Visualizing Data
Color Scales in Excel
Excel can color tables of numeric data using darker shades for larger numbers and lighter shades for smaller numbers (a heatmap or color scale).
Cell Rules in Excel
Excel can color tables using one color for data within an acceptable range and another for data outside an acceptable range.
Visualizing data in Excel
Excel can create column (or bar) charts, histograms, scatterplots, line charts, and pie charts from a table of data.
Scatterplots
A scatterplot visually represents connections between two numeric variables.
Line charts and sparklines
A line chart or sparkline is useful for analyzing trends in data over time.
Pie Chart Pitfalls
Pie Charts have two common pitfalls:
- It can be difficult for viewers to compare sector sizes within the chart.
- If a pie chart contains too many sectors, it is difficult for a viewer to decipher any useful information.
If you ever run into this issue, a bar chart may be the best solution. The picture comparing pie charts and bar charts shows why.
With each pie chart, it is almost impossible to compare separate sectors. However, the bar chart makes the comparisons much easier to decipher.
Visualizing Categorical Data
Bar Charts and Pie Charts are used to visualize categorical data. Both types of graphs contain variations as displayed in the visual.
