Data Analysis with Microsoft Excel: Updated for Office 2007

102 Excel

To remove the legend:

1 Click the Legend button from the Labels group in the Layout tab of

the Chart Tools ribbon and then click None.

Excel removes the legend from the scatter plot

From the Legend button you can also choose commands to move the

legend to different locations relative to the chart area and to format the

legend’s appearance including its size, fi ll color, and font styles.

Editing Plot Symbols

As with other parts of the chart, Excel allows the user to modify the display

of the plot symbols. By default, Excel uses a blue diamond as the plot sym-

bol. You’ll change this to an empty circle. There is no button on the Chart

Tools ribbon to modify the appearance of the symbols; instead you must se-

lect the symbols and format them using the Format Selection button on the

Layout tab. Try this by changing the appearance of the scatter plot points to

empty circles.

To change the plot symbol:

1 Click any of the plot symbols in the scatter plot. Selection handles

will appear around all of the scatter plot data points.

2 Click the Format Selection button from the Current Selection group

on the Layout tab of the Chart Tools ribbon. Excel opens the Format

Data Series dialog box.

The Format Data Series dialog box is divided into different tabs that

allow you to format the appearance of the plot symbols used in the

selected data series.

3 Click the Marker Options tab and then click the Built-in option but-

ton. Click the Type drop-down list box and select the circle symbol.

4 Click the Size list box and increase the circle size to 10. Figure 3-18

shows the selected options from the dialog box.