Chapter 21: Using Advanced Charting Techniques
21
outlines the data in the worksheet. Click one of the corners of the outline and drag
to highlight the new data. This method works only for embedded charts.■ (^) Copy and paste: Select the range to add and press Ctrl+C to copy it to the
Clipboard. Then activate the chart and press Ctrl+V to paste the data into the chart.
If the chart was originally made from data in a table (created via Insert ➪ Tables ➪ Table), the chart is updated
automatically when you add new rows or columns to the table (or remove rows or columns). If you have a chart that is
updated frequently with new data, you can save time and effort by creating the chart from data in a table.
Changing data used by a series
You may find that you need to modify the range that defines a data series. For example, say
you need to add new data points or remove old ones from the data set. The following sec-
tions describe several ways to change the range used by a data series.
Changing the data range by dragging the range outline
If you have an embedded chart, the easiest way to change the data range for a data series
is to drag the range outline. When you select a series in a chart, Excel outlines the data
range used by that series. You can drag the small dot in the lower-right corner of the range
outline to extend or contract the data series. In Figure 21.20, the range outline will be
dragged to include two additional data points.
FIGURE 21.20
Changing a chart’s data series by dragging the range outline
You can also click and drag one of the sides of the outline to move the outline to a differ-
ent range of cells.