Microsoft Excel X may be a champ with numbers, but when it comes to displaying numerical information graphically, Excel's standard chart formats don't pack a lot of punch. But this doesn't have to ...

While the tabs give you access to most of the tools needed for formatting a chart, I prefer using Excel's Format Chart Pane, as it contains even more options for tailoring your chart to your needs.

To experience the breadth of Excel’s data visualization offerings, let’s take a tour of some of the most useful charts, starting with the basic ones and moving to the more advanced. To follow along, ...

To create a Waterfall Chart in Excel, you first need to have a dataset that includes a starting value, a series of positive and negative changes, and an ending value.

We explain how to make a Lollipop Chart in Excel. A Lollipop Chart resembles a Bar Chart but with a line on a point at the end.

Step 2: Make an Excel Bar Chart To start to visualize your data, you’ll first create an Excel stacked bar chart from the spreadsheet. Select the “Start date” column, so it’s highlighted.

Figure B The Excel add-in inserts a chart populated with dummy data. How to connect the Excel data to the chart At this point, you’re ready to connect the chart to real data.