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3.2 Create a Chart – Practice Exercise 18 – Intermediate Excel 2016

Step 1: Select the data for the chart. Your choice of data should include items such as labels and series identifiers (row/column headings). The data you choose does not have to be in contiguous cells. Press Ctrl and click the cells to be added.
Step 2: Choose a chart type by selecting Insert>Charts group. Each control is a drop-down list, which lets you further refine your choice by selecting a subtype. You can let Excel recommend a chart type here. Chose Insert>Charts>Recommended Charts. 
Practice Exercise 18 – Create a chart
Still using data file FIRST RANGE TO TABLE EXERCISE. Select tab CREATING A CHART.
STEP 1: We will be using the range to the right for creating our chart. But first we need to convert this range (FIGURE 1) into a table. That will be done next.
 
Note: You do NOT have to convert a range into a table to create a chart. A chart can also be created from a range.
​
                                                                                FIGURE 1
STEP 2: The first step in creating a table is selecting the Table option.
Go up to the Ribbon and select the Insert tab.
In the Tables section, select Table with your mouse (FIGURE 2).
                                                                                 FIGURE 2
STEP 3: ​You should see the following cell range in the Create Table dialog box shown in FIGURE 3. It should read, “=$A$1:$D$7. If the dialog box shows the cell range differently, select cells A1:D7 with your mouse.
Check the box, “My table has headers.” Select OK.
                                                                              FIGURE 3
STEP 4: ​Your range of cells has been converted to a table as shown in FIGURE 4.
 
Highlight cells A1:C7 with your mouse. Notice that we are not highlighting all of the table. We will add the Add On Sales column of data later.
FIGURE 4
STEP 5: Choose a chart type by selecting the Insert tab and then locate the Charts group. Each control is a drop-down list, which lets you further refine your choice by selecting a subtype.

​You can let Excel recommend a chart type here. Select Recommended Charts (FIGURE 5).
                                                            FIGURE 5
STEP 6: A Clustered Column chart is the best chart that Excel is recommending to you based on the data you provided in Step 1 (FIGURE 6).
 
If you prefer, you could select one of the other chart types shown. However, the column chart is the chart we’ll go with for this exercise.
 Select OK button.
FIGURE 6
STEP 7: Excel will insert the chart in the middle of the sheet. You can move the chart by dragging it by its border.
You can also resize it by selecting one of the corners and dragging it to the desired size.
The 3 icons to the right of the chart are (FIGURE 7):

  • Chart Elements (top icon – plus symbol)
  • Chart Styles (middle icon – paintbrush)
  • Chart Filters (bottom icon – funnel)
FIGURE 7
Step 8: ​You can add or edit different parts of the chart. To select a particular area of the chart you have multiple options.

A. You can go up to the Ribbon and in the Chart Layouts section, select Add Chart Element (FIGURE 8).
​
B. You can also select a chart area by selecting the Chart Elements icon that appears to the right of the chart (FIGURE 9).

We will work with this feature a little later. 
       FIGURE 8
                     FIGURE 9
STEP 9: You can select what variations of the basic column chart style you would like to add (if any).
You have 2 options available:
A. On the Chart Tools contextual tab, select the Design tab. You have a palette of choices up on the Ribbon (FIGURE 10).

B. You can also select a variation by selecting the Chart Styles icon that appears to the right of the chart (FIGURE 11).
3.For this exercise, select the default at the top.
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                                                       FIGURE 10
                                                                                                      FIGURE 11
STEP 10: ​We now have our basic chart (FIGURE 12).
  FIGURE 12
This is the end of this section. To continue, go to Module 3 Section 3.3 Customize a Chart; Practice Exercises 19 – 22