Part 4: Visualising data
Data is just numbers and text on a screen. To help you visualise what those numbers mean, there are a number of features built into spreadsheets, including conditional formatting, images, sparklines, and charts. We also look at how to get your data into other visualisation tools.
Data in a spreadsheet can be quickly turned into charts. Several types of chart are supported, with options to control the appearance. To create a chart:
1.- Select the range of cells you wish to create a chart from, including any labels that are required.
2.- Choose Insert > Chart, or select the Insert chart button on the toolbar. A ‘provisional’ Chart will appear, with the Chart editor panel on the right.
3.- Use the controls on the panel to configure the chart as required: the Setup tab lets you choose how to use the data, and the Customise tab controls the appearance.
4.- The chart will initially appear within the current spreadsheet. You can reposition and resize it, and the chart can be moved into its own tab (from the three dots ( (⋮) menu).
The visualisation options built into Excel and Google Sheets only go so far. But there are plenty of other tools that can be used to create attractive and (more importantly) informative visualisations of your data. Some tools will let you copy and paste data, or import as Google Sheets or Excel files, but often you will need to save your data as a CSV (comma-separated values) file.
CSV files are pure text files with no real formatting. Cells are generally separated by commas, with new rows indicated by line breaks. They consist of only one sheet of data (not multiple worksheets) and don't include underlying calculations. They are purely a surface record of a single sheet of data in text form.
To save the current sheet, go to: File > Download > Comma-separated values (.csv, current sheet)
There's a load of free tools out there too, which can produce some impressive results: