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Introduction to Excel Charts for Data Visualisation

Learn the basics of charting in Excel, from creating and formatting charts, to the pros and cons of each different type of chart.

Board room presentation with charts on a screen
  • Duration

    4 weeks
  • Weekly study

    2 hours
  • Included in an ExpertTrack

    Course 1 of 3
  • Get full ExpertTrack access

    $39/monthFind out more
  • Accreditation

    AvailableMore info
The CPD Certification Service

This course has been certified by the CPD Certification Service as conforming to continuing professional development principles. Find out more.

Build charts and dashboards to visualise your data efficiently

As the amount of data we use grows, gone are the days when you would stare at tables of endless data. Instead, we now use visualisations and charts to tell the story within the data.

On this four-week course from The Excel Club, you will learn to work with Excel charts and visualisations, when to use each one and how to make it look great.

Explore the basics of Excel charts

You’ll start this course by looking at the fundamentals of charting in Excel, from inserting charts to working with the different elements of charts such as axes, labels, and gridlines.

Once you have the basics, you’ll begin to explore the most common excel charts, including line charts, bar and column charts, and histograms. With each type of chart, you’ll delve into when you might use them and how best to optimise them for data visualisation.

Discover less common charts for data visualisation

With so many different charts to choose from, most people will stick with the more well-known ones, but there are so many options that can portray your data more effectively.

Week three of the course will take you through the charts that you don’t see as often. Whether it’s bubble charts, waterfall charts, or treemaps, you’ll cover how to create each type of chart as well as the limitations they may have in trying to showcase your message.

Learn how to visualise data without charts

The final week will guide you through visualisations that aren’t charts. You’ll discover how to work with boxplots, sparklines, and slicers and timelines, each with their own pros and cons.

To wrap up this course, you’ll learn how to create a basic Excel dashboard in 20 minutes, from design and development to organising the data efficiently.

Skip to 0 minutes and 4 seconds Do you want to improve your excel reports and dashboards? In this growing world of data, excel charting, visualizations and dashboard design skills are in a high demand. This expert track has been created to help you skill up and become more efficient and effective when designing and creating excel reports and dashboards. In this expert track, you will learn the techniques used in excel to create and build effective, interactive dashboards to tell the story of your data. My name is Paula And I will be your instructor throughout this expert track. I’m a CPA accountant And I have been teaching excel now for over 10 years and I’m proud to say I’ve taught over a 120,000 students across 186 different countries.

Skip to 0 minutes and 56 seconds By the end of this expert track, you’ll be able to create stunning, dynamic, interactive visualizations in excel. and put this together into a well-designed dashboard. The dashboards we will create in this course will allow users make quick decisions driven by data that is easy to read and easy to understand. You will learn how to create and to work with charts in excel including formatting basic charts and less common charts. You will know what charts to use and when. You’ll be shown the techniques used to create custom charts and you will be given the skills needed to create interactive dynamic dashboards.

Skip to 1 minute and 41 seconds Throughout this course we will also explore some design basics and we will look at good and bad charts along with good and bad dashboards. Using excel functions, formulas, pivot tables, and other features, this course has been designed to take you from a beginner at excel data visualization to a level where you’re comfortable creating and designing dashboards that are both informative and impressive. And we’ll do this over the expert track in 3 courses. Being skills that are in high demand right now, this expert track is in line with current industry needs. So if you’re looking to improve your reporting charts and to become more efficient in creating excel dashboads then this expert track has been designed for you.

Skip to 2 minutes and 30 seconds So, why don’t you sign up now? And I’ll see you in the first course soon. [END]

What topics will you cover?

  • Inserting charts in Excel
  • Formatting Excel Charts
  • Working with common Excel charts
  • Working with less common Excel charts
  • Charting Fundamentals

Prove you're job ready

Highlight the new, job-relevant skills you’ve gained and supplement existing qualifications with a hard-earned, industry-specific digital certificate – plus one for every course within your ExpertTrack.

  • Learn the latest in your chosen industry or subject.
  • Complete each course and pass assessments.
  • Receive certificates validated by the educating organisation.
  • Impress employers with learning outcomes you can add to your CV.
  • Make your career dreams a reality.

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Who is this accredited by?

The CPD Certification Service
The CPD Certification Service:

The CPD Certification Service was established in 1996 and is the leading independent CPD accreditation institution operating across industry sectors to complement the CPD policies of professional and academic bodies.

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Design easy to read charts and data visualization
  • Identify good and bad charts and data visualization
  • Explain the principles of good data visualization
  • Create common and less common Excel Charts
  • Demonstrate and apply Excel chart formatting options
  • Develop an Excel dashboard using visualizations
  • Present data with visually effective charts

Who is the course for?

This course has been designed for anyone looking to learn the basics of Excel charting and visualisation. These skills will help in any industry and role that works with data, helping you to present it effectively.

What software or tools do you need?

To take part in this course you will need a version of Excel. You can sign up for a 30 day trial directly with Microsoft get Excel 365

Who developed the course?

The Excel Club

The Excel Club is a global leader in Excel and Power BI training. With over 100K students from across 186 different countries, The Excel Club has grown from strength to strength.

The force behind The Excel Club is by Paula Guilfoyle. Paula is a Certified Public Accountant and Microsoft Excel MVP who has worked across a broad range of industries as an Accountant, Internal Auditor and Financial Controller.

About this ExpertTrack

From Excel charts to effective dashboards, develop the skills to aid business decisions, track KPIs, and reveal data insights.

Start learning today - free 7-day trial

After your free trial you can:

  • Pay $39 per month to keep learning online
  • Have complete control over your subscription; you can cancel any time
  • Work at your own pace and set your own deadlines at every stage
  • Only pay while you’re learning; the subscription will cancel automatically when you finish
  • Complete online assessments to test your knowledge and prove your skills
  • Earn digital course certificates and a final award that you can share online, with potential employers, and your professional network
  • Keep access to the content of courses you complete even after your subscription ends

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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