Five Most Used Charts in Excel

Five Most Used Charts in Excel

· Column Chart:

The column chart is the primary Excel chart that depicts the data by creating vertical columns. This chart type portrays a change or growth in the data series. A column chart is helpful in the representation of a discrete data type with well-defined intervals.

· Line Chart:

A line chart is an in-built Excel chart that depicts a trend followed by the data series. It helps in the comparative analysis as each data series forms a separate line. Using a line chart when a large amount of data is present is more advantageous. A line chart is widely used in forecasting various trends to be developed over time.

· Bar Chart

A bar chart would be a primary preference under Excel as the data is plotted using horizontal bars, which enables it to portray more data categories with longer names. A Bar chart can plot both nominal and ordinal data. With a feature to add data labels, this type of chart makes it easier to comprehend the results.

· Pie Chart

To depict a part of the whole relationship, Pie charts are used. Pie charts are helpful when fewer data categories are involved (generally 2-5), and all the categories must be mounted together to represent 100% of the data. Surveyors or assessors generally use this chart to display and analyze the responses.

· Scatter Plots

Scatter plots show a relationship between two variables. Here, the X-axis denotes the independent variable, and Y-axis shows the dependent variable. Data points on both the corresponding axis are plotted on the graph to verify their relationship. Statistically, statisticians use Scatter plots to run a regression analysis or display correlations between the two variables.