Here’s the data on my worksheet (see below image). I have four columns and five rows on sheet1, which shows some figures (sales for example) for each product. The columns are the products and each row has monthly sold units of each product.
Now, let’s see how we can create Pie charts using the above data.
In my first example, I want to create a Pie chart to see how many Pens, Rulers etc. I have sold in the month of April. Simply follow the steps.
1) First, select the data for the chart, like this
2) Next, from the top menu in your Excel workbook, select the Insert tab. You will see a list of chart types. Click the Pie option and choose a type, either 2D or 3D, depending on your requirement.
Your chart for the selected data is now ready.
Similarly, you can create and add another chart, say for the month of May (for all products). However, this time you will have to choose rows separately. It’s a mouse and keyboard combination. Select the 1st row using the mouse, till the last column, then press the Ctrl key, set focus on the 3rd row using the mouse and drag it till the last column.
Again, choose the Pie chart from the menu (as I have shown earlier). Repeat the process for all the rows and you have multiple Pie charts on sheet1.
Using the same data structure, you can create a product wise Pie chart (In the above example, I have created Pie charts for different months). I wish to see the number of sales for my products (pen, ruler etc.) for every month. This is vertical selection.
Similarly, you can create another chart by choosing the next column’s data (that is ruler), along with the first column data. Click the mouse on the first column, first row and drag the mouse down until the last row. Next, hold the Ctrl key, click the 3rd column (ruler) and drag the mouse till the last row.
There are other features associated with the Pie chart, which you can use to enhance user experience.
Separate a Pie Chart Slice
You can separate a Pie chart slice (or all the slices). Double click a particular slice, hold and drag it out to separate it from the other slices. You can use this option to analyze the data.
Add or Remove Data Labels to a Pie Chart (Excel 2007)
Data labels are data (or figures) associated with each slice. The data labels make a chart easier to understand. When you insert a Pie chart on your worksheet, it will show different slices, a title and a legend, without the data labels. This is the default behavior. You will have to add or remove Data labels on your own.
Now, see the below image again. It shows the slices, the title and the legend (apr, may etc.). The slices are the figures or the units sold (10, 20, 30 etc.). Without the data labels it is difficult to understand what each slice indicates.
To add Data labels to the chart,
1) Move the mouse over the chart for which you want to add data labels.
2) Right click the chart. It will show a small popup box. Choose the option Add Data Labels.
3) You can data label to a single slice. Simply double click the slice for which you want to add labels and repeat steps 1 and 2.
Note: Data labels will update automatically when you change the figures in your worksheet.
To remove Data labels from the chart,
1) Right click the chart for which you want to remove data labels. It will show a small popup box.
2) Choose option Format Data Labels. It will open another box (window) with many options.
3) Close the window.