It is the 3rd day of Your week @ PHD and we have already posted some excellent array formulas, productivity hacks and other very useful tips. Just one more day is remaining, so if you want to share something with all of us, go ahead and submit your tips for your week.
Must read: part 1 of excel tips shared by readers | part 2
Display file path in Excel using Web Toolbar by Ang Kean
Excel by default not display the open workbook full path name.
Tips : add the web toolbar item
1. Right click at the toolbar area, choose “Customize…”
2. Browse “Categories:” to “Web” and “Commands:” to “Address”
3. Drag the “Address” Commands to toolbar area by holding left mouse key.
Making VLOOKUP ranges dynamic by Thuy
I use VLOOKUP a lot in my work and while it was great to use, I wanted a bit more ability to check my formula without having to click on every cell to do so.
Now, I use both the INDIRECT, MATCH, and named ranges in my VLOOKUP to help check the accuracy of my references quickly.
In this example, to get my scores for each region for q3_12, my old VLOOKUP formula would be a simple:
=VLOOKUP(W$29,’Data’!$A$1:$AZ$200,6,FALSE)
To
=VLOOKUP(W$26,INDIRECT(“‘”&$Q29&”‘!a1:az200”),MATCH($R29,INDIRECT($S29),0),FALSE
I actually put the data range in a column Q29 on my spreadsheet and indicate the named Range of in the column. In this case, my reference named range is “Data”.
For the column count, before using match, I would count manually but whenever there was a data change (as in, columns would get moved around), I would need to change the column manually. It would get very confusing considering I use over 500 lookup formulas in my workbooks and not very accurate.
I use the MATCH function to help me locate the column that I needed the LOOKUP to look under. First, I would name the row of my data reference sheet to something like DataCol: =Data!$1:$1.
Then in my vlookup formula worksheet, I would put in column R29, put the heading of the column I was looking for in Column Q29, in this case it would be “q3_12”. In column S, I would indicate the named range of where to look for the match. In this case it is “DataCol.”
R1C1 still makes sense by Vishy
What is R1C1 reference style
Instead of using letters for columns and numbers for rows (i.e. A1 reference style), R1C1 style enables using numbers for both rows and columns.
Why should you know this
- You are working on a machine with such setting, so instead of getting flummoxed, you better understand it (or at least learn to revert to A1 style referencing)
- Easy to construct “Indirect” addresses, “offset” references etc. (used in conjunction with Row, Column, Address, Rows, Columns functions)
- Easy to write macro loops (since dealing with numbers instead of single/double letters)
- The two styles are equivalent in power, but R1C1 style has an advantage when it comes to formula editing (eg. find/replace functionality)
How to setup
- XL 2003 : Tools > Options > General > Settings > R1C1 reference style
- XL 2007 : Office > Excel Options > Formulas > Working with formulas > R1C1 reference style
How to use
- RxCy : absolute reference to xth row and yth column (any of x / y could be missing which then means “current”)
- R2C10 refers to 2nd row 5th column (equivalent to E2 in A1 style)
- RC5 refers to current row 5th column
- R[x]C[y] : relative reference w.r.t. current cell to xth row down (up if x is -ve) and yth column right (left if y is -ve)
- R[2]C[-10] refers to 2nd row down and 10th column left of current row
- RxC[y] : mixing of absolute/relative reference
Where should one not use this
While working on the sheet, relative reference may be far apart from current cell. If there is large number of such references, avoid R1C1 style.
Interesting Trivia (added by PHD)
my twitter handle is r1c1, so are my reddit, digg and older blog’s handle
More resources to help you understand these tips better:
Vlookup excel formula in plain English
Thank you so much Ang Kean, Thuy and Vishy. You are *really* outstanding individuals.
PS: We have only one more day people, so go ahead and share your tips. Go!
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.
[...] link Leave a Reply [...]
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?