Create a chart in Desktop Viewer

In Desktop Viewer, you can quickly create a chart from highlighted rows or columns of data within a report. When you view report data, the fact pane, which displays the comments that are within the report and the charts that you have created from the report data, opens to the right of the viewer pane.

This topic contains the following sections:

• Create a quick chart

• Example of creating a chart

• Chart icons and options

• Chart types

Create a quick chart

1. Open a report in Desktop Viewer.

2. Select the sequential rows or columns of data to include in the chart. You can include data from the financial, account, and transaction levels of the report. You can select data in the following ways:

   • Right-click on a row or column in the report, and select Select Row or Select Column from the context menu.

   • If there is an active cell in the report and you right-click and select a chart or click a chart icon in the toolbar, the row where the active cell resides is used to create the chart.

   • Select a row or column, hold down the Shift key, and use the arrow keys on the keyboard to select sequential row or columns of data.

3. Select the type of chart in one of the following ways:

   • Right-click on the report data, select Quick charts, and then select the type of chart to create.

   • Click the appropriate chart icon in the tool bar.

4. A separate window opens to display the chart. Click in the chart toolbar to pin the chart to the fact pane. It docks beneath the last docked chart. Optionally, you can right-click on the chart and select one of the following options:

   • Copy – Copy the image to the clipboard to paste into other applications.

   • Show Legend – Show or hide the chart legend.

   • Chart Type – Select and create a different chart using the same data.

   • Palette – Select a different color palette for the chart.

   • Series – If a row was selected for the chart, all columns are listed. If a column was selected, all rows are listed. Select Add All to chart all series or select Clear All to clear all series, in which case the chart would be blank.

   • 3D – Convert the chart to a 3D image.

   • Chart Title – Opens the Chart Title dialog box. Type the name of the chart and select formatting options. Click OK.

When you close the report, the chart is saved with it.

Example of creating a chart

Kevin is preparing a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation of monthly sales for the quarterly review. On the Profit and Loss report, it shows each month, January through August. Kevin highlights the Sales row, right-clicks, and then selects Quick Chart and then Pie. A separate window opens that displays the data in a pie chart. Kevin clears the Total column option so that he sees just the sales month over month. Kevin reviews the trend and finds it to be very useful. Kevin right-clicks the chart, clicks Copy, and then pastes the chart into his PowerPoint slide. When he closes the report, the chart is saved with it.

Chart icons and options

Icon	Description
	Lightning bolt action menu in the fact pane provides the following options: Move Up – Move the selected item above the previous docked item. If the item is already at the top, no action occurs. Move Down – Moves the selected item below the previous docked item. If the item is the last item, no action occurs. Undock– Undocks the item from the fact pane and opens chart in a separate window. Close – Closes the item.
	Collapses the detail of the item. When collapsed, only the caption bar is displayed.
	Expands the detail of the item.
	Docks the chart to the fact pane.
	Closes the chart.

Chart types

The following charts can be created from an open report in Desktop Viewer:

Chart type	Description
Bar chart	A bar chart has rectangular bars with lengths that are proportional to the values that they represent. The bars are plotted horizontally. Bar charts are used to plot data that has discrete values and is not continuous. Tip Do not use a bar chart for comparisons or larger data sets; use a line chart.
Column chart	A column chart displays a series as a set of vertical bars that are grouped by category. These charts are useful for showing data changes over a period of time or for illustrating comparisons among departments. Tip Do not use a column chart for comparisons or larger data sets; use a line chart.
Line chart	A line chart displays information as a series of data points that represent individual measurements that are connected by straight line segments. A line chart is often used to visualize a trend in data over intervals of time. Tip Do not use a line chart if the X axis has non-numeric values.
Pie chart	A pie chart, or a circle graph, is a circular chart divided into sections that illustrate proportion. Pie charts can be an effective way to display information if the intent is to compare the size of a slice with the whole pie, rather than comparing the slices among them. It also shows the frequency within certain groups of information. Tip Do not use a pie chart for exact comparisons of values because it is difficult to estimate angles. For rank data, use a column or bar chart, and for grouped data, use multiple column or bar charts. If proportions vary greatly, do not use multiple pies to compare corresponding parts.
Area chart	An area chart displays graphically quantitative data. It is based on the line chart with the area between axis and line ordinarily emphasized with colors, textures, and hatchings. Area charts are used to represent cumulated totals using numbers or percentages over time.

See Also

Desktop Viewer