After 15 years with no updates to the Excel charting engine, Microsoft has provided a complete rewrite of the chart rendering engine in Excel 2007. However, no amount of soft glow or glass bevel effects will help you communicate your point if you use the wrong chart type. This book helps you choose the right charting type and shows you how to make it look great.
This book shows you how to coax Excel to create many charts you might not have believed were possible. You’ll learn techniques that allow you to ditch the Microsoft defaults and actually create charts that communicate your point. You’ll learn why the Excel stock charts are so restrictive and how you can easily turn any line chart into a stock chart–without any limitations. You’ll also learn how to add invisible series to make columns float in midair. Learn how to create charts right in Excel cells using the new Excel 2007 data bars–or even the decades-old REPT functions.
In no time, this book will have you creating charts that wow your audience and effectively communicate your message.
* Master effective visual display of data
* Choose the right chart type to convey your message
* Learn time-saving workarounds
* Create charts that most people think you can’t create with Excel
* Understand what a Radar chart is and when you might use it
* Summarize a million rows of data in a single pivot table chart
* Present data graphically without charts
* Employ SmartArt graphics to show process or relationship charts
* Utilize VBA to create charts
* Put your data on a map
* Export your charts to the web or PowerPoint
* Detect chart lies