Help

Creating charts from data
F
ILEMAKER PRO HELP 399
Related topics
Creating quick charts
Creating and editing charts in Layout mode
Stacked column or
stacked bar chart
Compare parts to the whole. Each column or bar in the chart compares multiple data
points within a category. Use a stacked bar chart to compare the annual sales
figures for products over several years. Each segment of each bar compares
specific product sales, each bar shows total product sales per year, and the entire
chart compares total sales for all years.
To chart a single data series, such as sales in one region, use a pie chart.
Positive/negative
column chart
Compare positive and negative values. Positive values appear above a mid-point
(zero, by default) and negative values appear below the mid-point. You can set a
custom mid-point. Use a positive/negative chart to compare earnings to losses or to
track productivity over time.
Pie chart
Show the relationship of each data series value to the total of all data in the series
charted. Best for showing proportions within a single data series. You can display
percentage values for each data point (slice of the pie).
Pie charts are most effective when at least some of the slices represent 25% to 50%
of the whole. Because it’s difficult to compare individual sections within a pie chart or
to compare data between pie charts, pie charts are commonly used when a general
comparison is all that’s required.
Line chart
Show data that changes continuously (trends) over time, such as historical financial
information. Line charts connect a contiguous series of data points with a line. Each
data point represents an individual measurement. Line charts are good for showing
the rise and fall of data over time.
Use a line chart to compare the monthly sales totals of four regions over the span of
a year. Charting the same data series as a bar chart makes it easy to compare totals
by region. To display upward and downward trends or cycles across all regions, use
a line chart.
Area chart
Show data that trends over time while emphasizing highs, lows, and movement
between data points. In charts containing multiple data series, the quantitative
difference between each data series is emphasized by the different colors in the
chart.
Scatter chart
Plot x and y coordinates as individual values to reveal correlation patterns. If the
trend of data values rises from left to right, the trend is considered positive. If the
trend falls from left to right, the trend is considered negative. If data points reveal no
clear slope, the data is considered not correlated. A scatter chart can compare large
numbers of data points without regard to time. Use a scatter chart to compare the
number of beverages sold at a restaurant as the temperature changed throughout
the day.
Bubble chart
Plot x and y coordinates as individual values with a third data characteristic (the
radius of each bubble). Bubble charts compare individual data points in terms of size
(magnitude). Use a bubble chart to compare market share by comparing the number
of products sold, sales figures per product, and the percentage of total sales in each
data point.
Use a To