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On the left side, we have a veteran warrior with 37 years of data battle scars and redundant six pack. They call him SQL.
On the right side, there is a young challenger with transformative powers and “never say undo” attitude. He goes by the moniker Power Query.
Who is going to win this battle?!?
I have been using SQL for 25 years and Power Query since it came out in early 2012. And in this article, let me share my views on how SQL compares with Power Query. If you prefer to listen, check out the podcast episode – SQL vs. Power Query.
Listen: SQL vs. Power Query Podcast Episode
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS
SQL vs. Power Query - The Comparison
SQL
Power Query
What can you do?
All CRUD operations (Create, Read, Update, Delete)
Only Read the data
What kind of data?
Usually single source from a database or warehouse
(ex: SQL Server)
Can access data from anywhere and combine data from multiple sources too.
How do you use it?
You need to “WRITE” queries to use SQL.
You “BUILD” Power Queries using the UI buttons and menu options.
Where can you use it?
Works almost universally. You can use SQL with most database systems and programming languages.
Only with Microsoft stack of products, primarily with Power BI, Excel and Fabric.
Who can use it?
By default, you need permissions / special software to use SQL.
Almost anyone can use Power Query as it comes packaged with Excel and Power BI.
How fast is it?
Built for performance and scalability. You can use SQL to access data quite efficiently.
Can become slow and tedious as your data grows.
Resources for Learning SQL
Resources for Learning Power Query
What do you think?
Have you used both or either of these technologies? What do you think? Leave a comment with your thoughts.
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?