Adapting charts

Data labels

Click on Data Labels in the Action Bar in order to change properties as well as data values and labels.

When working with column and bar charts, you have the possibility to decide if you wish to display the column sums in the chart. When working with grouped charts you can activate Show data labels outside instead. Values are then not displayed within the column or bar, but outside of it.

Using Show Data Labels, the data labels in the chart can be switched on and off globally. If these are turned on, you can set in the drop-down list below what you want the caption to display. If you want to display the values of the chart as percentages or as a combination of value and percentage value, you can select the corresponding entry.

Under the entry Custom Data Labels, you can configure the data label even more specifically.

If data points are very small, so that the data label would not be properly readable, data label backgrounds for those particular labels are automatically displayed to allow better readability.

Furthermore, you can reset the settings of the data label to the original format, please click reset Data Labels. This resets both formatting and the position of the data labels.

Background visibility for data labels can be controlled manually if required in a chart. By default, Auto Label Background is enabled, but can be disabled if necessary. If the automatic data label is deactivated, you can select individually for each data label whether a background should be displayed or not. This setting does not have to be applied for an entire chart.

When working with column or bar charts, you additionally have the option to display negative column or bar sums at the other end of the column or bar. Just activate Show negative sums at the other end.

To do so, you need to activate the option Show column sums.

By default, the numeric format of the chart is based on the Excel® chart it is linked to. Using the respective drop-down menu, you can change the numeric format (e.g. to change from a European to an American radix format).

You have the option to select predefined formats or create one of your own.

If you click on Custom Number Format a window will open in which you can select the desired format or define your own in the entry field provided. Here, you are also able to display a specific percentage of a chart.

Finally, you are able to change the scaling of values in order to better display large numbers.

Custom Data Labels

The entry Custom Data Labels in the drop-down list for data labels can be used to set the data label specifically.

When selecting this entry, a window appears in which you can set on the left side which information should be displayed in the data labels (value, percent, series).

You can optionally represent the value absolute and with percentage values you can define the number of decimal places. On the right, you define the arrangement of the selected information within a data label. For example, value and percentage value can be displayed one after the other or among themselves.

For percentage values, you can also define the reference for the calculation, e.g. which value/series should correspond to 100%. For example, if you want to create a diagram that should represent a target-actual comparison, this function is very helpful. You can then set the reference for the percentage calculation to the series that represents the target value. In the example, the line is the reference for the percentage calculation in the bars.

Data series

Clicking the Series button in the Action Bar allows you to either select the axis, type or color of each series of a chart. In the Axis section you are then able to set if the series is to orientate itself to the primary of the secondary axis. When using bar charts, you can also click Type to set if the data series is to be displayed as a line or a bar. This way a hybrid chart can be compiled using lines as well as bars. In addition, you have the option to activate or deactivate visibility of a series. If you do not wish to display a certain data series in your chart, simply uncheck the option Visible. Additionally, you are able to set not only a different Fill Color per series but also a different specific color per series when negative figures are used.

Moreover, a data chart can be configured so that colors will be adopted from Excel®.

The closest CD-compliant color of the current empower charts customizing is used. This also works for any complex conditional formatting in Excel®.

For all data charts (except point and bubble charts), a row or column, depending on the series reference corresponds to a series.

For scatter and bubble charts, the series assignment of the points takes place via an extra column (Group/Series). If you click Edit Data in such a chart, you can use this column and similar entries to reach a grouping of their data points.

This gives you the opportunity to differentiate the groupings in terms of color and legend.

Please note:

If you want to create a mixed chart (bars and lines) and work with two axes, empower® charts automatically ensures that bars are only on one of the two axes. The bars would otherwise overlap and lead to misinterpreted representations.

Data

When opening the function Data you have the possibility to further customize charts in relation to their series or categories.

The direction of the waterfall bar can be set up individually. You can choose If the chart should start from the left or right.

Here you can set the serial reference of your chart either by rows or by columns of your Excel® data.

You can keep the series or category order of your chart with the one in Excel®or swap the order.

empower® will automatically apply these adjustments to your chart.

You can also use Data to create an Excel-Link, which automatically adjusts your chart to the data of an external file. You can also delete an used Excel-Link. If you click on Excel-Link you will get to the source of the chart and can adjust the table instead of just adjusting the chart in the presentation.

If you wish to remove the link to the external data source, click on the action point Break link in the Action Bar above the chart. If you want to edit the Excel® link, select the option Edit link.

With a click on Open link source you can directly open the linked source and adjust it for the chart.

Editing category labels

For the category labels, you have the option to customize them.

Long category labels are now automatically wrapped.

If you want to create text breaks manually, you can do this directly in Excel® by pressing Alt and Enter.  

You can also change the text orientation or the vertical text orientation, so that the text remains manageable and does not overlap even with longer labels. To avoid such behavior, you can align the text at the top, center, or bottom.

Adapting data labels

To change the design of text elements in terms of caption or position, please select the desired element.

An overlay will appear in which font size and color may be adapted in accordance to corporate design. You can also select text formatting options such as Bold, Italics, and Underlined. Multiple elements of data labels can be selected and edited simultaneously. To do so, select the desired elements while holding Ctrl.

If you wish to change the position of the element, move it via Drag & Drop. The position of data labels automatically adapts to its environment, e.g. when they would otherwise overlap. To deactivate this automation, you are able to move the data label via Drag & Drop while holding the Ctrl button on your keyboard in order to place the element to its desired location. In order to move data labels exclusively horizontally and vertically, hold the Shift key while moving the element to the desired location. Even after larger changes to the underlying data displayed by the chart, the relative position of this manually moved data label will remain the same.

You also have the option to add a prefix before or a postfix after the data labels of a chart. Click on a data label, and the click either the Prefix or Postfix button. You can now enter your text and then click OK. For example, should you wish to remove the prefix, you can do so by selecting one of the data labels and after clicking the prefix button select Clear. A removal of the postfix is performed in a similar manner.

Changing chart elements

empower® charts allows you to change chart colors of a series as well as of a single element while keeping in line with corporate design. To do so, select the desired element of a series and then click the Color button to select a color.

If the selected element is part of a series, all elements of this series will adapt automatically. If you wish to change just a single element, do so by selecting the element with a double click and then make the desired changes.

In addition, you can a shading to empower® charts elements by selecting the element and clicking the Shading button. Now you can select a pattern.