Excel 2016: Charts in Depth

Learn how to create advanced Excel charts, such as Gantt charts, custom pie charts, waterfall charts, and more, in Excel 2016.

Introduction

• Welcome
• Prerequisites for this course
• Using the exercise files

1. Review the Basic Elements of an Excel Chart

• Identify core elements in a chart: plot area, chart area, gridlines, legends
• Select the right chart type
• Understand chart sub-types
• Understand the Design and Format tabs in the ribbon menu

2. Create Basic Charts

• Select data to display as a chart
• Create charts via keyboard shortcuts or Quick Analysis tool
• Create charts with the Recommended Charts feature
• Create charts with standard menu commands
• Create sparklines to depict charts within a cell

3. Style Your Charts with the Design Tab

• Add a chart element
• Choose a chart layout with the QuickLayout option
• Select chart colors using Colorful and Monochrome palettes
• Style charts using the Design gallery or paintbrush icon
• Switch rows and columns for a different view of the data
• Change the location of a chart's source data
• Work with empty and hidden cells
• Change a chart's type
• Change the default chart type and save it as a template
• Change the location of a chart
• Move and resize a chart within a worksheet

4. Fine-Tune Your Chart Elements

• Modifying axes
• Adding, editing, and removing chart and axes titles
• Linking titles to content
• Adding and editing data labels
• Adding a Data Table
• Adding error bars
• Working with gridlines
• Adding, editing, and removing legends
• Adding Drop Lines, High-Low Lines, and Up-Down Bars
• Analyzing existing and future data with trendlines

5. Format Tab: Insert Pictures, Shapes, and Text Boxes

• Use pictures as chart elements
• Add shapes and arrows
• Select shape styles, fill, and outline
• Add shape effects
• Apply WordArt styles
• Add floating text and text boxes
• Work with chart text
• Change the rotation of chart text

6. Adjusting Specific Chart Types

• Customize column and bar charts
• Customize line charts
• Customize pie charts
• Customize area, stock, and XY charts
• Customize doughnut, bubble, and radar charts

7. Other Specialized Excel Charts

• Create combination charts
• Create Gantt charts
• Create dynamic charts with filtering

8. New Chart Types in Excel 2016

• Overview of new chart types
• TreeMap chart
• Sunburst chart
• Waterfall chart
• Histogram chart
• Pareto chart
• Box and Whisker chart
• Funnel chart

9. Change a Chart's Data Source

• Adding and removing data from charts
• Create charts from multiple data sources
• Add new data using a table

10. Print and Share Charts

• Print your charts
• Copy and link charts with Word and PowerPoint

Conclusion

• Next steps