Whats Not So Good About Pie Charts
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Pie Of Pie Chart In Excel
In this tutorial we will learn how to create pie of pie chart in Excel and Bar of Pie chart in Excel.
Why we use Pie of Pie chart in Excel ?
When we need to represent the percentage distribution across categories we generally use Pie chart. When there is too much of categories with very less percentage distribution then the pie chart becomes quite messy. In that case we use Pie of Pie chart which Projects those values which is less than the threshold as a separate pie chart.
Data that we use to demonstrate Pie of Pie chart in Excel is shown below .
| Month |
|---|
Lets see how to create Pie of Pie chart in Excel.
Pie of Pie chart in Excel Step 1 :
Select the data, click Insert tab > chose pie chart ribbon > Pie of pie chart as shown below
Pie of Pie chart in Excel Step 2:
From the chart styles chose the style of charts that suits our representation. So our chart will be like.
Pie of Pie chart in Excel Step 3:
Right click on any area of the Pie chart and Chose Format Data series option .you can change the way the pie has been split by clicking the Split series by option as shown below.
Right now it is split by last 3 months
Pie of Pie chart in Excel Step 3A:
you can change it to percentage value with values less than 10 % in separate pie as shown below
You can also customize the split according your needs
So the final Excel pie of pie chart will be like
Bar of Pie chart in Excel:
So the final Bar of Pie chart in Excel will be like
Other Types Of Pie Charts
In addition to 3-D pie charts, you can create a pie of pie or bar of pie chart. These charts show smaller values pulled out into a secondary pie or stacked bar chart, which makes them easier to distinguish. To switch to one of these pie charts, click the chart, and then on the Chart Tools Design tab, click Change Chart Type. When the Change Chart Type gallery opens, pick the one you want.
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How To Make A Pie Chart In Excel
A pie chart is made of slices that form a circularly shaped graph to represent numerical data of an analysis. Pie charts are difficult to draw as they present the relative value of some particular data as a value or as a percentage in a circular graph.
With the help of Excel, the graphical analysis of pie charts has become popular and easier. In this article, I am going to demonstrate how to make a pie chart in excel.
Additional Bar Of Pie Settings
Under the Series Options of step 6, you will also find some additional settings specific to Bar of pie charts.
These are:
- Pie explosion This setting lets you detach the slices of the pie. You can move the slider up or down to increase or decrease the spaces between each slice.
- Gap Width This setting lets you set the distance between the pie and the stacked bar chart.
- Second Plot Size This setting lets you specify the size of the stacked bar relative to the pie.
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Creating A Pie Of Pie Chart In Excel
Suppose you have a data set as shown below:
If you create a single Pie chart using this data, there would be a couple of small slices in it.
Instead, you can use the Pie of Pie chart to zoom into these small slices and show these as a separate Pie .
Note
Here are the steps to create a Pie of Pie chart:
The above steps would insert the Pie of Pie chart as shown below.
The above chart automatically combines a few of the smaller slices and shows a breakup of these slices in the Pie on the right.
This chart also gives you the flexibility to adjust and show a specific number of slices in the Pie chart on the right. For example, if you want the chart on the right to show a breakup of five smallest slices, you can adjust the chart to show that.
Here is how you can adjust the number of slices to be shown in the Pie chart on the right:
The above steps would combine the 5 smallest slices and combine these in the first Pie chart and show a breakup of it in the second Pie chart on the right .
In the above chart, I have specified that the five smallest slices be combined as one and be shown in a separate Pie chart on the right.
You can also use the following criteria :
Point Explosion
Gap Width
Edit The Excel Pie Chart And Change The Data Series With Your New Current Data Named Formula
This is the critical step to making the Dynamic Pie Chart because without it, your chart will not update the data series.
First click on the chart and then choose the Select Data button from the Data group in the Design ribbon.
Now you should see the Select Data dialog box. From here you need to click on the EDIT button in the Legend Entries area.
You should now see the Edit Series dialog box and we want to change the Series Values to
=Sheet1!CurrentData
It must be entered this way with the Sheet name ! Defined Name or it will not work. Press OK on this dialog box and the Select Data Series dialog box and this step is complete. You can read and see more about Creating Dynamic Charts with the Offset Function here:
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Formatting Your Pie Chart
Excel offers several ways to format pie charts.
You can change the Chart Title if you like. Excel automatically uses the header of the column where your chart data is storedin this case, Poker Winnings. If you update the text of that columns header, the pie charts title will update automatically. Alternatively, you can double-click on the chart title itself and edit it.
You should also put your data in the right order. Imagine an analog clock superimposed on top of your pie chart. The biggest slice of the pie should begin at 12:00. As you go clockwise around the pie, the slices should get progressively smaller. In order to accomplish this, you need to sort your numerical data from largest to smallest.
Select the Home menu item. Make sure your cursor is in one of the cells in the column with numerical data. Select the Sort & Filter button on the ribbon and choose Sort Largest to Smallest.
Your pie chart will automatically update, and now youre following best practices regarding the order of your data within the pie chart.
Choose your Data Labels. Begin by clicking on the pie chart and selecting the green plus icon to the right of the chart to display Chart Elements.
Now check the box next to Data Labels.
Expand the options for Data Labels and then select More Options
That will open the Format Data Labels panel.
Should You Be Using Pie Of Pie Or Bar Of Pie Charts
While I am not a fan, I will not go as far as forbidding you to use these charts.
I have seen these charts being used in management meetings and one reason these are still being used is that it helps in letting you tell the story.
If youre presenting this chart live to an audience, you can command their attention and take them through the different slices. Since youre doing all the presentation, you also have the control to make sure things are understood the way its supposed to be, and there is no confusion.
For example, if you look at the chart below, someone may misunderstand that the green slice is bigger than the gray slice. In reality, the entire Pie chart on the right is equal to the gray slice only.
Adding data labels definitely helps, but the visual aspect always leaves some room for confusion.
So, if I am using this chart with a live presentation, I can still guide the attention and avoid confusion, but I wouldnt use these in a report or dashboard where I am not there to explain it.
In such a case, I would rather use a simple bar/column chart and eliminate any chance of confusion.
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Count The Number Of Occurrences
The first step is to count how many males and females there are. Of course, if the data set is small, it wont be a problem to do it manually. However, what alternatives exist for those working with large volumes of data?
1. Lets create one more table. This can go anywhere on the sheet.
2. Once you have this basic table set up, select the blank cell beside Female and type the formula =COUNTIF followed by an open parenthesis.
As you can see, there are two arguments we need to include: range and criteria .
3. Click and drag through the cells that you want to use as part of the calculation and add a comma after the range.
4. Well done! But the condition is still missing. Type our criteria in quotation marks, and dont forget to close the parenthesis.
5. At last, press ENTER to apply the formula to that cell.
6. Voilà! Now lets do the same thing for males. Just change the criteria from F to M.
Everything is now ready to create a pie chart.
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Changing Pie Chart Colors
To change your pie chart color scheme, begin by selecting the pie chart. Then select the paintbrush icon, Chart Styles.
Youll see two tabs, Style and Colors. Explore the options in both tabs and choose a color scheme you like.If you want to highlight a specific slice of the pie, apply a color to that slice while choosing a shade of gray for all the other slices.
You can select a single slice of the pie by selecting the pie chart and then clicking on the slice you want to format. You can also move the slice you want to highlight slightly away from the center to call attention to it like this:
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How To Create A Pie Chart
Just like any chart, we can easily create a pie chart in Excel version 2013, 2010 or lower.
- First, we select the data we want to graph
- Click Insert tab, Pie button then choose from the selection of pie chart types: Pie, Exploded Pie, Pie of pie, Bar of pie, or 3D pie chart.
Figure 2. Pie chart selection
If we choose to make a 3D pie chart, it will look like this.
Figure 3. 3D pie chart
There are so many categories in the above pie chart, making it look complicated and harder to read.
How To Create A Pie Chart In Excel In 60 Seconds Or Less
At the beginning of 2021, I was tasked with an assignment: Create a pie chart showcasing which types of content performed best on the Marketing Blog in 2020.
The question was an undeniably important one, as it would influence what types of content we wrote in 2021, along with identifying new opportunities for growth.
But once I’d compiled all relevant data, I was stuck How could I easily create a pie chart to showcase my results?
Fortunately, I’ve since figured it out. Here, let’s dive into how you can create your own excel pie chart for impressive marketing reports and presentations. Plus, how to rotate a pie chart in excel, explode a pie chart, and even how to create a 3-dimensional version.
Let’s dive in.
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How To Combine Or Group Pie Charts In Microsoft Excel
Alan Murray has worked as an Excel trainer and consultant for twenty years. On most days, he can be found teaching Excel in a classroom or seminar. Alan gets a buzz from helping people improve their productivity and working lives with Excel. Read more…
Pie charts are popular in Excel, but they are limited. Youll have to decide for yourself between using multiple pie charts or giving up some flexibility in favor of readability by combining them. If you do want to combine them, heres how.
For example, the pie chart below shows the answers of people to a question.
This is fine, but it can be complicated if you have multiple Pie charts.
Pie charts can only show one series of values. So if you have multiple series, and you want to present data with pie charts, you need multiple pie charts.
The image below shows the contribution to total revenues of five products across three different cities. We have a pie chart for each city with the data ranges shown above them.
This enables us to compare the sales of products across different cities. But there are complications when we want to change them all consistently, or view them as a single figure.
In this article, we will look at three different approaches to combine the pie charts.