Highlighting Data in a Chart
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The chart above has two different sections built into one column chart. The first set of columns represent the S&P500. The second set represents the summation of the rest of the columns, which are highlighted within the gray box. I think this is better than a drill-in feature because all of the data can be seen at once.
You can easily add this type of highlighting to your Excel 2003 charts by using the drawing toolbar. In the drawing toolbar, select the autoshape under basic shapes called rounded rectangle. Place the box on the section of data you want to highlight. Then right-click and select ‘format autoshape’ (or just double-click on the box). On the color and lines tab, set the transparency to around 85% with the color gray. It’s that simple. You can use whatever color and transparency you want to customize the chart to your liking.
This feature is really just a finishing touch to a chart. If you resize the chart, add or remove data, the box will not resize with the chart. I’m sure there is an automated way to keep it locked to the chart, but it only takes a few seconds to move or resize the box.
December 8th, 2008 at 8:44 am
Great . by this way ,we can add value to chart.
if we select the chart at first ,and then draw the box above the chart ,the box is built in the chart,but will not resize with the chart.
if we unselect the chart ,directly draw the box above the chart ,the group the box and the chart ,they could resize togather.
December 8th, 2008 at 10:03 am
I’m not wild about the box. Sure, it highlights the data, but it even somewhat obscures it. I think I would provide two distinct charts. Or I would use lighter colors for the bar fill colors of the individual commodities.
Also, putting the commodities to the right goes against Western sensibilities.
So…
Put the commodities to the left, using light gray and light blue for the fills. Put the overall commodities and market index to the right, with darker fills. Leave a gap between the two sets of data, with perhaps an arrow from left to right in the gap. Put a label “Individual Commodities” at the bottom of the chart, centered under the individual commodities, and move the Overall Commodities and S&P 500 labels down to the same level.
Those business week charts always give us something to talk about. don’t they. Those gas prices in the panel right before the chart we’re discussing here don’t work for me. My gas went well above $4 a gallon this year, well above the stated peak of $3.15. If I look at the source (EIA, http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/gdu/gasdiesel.asp), I see a peak more like $4.15, which is much closer to my perceived reality. And in fact, I paid $1.669/gal this morning, which is lower than I’ve paid since 10 March 2004.
December 11th, 2008 at 6:00 am
[...] this week, Tony Rose wrote about Highlighting Data in a Chart. He used an example called The Mixed Commodities Bag from Business Week, a magazine whose graphics [...]