How do I total data in a single column and then chart off of that

[Guest]

Hi, hope the question isn't too difficult, but I have spreadsheet in which
one column captures a contact origin location from an inquiry. For example,
an inquiry can come from one of four sources:

ACC (Accounting)
APR (Purchasing)
ASA (Student Affairs)
AOH (Other)

There can be any number of these in the column. Is there a easy process
that would count the seperate entries of each of the four possibilities and
caculate a sum for each of the four in which then a chart could be generated
depicting the pertage of the whole? (i.e 100 entiries 25, 35, 25, 15 are the
sums respectively then a chart that builds off the percentages? (25% ACC, 35
% APR, 25% ASA, 15% AOH)?

Hope this is clear. Thanks much for you all your help and suggestions.

 

[Jon Peltier]

Put a label in the top cell, select the data in the column, and create a pivot table
(Data menu). When laying out the table (either in the wizard or on the worksheet),
drag the only field you've defined (the column of data) into the rows area, then
also into the data area. Excel wants to put the count of each category, but you can
change this. Double click on the Count of ... button in the table, click on the
Options button in the dialog, and under Show Data As, select '% of column'. It's
ready to make a pivot chart, or you can copy the table, use paste special - values
to paste it somewhere else, and make a regular chart.

Here are Debra Dalgleish's pages about pivot tables:

http://peltiertech.com/Excel/Pivots/pivotstart.htm

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