📎 This article includes 1 downloadable practice file ↓
In this article
A column of twelve numbers makes people squint. The same twelve numbers as a chart make the story obvious in two seconds: sales are rising, but most months missed target. This lesson gets you building clean charts quickly, and choosing the right type, which matters more than any formatting.
Make a chart in one step
Select the data including headers (say Month and Sales), then press Alt + F1. Excel drops a column chart on the sheet. Or use Insert › Recommended Charts to see a few suggestions with previews.
Choosing the type
| You want to show | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Compare categories | Column or bar | Sales by region; use bars when labels are long |
| Change over time | Line (many points) or column (few) | Monthly sales trend |
| Parts of a whole, few parts | Pie or doughnut (max 5–6 slices) | Share of sales by quarter |
| Actual vs target | Combo: columns + line | Sales columns, target line |
| Two measures with different scales | Combo with secondary axis | Sales in lakhs and online share % |
| Relationship between two numbers | Scatter | Ad spend vs sales |
The three buttons beside a chart
Click a chart and three buttons appear on its right:
- + Chart Elements: tick Chart Title, Data Labels, Legend, Axis Titles, Gridlines.
- Brush (Styles): colour sets and looks.
- Funnel (Filters): hide some months or series without deleting data.
Click the title text to type a real one: “Sales by month, FY 2026-27 (₹ lakh)”, not “Chart Title”.
Actual vs target: a combo chart
- Select Month, Sales and Target.
- Insert › Combo Chart › Clustered Column – Line.
- Sales show as columns, Target as a line. Months above the line beat target.
For Online share (a %) alongside sales (lakhs), right-click the share series › Change Series Chart Type › tick Secondary Axis, otherwise the percentages lie flat along the bottom.
Change data or type later
- Chart Design › Select Data to add or remove series and fix ranges.
- Chart Design › Change Chart Type to switch, e.g. column to line.
- Chart Design › Switch Row/Column if months appear as series instead of along the axis.
- Build charts from an Excel Table (Lesson 8) and new months appear automatically.
Charts that mislead
- Axis not starting at zero on a column chart makes a 5% difference look like 50%. Columns should start at zero; line charts may zoom in.
- 3D charts distort sizes. Use 2D.
- Pie with 12 slices: nobody can compare them. Use a bar chart sorted largest first.
- Too many colours: use one colour, plus a highlight for the point you want people to notice.
Where beginners go wrong
| Problem | Cause |
|---|---|
| Years plotted as a series of bars | Year column is numbers; make the header blank or years text, or use Select Data |
| Months in alphabetical order | Month names typed as text in the wrong order; sort the data first |
| Chart doesn’t include new rows | Data isn’t a Table; extend with Select Data or convert to a Table |
| Totals row plotted as a giant bar | Don’t include the total in the selection |
Next level: a dynamic chart with a drop-down.
Practice
Download this lesson’s workbook below. The Monthly sheet has 12 months of sales, target and online share; build the charts, then answer the questions. Type your answers in the yellow column; the Check column turns green when you’re right, and the Answers sheet shows a working formula for every task.
📎 Practice files for this article
- 📗Lesson 9 practice workbook12 months of sales, target and online share to chart, with questions that check you read the charts right.⬇ XLSX · 14 KB
Free to use for learning. Files with macros (.bas) are plain text — import them with Alt+F11 → File → Import File, and always test on a copy.
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