present data in charts. Charts are used in Microsoft Excel to provide a graphical symbolization of any set of data.
What is a chart? It is a picture of data that uses symbols to represent the data, for example, bars in a Bar Chart.
While charts work well for some types of data, graphs may be preferable in other circumstances. Which type of excel graphs and charts you want to use will depend on the insights you want your audience to gather.
Keep reading to understand the purpose of using charts and graphs.
It can be quite cumbersome and challenging to understand complex data sets, especially when comparing them. Consider how much simpler it is to present a data trend visually to an audience. Charts and Graphs come in handy to present the data in an obvious way and facilitate analysis.
So how do you use charts and graphs in excel? Well, we have excel graphs and charts tutorials to guide you.
The Sankey Chart in the graph below illustrates a flow of funds.
This chart simply and understandably depicts the flow. That means you can understand the flow without looking at the actual figures. Graphs and charts are standard in yearly reports, sales presentations, and team meetings. They help convey information to the reader in a clear, simple, and easy-to-remember manner.
Discover more below if you are still wondering which type of excel graphs and charts you should use.
Numerous chart types exist, each with a unique set of applications. Selecting the right chart for the task at hand is frequently the most challenging aspect of developing a data visualization. Which type of excel graphs and charts you want to use will rely on several variables.
Here’s a rundown of the key excel graphs and charts tutorials. You will have a wide range of tools to address your data visualization demands with the help of these charts:
A Radar Chart displays multivariate data with three or more quantitative variables plotted on one axis. It has a core axis with at least three radiating spokes that give it the appearance of a spider’s web.
The data values are mapped onto these spokes. It is intended to quickly highlight similarities, differences, and outliers for the product, service, or other objects. Here is our Radar Chart’s data.
Months | Garments | Electronics | Cosmetics |
Jan | 13147 | 32289 | 18388 |
Feb | 9047 | 29305 | 18692 |
Mar | 13493 | 21696 | 10639 |
Apr | 10260 | 24357 | 12218 |
May | 12127 | 28597 | 14936 |
Jun | 11048 | 23525 | 10915 |
Jul | 5435 | 32997 | 19854 |
Aug | 12624 | 25003 | 11609 |
Sep | 7768 | 33472 | 18657 |
Oct | 9459 | 29548 | 15701 |
Nov | 14201 | 28118 | 11120 |
Dec | 13790 | 26850 | 12802 |
Below is the final visualization:
You can showcase information trends over sentiment using a Sentiment Trend Chart. However, single-point measurements may not be precise because all techniques are different. A mathematical process called trend analysis predicts future patterns based on past results.
Here is the data we will use on our Sentiment Trend Chart sample:
Months | Current | Previous |
Jan | 55000 | 28000 |
Feb | 54000 | 27000 |
Mar | 62000 | 46000 |
Apr | 73000 | 39000 |
May | 57000 | 43000 |
Jun | 57000 | 41000 |
Jul | 60000 | 42000 |
Aug | 49000 | 25000 |
Sep | 75000 | 44000 |
Oct | 66000 | 45000 |
Nov | 52000 | 37000 |
Dec | 50000 | 26000 |
And the ultimate visualization is as follows:
A Progress Chart displays a fact’s positive and negative variations within a category. The change is displayed on the chart’s left side using color-coded bars and the facts on the right side as group bars.
A Progress Chart helps you monitor system changes over time and demonstrates your progress toward a goal.
Below is our data for the Progress Chart’s data.
Products | Previous Sales | Current Sales |
Ketchup | 124000 | 191000 |
Soda | 100000 | 152000 |
Pasta | 121000 | 172000 |
Ice Cream | 149000 | 192000 |
Bread | 141000 | 176000 |
Cheese | 146000 | 158000 |
Butter | 181000 | 166000 |
Jelly | 148000 | 128000 |
Let’s look at the final visualization below:
A Sunburst Diagram with numerous tiers of categories demonstrates the connections between the outer and inner rings. Sunburst Charts best illustrate how one ring is broken down into constituent parts.
Below, we have data from auto-store orders, and we will use a Sunburst Chart to evaluate them.
Categories | States | Cities | Total Orders |
Sales | California | Irvine | 93 |
Sales | California | Hemet | 100 |
Sales | California | Oxnard | 86 |
Sales | Texas | Austin | 97 |
Sales | Texas | Dallas | 98 |
Sales | Texas | Plano | 91 |
Sales | Florida | Miami | 94 |
Sales | Florida | Tampa | 87 |
Sales | Florida | Naples | 88 |
Below is the final visualization:
Sankey Chart is a particular kind of flow diagram on our list of excel graphs and charts tutorials. They are frequently used to illustrate the flow of money, energy, material, or any other measurable resource.
The resource is displayed in proportion to the flow quantity. They highlight the key flows, consumers, losses, etc. for the reader.
See Sankey Chart data below.
Products | Revenue | Profit & Cost | Departments | Operations | Outflows | Amount |
Microsoft 365 | Revenue | Gross profit | Productivity & Business | Operating profit | Net profit | 7.2 |
Microsoft 365 | Revenue | Gross profit | Intelligent Cloud | Operating profit | Net profit | 8.7 |
Microsoft 365 | Revenue | Gross profit | More PC | Operating profit | Net profit | 0.7 |
Microsoft 365 | Revenue | Gross profit | More PC | Operating profit | Net profit | 0.1 |
Azure | Revenue | Gross profit | More PC | Operating profit | Tax | 3.8 |
Azure | Revenue | Gross profit | Operating expenses | R & D | 6.9 | |
Azure | Revenue | Gross profit | Operating expenses | Sales & marketing | 6.3 | |
Azure | Revenue | Gross profit | Operating expenses | General admin | 1.8 | |
Azure | Revenue | Cost of revenue | 2 | |||
Windows | Revenue | Cost of revenue | 14.4 |
And the ultimate visualization is as follows:
Using the discussed data visualizations, you can make simple graphics that are easy to understand. However, there is more! You must know how to build excel graphs and charts to succeed.
So, continue reading to take the next step.
If your goal is to display financial data, you want charts that use flows to create a vivid picture of ins and outs of key resources in your business, such as the Sankey Diagram.
Excel is a spreadsheet application you can use to organize, store, and visualize data using its charts and graphs.
Yes, there are charts you can use in Excel to create data reporting visualization. But this tool lacks additional formatting capabilities to help you create an easy-to-understand visualization.
Besides, it lacks additional charts, such as Sankey Diagrams, that take your financial analysis to the next level.
We’re not advocating you leave Excel.
Install a particular third-party add-in in Excel to access data reporting-friendly charts, such as a Sankey Diagram.
The application is called ChartExpo.
What is ChartExpo?
ChartExpo is an add-on you can easily install in your Excel to access charts for building a data reporting dashboard.
There is another direct way to install ChartExpo by clicking on the below link as well for your desired tool.
Assume you have access to the above table’s detailed information about Microsoft company financial flow data. You want to reduce this complexity because it appears complex in the spreadsheet. The following tutorial will help you install ChartExpo.
The image below will result:
You can now see how effectively it depicted the movement of funds from one end to the other. Its superior flow visualization sets it apart from other charts.
Microsoft has a fairly even split between its various revenue sources.
Charts and graphs express complex data. They can enhance the clarity and impact of your presentations and meetings.
Graphs facilitate analysis in daily life. They give structure when evaluating sales, performances, and even deadlines. Additionally, graphs make calculations simpler.
For instance, you’ll find them helpful in comprehending your sales figures if you’re a manager or a sales assistant.
In the current cutthroat corporate environment finding data correlations via visual representations is essential for discovering business insights. Examining these insights is crucial for business users or executives to determine the best course for attaining the organization’s objectives.
Using data visualization, you may learn the most recent business trends to deliver high-quality products and spot issues before they happen. You can focus more energy on boosting your company’s earnings by following trends.
The excel graphs and charts tutorials discussed above can help you perfect the art of data visualization.
However, data visualization is a skill that takes practice to perfect. Thanks to ChartExpo, you will undoubtedly progress. It is expertly designed with the best standards for data visualization in mind.
Comprehending the final audience’s viewpoint is the secret to creating excellent data visualization. Always strive to determine what the final audience wants to know and then visualize your data.