MicrosoftВ® Office ExcelВ® 2007 Inside Out (Inside Out (Microsoft))

The first step in creating a chart is to select some data. If you're plotting all the cells in a contiguous block of cells, you don't have to select the entire block; select any cell within the block, and Excel will know what to do. If, on the other hand, you want to plot only certain rows and columns within the range, you'll need to select those rows and columns explicitly.

Under some conditions, it's advantageous to set up your source data as a table (by selecting a cell within it and pressing Ctrl+T or Ctrl+L) before creating a chart from it:

• If you plot data in a table and subsequently add new rows or columns to the table, Excel automatically incorporates those new rows or columns into the chart.

• If you want your chart to focus on particular rows of data within a large block, a table can make that process more convenient. When you convert a range to a table, Excel adds filter controls to each column in the range. You can use these controls to hide the rows in which you're not currently interested. So, for example, you can easily set up a chart that plots the most recent month's numbers in a table of time-related data or the rows that have the top 10 values in some column of interest. Note, however, when you change or remove the filter, Excel adjusts the chart so it always plots the visible rows. To make a permanent plot of particular rows in a range, select those rows explicitly without filtering the range. (You can plot noncontiguous rows by holding down Ctrl while you select each one.)

• If you want your source data and chart to have consistent or complementary formatting characteristics, you can achieve that more easily using table styles and chart styles.

For information about tables, see Chapter 21, "Managing Information in Tables." For information about chart styles, see "Choosing a Chart Style" on page 620.