For most of us, the prospect of inheriting a large, undisclosed sum of money is bleak. But we have high probability of inheriting a complex Excel workbook with 19 worksheets and 2300 rows of data and 195 formulas. The kind where entire rainbow colors are used to color code accounts receivable statuses. Then what do we do? We spend a whole afternoon (and then the rest of the month) breaking our head trying to figure out why the total revenues are only $ 41.2 million when profits are $ 99.23 million.
So how do we deal with our inheritance?
Here is a quick tip to help you get started. Disable “Direct editing mode“.
What is direct editing mode?
By default Excel lets you edit a cell’s value (or formula) directly inside the cell. So if a cell contains the formula =C1+D3 and you double click on it, you will be able to edit the formula right inside the cell.
But many a times, we are only interested in knowing which cells a formula refers to.
So what happens when you disable direct editing mode?
When you double click on a cell (with formula), Excel will take you to the cells that are referred to in the formula. So in the above example, upon double click Excel selects both C1 and D3 cells.
See a demo to understand how this works:
How to Disable Direct Editing Mode?
Very simple. Click on Office Button > Excel Options > Advanced. From here, uncheck “Allow editing directly in cells” option. This is in the “Editing Options”. See aside.
Things to keep in mind:
- This method also highlights any named ranges you have defined.
- This method also works for references in other sheets (as long as no cell in current sheet is referred)
- For example: if a cell in Sheet1 has the formula =Sheet2!A1+Sheet2!A2 then upon double click, Excel will take you to Sheet2 and selects both A1, A2.
- If a cell has the formula =Sheet2!A1+D3, then Excel will only select D3 (since D3 is in the current sheet).
Do you inherit Excel Workbooks? How do you audit / maintain them?
During my job as a business analyst, I used to deal with Excel files made by others all the time. So understanding and debugging others formulas is something I would do regularly.
Now as a consultant, I often get big, complex Excel workbooks and I have to understand them before doing any customizations.
My favorite techniques for dealing with inherited workbooks are,
- Using F9 key to evaluate portions of formulas
- Using CTRL+` (backquote key) to show all formulas and then go thru them
- Using formula auditing technique as discussed in this post
- Using trace dependents / precedents tools in Formula ribbon.
- Understanding and dealing with Excel formula errors
What about you? How do you deal with your inheritance? Go ahead and share techniques, shortcuts and ideas with us thru comments.
Now if you will excuse me,
I need to go. I have to reply to an email from one Mr. James Chui, an Offshore banker from Nigeria, who claims he has large quantities of undisclosed money waiting to be inherited. 😉
14 Responses to “Group Smaller Slices in Pie Charts to Improve Readability”
I think the virtue of pie charts is precisely that they are difficult to decode. In many contexts, you have to release information but you don't want the relationship between values to jump at your reader. That's when pie charts are most useful.
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Chandoo,
millions of ants cannot be mistaken.....There should be a reason why everybody continues using Pie charts, despite what gurus like you or Jon and others say.
one reason could be because we are just used to, so that's what we need to change, the "comfort zone"...
i absolutely agree, since I've been "converted", I just find out that bar charts are clearer, and nicer to the view...
Regards,
Martin
[...] says we can Group Smaller Slices in Pie Charts to Improve Readability. Such a pie has too many labels to fit into a tight space, so you need ro move the labels around [...]
Chandoo -
You ask "Can I use an alternative to pie chart?"
I answer in You Say “Pie”, I Say “Bar”.
This visualization was created because it was easy to print before computers. In this day and age, it should not exist.
I think the 100% Bar Chart is just as useless/unreadable as Pies - we should rename them something like Mama's Strudel Charts - how big a slice would you like, Dear?
My money's with Jon on this topic.
The primary function of any pie chart with more than 2 or 3 data points is to obfuscate. But maybe that is the main purpose, as @Jerome suggests...
@Jerome.. Good point. Also sometimes, there is just no relationship at all.
@Martin... Organized religion is finding it tough to get converts even after 2000+ years of struggle. Jon, Stephen, countless others (and me) are a small army, it would take atleast 5000 more years before pie charts vanish... patience and good to have you here 🙂
@Jon .. very well done sir, very well done.
good points every one...
I've got to throw my vote into Jon's camp (which is also Stephen Few's camp) -- bars just tend to work better. One observation about when we say "what people are used to." There are two distinct groups here (depending on the situation, a person can fall in either one): the person who *creates* the chart and the person who *consumes* the chart. Granted, the consumers are "used to" pie charts. But, it's not like a bar chart is something they would struggle to understand or that would require explanation (like sparklines and bullet graphs). Chart consumers are "used to" consuming whatever is put in front of them. Chart creators, on the other hand, may be "used to" creating pie charts, but that isn't an excuse for them to continue to do so -- many people are used to driving without a seatbelt, leaving lights on in their house needlessly, and forwarding not-all-that-funny anecdotes via email. That doesn't mean the practice shouldn't be discouraged!
[...] example that Chandoo used recently is counting uses of words. Clearly, there are other meanings of “bar” (take bar mitzvah or bar none, for [...]
[…] Grouping smaller slices in pie chart […]
Good article. Is it possible to do that with line charts?
Hi,
Is this available in excel 2013?