Zero Values on a Pie Chart

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Sandy B - 27 Aug 2008 23:37 GMT

Hi Everyone! I am doing a pie chart and I can't seem to get the chart to NOT
display "zero" values on the pie. I have tried everything and still cannot
get it to not display it. I went to 'Tools' then 'Options' then to 'Chart',
where it says "Plot empty cells as:" it is gray and I am not able to select
anything. It has already pre-selected "Not plotted (leave gaps)". I don't
know if this is why it keeps showing them on the pie or not? The "Plot
visible cells only" is checked. Can anyone help me?

Also is there a way to to get Excel to do a pie if I have 12 columns across
(all months) and 15 rows (list of expenses)? I have been trying to get it to
give me a pie for all 12 months with all expenses as averages, but it keeps
giving me only 1 month at a time. Is it not possible to have it give me an
accumulation of all 12 months?

Thank you to anyone who can help...

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Jon Peltier - 28 Aug 2008 01:23 GMT

> Hi Everyone! I am doing a pie chart and I can't seem to get the chart to
> NOT
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> know if this is why it keeps showing them on the pie or not? The "Plot
> visible cells only" is checked. Can anyone help me?

Plot Empty Cells As is really only valid for line and XY charts, and the
Empty Cells have to be truly empty, not zero and not a formula that looks
empty. If you use a bar chart (see below), you can show a zero next to its
label, and without the confusion of a pie chart with a zero wedge, the
reader can tell that the category has a zero value.

> Also is there a way to to get Excel to do a pie if I have 12 columns
> across
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> giving me only 1 month at a time. Is it not possible to have it give me an
> accumulation of all 12 months?

If you want to show a sum, you need to perform the sum in the worksheet, and
plot the cells with the sums.

15 values is a lot to put into a pie chart. Pies work best with a max of
three to five items. It might be better to use a bar chart. Sort the data
first, so the data is plotted largest to smallest.

- Jon
-------
Jon Peltier, Microsoft Excel MVP
Tutorials and Custom Solutions
Peltier Technical Services, Inc. - http://PeltierTech.com
_______

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Sandy B - 28 Aug 2008 04:48 GMT

Thank you so much that answers my questions. Don't you think Microsoft Excel
would be updated enough in this day and age to be able to just give a command
for the whole worksheet where a person could tell it to not show zero values
at all on whatever type of chart a person was doing? I've read some of these
post and it seems it is a lot of work to make it happen even on the other
charts where it is possible...

> > Hi Everyone! I am doing a pie chart and I can't seem to get the chart to
> > NOT
[quoted text clipped - 35 lines]
> Peltier Technical Services, Inc. - http://PeltierTech.com
> _______

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