decorative banner

Entering graph data


    Note the following about graph data:

    • You must select an entire graph before you can change its data.
    • You can enter data in up to 32,767 rows by 32,767 columns, as memory permits.
    • Graph data cannot contain nonnumerical characters other than decimal points (.) or decimal commas; if it does, the data is not plotted. For example, you would enter 245000, not 245,000. However, you can enter nonnumerical characters in labels, as described later in this section.

To enter data manually:

  1. Create a graph using the procedure described in Working with graphs. Make sure that the graph is selected.
  2. If the graph data dialog box is not already open, choose Object > Graph > Data.
  3. Illustration of Graph data dialog box with these callouts: A. Entry line B. Import data C. Transpose row/column D. Switch x/y E. Cell style F. Revert G. Apply H. Row I. Column J. Cell
    Graph data dialog box A. Entry line B. Import data C. Transpose row/column D. Switch x/y E. Cell style F. Revert G. Apply H. Row I. Column J. Cell

    At the top of a work sheet is the entry line for entering data. You enter labels and then data that correspond to the labels. Each label or value you enter is placed into a separate cell. A cell is the intersection of a row and a column.

    Labels are words or numbers that describe two things: categories, whose data is entered in rows; and legends, whose data is entered in columns. In the final graph, legends appear as boxes that you can place above or to the right of a graph.

  4. Enter labels and data for the particular graph type, according to the guidelines in Entering labels and data for particular graph types. Also see Selecting graph options.
  5. Usually, you enter a label in at least the first row and the first column of the work sheet. Follow these guidelines:

    • To create category labels for the horizontal (x) axis, enter the labels in the first column. (Do not enter a label in the first cell if you are also creating legend names for the vertical (y) axis.)
    • To create legend labels for the vertical (y) axis, enter the labels in the first row. (Do not enter a legend label in the first cell of the row if you are also creating labels for the horizontal (x) axis.)
    • To create labels consisting only of numbers, enclose the numbers in straight quotation marks (that is, not "curly" quotation marks). For example, to use the year 1996 as a label, enter "1996"; to use quotation marks around a number label, use text quotation marks within another set of straight quotation marks--for example ""1996"". If a label includes both text and numbers, you do not need to use quotation marks.
    • To create line breaks in legends or labels, use the vertical bar key to separate lines. For example, enter Total|subscriptions|1996 to produce the following graph label:

    Total subscriptions 1996

  6. Continue entering data in the work sheet, choosing one of the following methods to move to another cell:
    • Press Tab to enter the data and select the next cell in the same row.
    • Press Enter or Return to enter the data and select the next cell in the same column.
    • Use the arrow keys to move from cell to cell.
    • Click any cell.
  7. To correct a mistake or to change how data is entered in the graph data dialog box, do one of the following:
    • If you accidentally enter graph data backward (that is, in rows instead of columns, or vice versa), click the Transpose button  the Transpose button to switch the columns and rows of data. (See Adjusting graphs.)
    • To switch the x and y axes of a scatter graph, click the Switch X/Y button  the Switch X/Y button .
  8. To adjust the cell column width to display more or fewer digits, click the Cell Style button  the Cell Style button and enter a new value in the Cell Style dialog box.
  9. When you finish entering data in the work sheet, do one of the following:
    • Click the Apply button  the Apply button to keep the graph data dialog box open and apply the data to the graph.
    • Click the close box to close the graph data dialog box and apply the data to the graph.
    • Click the Revert button  the Revert button to return data to its state when you last applied it to the graph.