Lorin asks if there is anything new in Excel 2007 charts. While Microsoft rewrote the charting engine in Office 2007, you still have the same basic chart types. However, there are new data visualization tools in conditional formatting that allow you to add bar charts to every cell. Episode 737 discusses these new features.
This blog is the video podcast companion to the book, Learn Excel 97-2007 from MrExcel. Download a new two minute video every workday to learn one of the 377 tips from the book!
This blog is the video podcast companion to the book, Learn Excel 97-2007 from MrExcel. Download a new two minute video every workday to learn one of the 377 tips from the book!
Transcript of the video:
Hey! Welcome back to the MrExcel netcast.
I'm Bill Jelen.
Today, we have a question sent in by Lauren.
Lauren wants to know about charting in Excel 2007.
Is there anything new?
And while they didn't add any chart types to Excel 2007.
They did dramatically changed the charting engine, to allow us, to create I think much more interesting charts.
By example, here's a typical chart, that we've had in Excel 2003 and really this hasn't changed at all in the last 15 years.
They haven't updated the charting engine, but if we go to Excel 2007 and use the same data set and we can create a chart now, with one click.
That's [ alt F1 ].
Excel initially creates a chart.
It's a better-looking chart, no gray background and we have the ability now in the gallery, to go through and choose a different chart type.
If we're going to Power Point, we might want a dark background.
Choose from some basic building layouts and in general it's easier to find various items.
So, if we want to display numbers in thousands.
We go to Axis, primary vertical axis and say show axis and thousands.
Now, you could do this in the old Excel but it was kind of hidden a little bit.
So, what we really have our charts that look much better.
They haven't added any new chart types.
It's still the same chart types if we go to chart and then choose chart type.
Now, you'll see that basically we have the same 73 types that we had before.
They didn't have a chance, to add any new types.
The one interesting thing, that they did add in Excel 2007, is in the area of conditional formatting.
So, if I select these cells and go to conditional formatting and then choose a data bar.
Basically what we get is a little bar chart, right in every cell.
So, it allows you to see the largest numbers or the smallest numbers very easily or another visualization is under conditional formatting, the color scales.
I'll choose largest in blue, smallest in red and it will apply a gradient, instead of just traditional conditional formatting.
So, while the charts look a lot better in Excel 2007.
Really for the most part, they added no new types other day the ability to create these cool in cell data bars, or the color scales.
So, there you have it a quick look at Excel 2007's improvement in charting.
Thanks for stopping by, we'll see you next time for another netcast from MrExcel.
I'm Bill Jelen.
Today, we have a question sent in by Lauren.
Lauren wants to know about charting in Excel 2007.
Is there anything new?
And while they didn't add any chart types to Excel 2007.
They did dramatically changed the charting engine, to allow us, to create I think much more interesting charts.
By example, here's a typical chart, that we've had in Excel 2003 and really this hasn't changed at all in the last 15 years.
They haven't updated the charting engine, but if we go to Excel 2007 and use the same data set and we can create a chart now, with one click.
That's [ alt F1 ].
Excel initially creates a chart.
It's a better-looking chart, no gray background and we have the ability now in the gallery, to go through and choose a different chart type.
If we're going to Power Point, we might want a dark background.
Choose from some basic building layouts and in general it's easier to find various items.
So, if we want to display numbers in thousands.
We go to Axis, primary vertical axis and say show axis and thousands.
Now, you could do this in the old Excel but it was kind of hidden a little bit.
So, what we really have our charts that look much better.
They haven't added any new chart types.
It's still the same chart types if we go to chart and then choose chart type.
Now, you'll see that basically we have the same 73 types that we had before.
They didn't have a chance, to add any new types.
The one interesting thing, that they did add in Excel 2007, is in the area of conditional formatting.
So, if I select these cells and go to conditional formatting and then choose a data bar.
Basically what we get is a little bar chart, right in every cell.
So, it allows you to see the largest numbers or the smallest numbers very easily or another visualization is under conditional formatting, the color scales.
I'll choose largest in blue, smallest in red and it will apply a gradient, instead of just traditional conditional formatting.
So, while the charts look a lot better in Excel 2007.
Really for the most part, they added no new types other day the ability to create these cool in cell data bars, or the color scales.
So, there you have it a quick look at Excel 2007's improvement in charting.
Thanks for stopping by, we'll see you next time for another netcast from MrExcel.
