How Excel Charts Work A chart has an x-axis range and a y-axis range to show the correlation between two different data sets. The x-axis is the horizontal category line.

Naming Basics Best practice recommendations are to create a chart placing independent variables on the horizontal, x-axis and dependent variables on the vertical, y-axis.

Charts are great for showing comparisons and trends. In this tutorial, we will explain how to apply layouts and styles in a chart in Excel.

If you have uneven distribution of data in your Excel chart, here is a better way to change the automatic axis settings.

When the relationship between the charted entities is less important than the individual entities, try using these two chart techniques to highlight important details in Microsoft Excel.