Linking Charts Together: An Introduction to Excel

Posted on: November 26, 2022

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Excel charts are useful in data visualization and can help you to present information more effectively. Creating charts is easy but can get complicated if the Excel workbook contains a lot of information. This article will help you create helpful link charts in Excel that are effective and easy to interpret. You can also sign up for professional training, such as the one offered by Jon Peltier’s company, for more thorough coaching.

Creating an Excel Chart

Inserting a chart in Excel is easy using the following steps below.

Choose the cells that contain the data range you want to chart. These cells should contain the relevant source data for your graph.
Use the Insert Button to select the Chart command you want. For example, pie charts, scatter charts, stacked column charts, etc.
Scroll through the drop-down menu to select a suitable chart type
Finally, the chart you selected is inserted in the Excel worksheet.

Note that depending on your source data, you can use the Recommended Charts function to get suggestions about which type of chart to use.

Easy steps to link PowerPoint charts with Excel

Open an Excel file that you want to link to.
Use the Insert button to insert your chart from the table
Copy your chart to the clipboard
Launch PowerPoint and open your file
Go to the Home ribbon and click Paste
Use the Match Destination Formatting option to maintain your chart’s layout
Select your chart
Execute the Update Data function in Draft

Types of Excel Charts

Microsoft Excel is equipped with different types of graphs to fit the data series being analyzed. It is vital to understand how each chart is utilized to improve effectiveness.

Chart types available in Excel include:

• Line Chart

They are suitable for displaying trends. The data points are joined with lines, making it easy to identify a change in data values over time. The chart has a horizontal axis and a vertical axis.

• Column Chart

These are vertical bars used to represent information. They are used to visualize different data types and are best suited for comparing different data.

• Pie Chart

Data is displayed as slices of a round pie, making it easy to identify which values add up to make the whole percentage. Pie charts are suitable for comparing proportions.

• Area Chart

These are the same as line charts, except for areas under the lines being filled in.

• Surface Chart

A Surface chart is an interactive chart that shows data in three dimensions. They show different information simultaneously and are suitable for visualizing large data sets.

• Bar Chart

They look and work similar to column charts, but they have horizontal rather than vertical bars.

• Gantt Chart

Henry Gantt designed the Gantt chart in the early 1910s. It is a type of bar chart commonly used to show project schedules but can also be used to visualize dependency relationships between tasks and schedule status.

Apart from learning about the various chart types, it is also vital to understand how to read these different charts to interpret the data correctly and effectively.

How to convert the chart type in Excel

It is possible to switch the type of chart that you have created by using the Excel dashboard. Additionally, you can change the subtype of the particular chart you made. It is important to remember to rearrange elements such as the chart title since you can lose personalized formats that you had used in your chart. You can also change your data from wide to long format using Power Query.

You can change the chart type using the following steps.

The first step is to choose which chart or chart element you want to change.
After selecting the chart, press the Design button in the Chart Tools contextual menu in the Ribbon.
Step three is to click the Change Chart Type tab under the Type key menu.
Choose which graph type you want to convert to by scrolling through the Change Chart Type dialogue box; pick your new chart type from the left side of the Change Chart Type menu.
You will find the various subtypes of the graph you have selected arranged in a list to the right of the Change Chart Type dialogue box.
Click on the particular chart type or subtype you want to apply to your chart.
The last step is to scroll to the bottom of the Change Chart Type menu and press the OK button.

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Shane Garcia

Lead Embedded Systems Architect at CPP Cat

Shane Garcia is a seasoned developer with a deep understanding of C and C++ programming. With years of experience in software development and consulting, Shane brings a wealth of practical knowledge to CPPCAT. His expertise spans various industries, where he has contributed to both large-scale projects and innovative startups. At CPPCAT, Shane focuses on delivering insightful and informative content, drawing from his extensive background in the field.