Pie and doughnut charts in Excel - Dashboard Guide

Dashboard Mode - Pie and doughnut charts

Dashboard Goal

Show how sales are divided among different product categories using pie and doughnut charts.

Sample Data

Category	Sales
Books	120
Electronics	300
Clothing	180
Home	100
Sports	150

Dashboard Components

• Total Sales (KPI Card): Shows total sales across all categories.
  Formula: =SUM(B2:B6)
  Result: 850
• Pie Chart: Visualizes sales share by category.
  Data range: A2:B6
  Shows each category slice sized by sales.
• Doughnut Chart: Also shows sales share by category but with a hole in the center.
  Data range: A2:B6
  Useful for comparing with other data or showing total in center.

Dashboard Layout

+----------------------+----------------------+
| Total Sales (KPI)    | Pie Chart            |
|                      |                      |
|        850           |   (Pie chart here)   |
+----------------------+----------------------+
|                      Doughnut Chart                      |
|                      (Doughnut chart here)              |
+---------------------------------------------------------+

Interactivity

Add a filter to select one or more categories. When you pick categories, the Total Sales number, Pie Chart, and Doughnut Chart update to show only the selected categories' sales.

Self Check

If you add a filter to show only 'Books' and 'Clothing', which components update and what is the new total sales?

Answer: Total Sales updates to 300 (120 + 180). Pie and Doughnut charts update to show only these two categories.

Key Result

Dashboard shows total sales and sales share by category using pie and doughnut charts.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of a pie chart in Excel?

easy

A. To display data trends over time

B. To compare two sets of data side by side

C. To show parts of a whole as slices of a circle

D. To list data in rows and columns

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand pie chart basics

   A pie chart divides a circle into slices representing parts of a whole.

2. Step 2: Compare with other chart types

   Unlike line or bar charts, pie charts focus on showing proportions, not trends or comparisons.

3. Final Answer:

   To show parts of a whole as slices of a circle -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Pie chart = parts of whole [OK]

Hint: Pie charts show slices of a circle representing parts [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking pie charts show trends over time
• Confusing pie charts with bar charts
• Using pie charts for unrelated data types

2. Which of the following is the correct way to insert a doughnut chart in Excel?

easy

A. Select data, press Ctrl+C, then Ctrl+V

B. Select data, go to Insert tab, click on Doughnut chart icon

C. Right-click data and choose 'Create Pie Chart'

D. Use the formula =DOUGHNUTCHART(A1:A5)

Solution

1. Step 1: Locate chart insertion method

   Excel inserts charts from the Insert tab where chart types are listed.

2. Step 2: Identify doughnut chart option

   Under Insert, the Doughnut chart icon is available to create this chart type.

3. Final Answer:

   Select data, go to Insert tab, click on Doughnut chart icon -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Insert tab -> Doughnut chart icon [OK]

Hint: Insert tab has all chart types including doughnut [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to create charts with formulas
• Copy-pasting data instead of inserting charts
• Right-click menu does not create doughnut charts

3. Given this data in cells A1:B4:
Category | Value
Food | 30
Rent | 50
Utilities| 20
What percentage will the 'Rent' slice show in a pie chart?

medium

A. 50%

B. 33.3%

C. 30%

D. 20%

Solution

1. Step 1: Calculate total value

   Total = 30 + 50 + 20 = 100

2. Step 2: Calculate Rent percentage

   Rent = 50; Percentage = (50 / 100) * 100 = 50%

3. Final Answer:

   50% -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Rent is half of total = 50% [OK]

Hint: Divide slice value by total sum, multiply by 100 [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Adding percentages instead of values
• Using wrong total sum
• Confusing category names with values

4. You created a pie chart but the slices do not add up to 100%. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. Chart is not selected

B. Chart type is set to bar chart

C. Data labels are missing

D. Data includes blank or zero values

Solution

1. Step 1: Check data values

   Blank or zero values reduce total sum, causing slices not to add to 100%.

2. Step 2: Verify chart type and labels

   Bar chart or missing labels do not affect slice percentages adding to 100%.

3. Final Answer:

   Data includes blank or zero values -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Missing data affects pie slice totals [OK]

Hint: Check for blanks or zeros in data range [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing chart type with data issues
• Assuming labels affect slice sums
• Not checking data completeness

5. You want to create a doughnut chart showing sales by region, but also want to highlight the top region slice with a different color. What is the best way to do this in Excel?

hard

A. Create the doughnut chart, then click the top region slice and change its fill color

B. Use a formula to color the slice automatically

C. Insert a pie chart instead and change the chart type later

D. Add data labels and remove the legend

Solution

1. Step 1: Insert doughnut chart with sales data

   Select data and insert a doughnut chart from the Insert tab.

2. Step 2: Highlight top region slice

   Click the slice representing the top region, then change its fill color manually.

3. Final Answer:

   Create the doughnut chart, then click the top region slice and change its fill color -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Manual slice color change highlights parts [OK]

Hint: Click slice, then change fill color to highlight [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting formulas to color slices automatically
• Changing chart type instead of slice color
• Removing legend instead of highlighting slice