A chart created with all default settings usually accomplishes its purpose of helping you analyze data and figures, but the default features are set only as starting points. All the formatting and emphasis needs are left up to you.

Besides the values and numbers on it, a chart is a graphic object whose characteristics can be enhanced to accentuate special important points. Most aspects of a chart can be changed.

The Chart Wizard is equipped with various kinds of charts. In each category, different sub-types are used to accomplish a unique purpose. Although they share a lot of characteristics, some charts in the sub-type can tremendously change or alter the intended goal. You should know what options are available, and then act accordingly.

To actually change a chart, after displaying its parent form or report in Design View, you can double-click it. This would open the Microsoft Graph application. From there, you can right-click any part of the chart to make the necessary changes. Any area you right-click presents a particular menu.

To change the type of chart, you can right-click an area of the chart and click Chart Type. This would open the Chart Type dialog box. It presents the various available types of charts and you can click one of them. If none of the available types suits you, you can click the Custom Type tab for more options.

1. Start Microsoft Access
2. Open the Altair Realtors2 database from the previous lesson
3. From the Navigation Pane, right-click the Sales Per State form and click Design View
4. Right-click the chart -> Chart Object -> Open
5. In Microsoft Graph, right-click an area on the chart and click Chart Type...
6. In the Chart Type dialog box, make sure the Standard Types property page is displaying
   In the Chart Type list box, make sure Column is selected.
   In the Chart Sub-Type section, click Clustered column with a 3-D visual effect (1st column - 2nd row)
    
   
7. Click OK
8. Close Microsoft Graph
    
   
9. Switch the form to Form View to preview the chart
10. Save and close the form

When you select the values of a table or a query and ask Microsoft Graph to use them to create a graph, by default, the application counts the number of occurrences of each value, especially if you select a string-based field. Depending on the type of chart as we will see in the next few sections, some charts can use regular numbers while some others are better with percentage values. Fortunately, instead of trying to figure out how to perform the calculations yourself, Microsoft Graph can do it for you.

As we have seen already, a column chart creates vertically standing rectangular boxes. Each box can be used to represent an integral, a decimal, or a percentage value. When creating such a chart, you specify the values to use. Microsoft Graph determines the highest and the lowest values. When the boxes are drawn, each must fit in the area allocated for the chart. As a consequence, the box that represents the highest value is also the tallest while the box for the lowest value is the shortest. Microsoft Graph draws the other boxes between these extremes but proportionately. Therefore, a column graph is used to compare values in increment.

The classic column chart is made of flat bars that simply illustrate maximal, minimal, and in-between values. One of the options allows you to create a 3-dimensional look of the chart and further accentuate the colors and/or other graphic effects. To enhance an effective analysis, you can create a real 3-D chart that shows data and graphics in perspective.

Another variance of the column chart is to show two columns for each sample value. For example, in our real estate application, imagine that you have the market value for each property and the value the property was sold for, one of the effects of a sale is that some properties would be sold for the same market value, some properties would be sold for a lower value (for example, the seller may want to get rid of the house and be willing to assist the buyer with a down payment and closing cost, thus lowering the price of the house), some other properties could be sold higher than the advertised value (for example, a customer may want to insist on having the house, even at a high price, or too many people could be suddenly interested in the same house, this could raise the price). At the end of the year, when doing an inventory or an evaluation of some sort, you may want to know what houses sold high and which ones sold low.

1. On the Ribbon, click Create and, in the Reports section, click Report Design
2. Enlarge the report up to 10.2
3. In the Controls section of the Ribbon, click the Chart button and click the area under the Detail bar
4. In the first page of the Chart Wizard dialog box, click the Tables radio button. In the list, click Home Sales, and click Next
5. In the second page of the Chart Wizard, in the Available Fields list, double-click Market Value, Sale Value, and Property #
6. Click Next
7. In the third page of the Chart Wizard, accept the default Column Chart and click Next
8. In the fourth page of the wizard, drag the Property # button and drop it on Axis
    
   
9. In the same way, put the Market Value and Sale Value in the box under the Preview button
    
   
10. Click Next
11. Accept the suggested title and click Finish
12. On the Ribbon, click the Page Setup tab and click the Landscape button
13. Save the report as Comparison of Market and Sale Values and display it in Print Preview.
    If you want, switch the report back to Design View and format the chart as you see fit
     
    
14. Save and close the report

So far, we have used what are referred to as flat charts. They can be drawn on a 2-dimensional coordinate system (x, y). To enhance the appearance of a chart, you can draw it in 3-dimensional coordinate system (x, y, z). If you want to draw a 3-D chart, you must select three columns. Two of the columns should hold categories of values and the other one can hold unique values. The two columns that hold categories of values should have corresponding values so that, a value from one column can have corresponding values in the second column. Here is an example. Imagine that, in a real estate database, you have been selling properties over a period of 1, 2, 3 or more years. The properties sold are categorized as single families, townhouses, and condominiums. Obviously in a particular year, you sell properties of all kinds. On the other hand, each property can have its own value. You can use these three sets of values to create a 3-D chart.

The cone, cylinder, and pyramid charts can be used in the same scenario as the column chart. Their 3-D visual effect can enhance the overall analysis of data. The cylinder chart creates long circular boxes of the same base on both ends. It can be enhanced with good formatted Fill Effects. This chart is suitable for industry, manufacturing analysis, and predictions.

The cone chart is made of a circular base topped by a higher point. When used with various data, the higher value will have the complete cone while the lower values will share portions of the geometric figure. The cone chart should be used with values that can take advantage of its graphing dimensions.

The pyramid chart resembles the cone chart with a difference on their respective bases. Both are constructed the same and can be used in similar scenarios.

When creating the chart, there are many aspects you can change for it. For example, you may have a chart where the figures in the front seem to hide those in the back:

Or there is too much room on one side. You can rotate the chart. To do this, click one of the borders of the walls of the chart to select its frame. Then click one of the handles on the frame and hold the mouse down. The actual frame of the chart would appear:

You can then rotate the chart in the direction of your choice. You can keep doing this, releasing the mouse to preview, then rotating again, until you get the desired orientation.

If you created the chart as one shape (cylinder, cone, or pyramid) but want to use another shape, you can change it. To do this, in Microsoft Graph, right-click the chart and click Format Data Series. In the Format Data Series dialog box, click the Shape tab and select a different shape:

1. On the Ribbon, click Create and, in the Queries section, click Query Design
2. In the Show Table dialog box, click Home Sales, click Add, and click Close
3. In the Show/Hide section of the Ribbon, click the Totals button
4. In the list of fields, double-click Date Listed, Property Type, and Market Value
5. In the bottom section, change the Field name of the first column to Year Listed: Year([Date Listed])
    
   
6. Save the query as Sales Per Year Per Type and close it
7. On the Ribbon, click Create and, in the Forms section, click Form Design
8. In the Controls section of the Ribbon, click the Chart button
9. Click the form
10. In the first page of the Chart Wizard dialog box, click the Queries radio button
11. In the list, click Sales Per Year Per Type
12. Click Next
13. In the second page of the Chart Wizard, in the Available Fields list, double-click Year Listed, Property Type, and Market Value
14. Click Next /li>
15. In the third page of the Chart Wizard, click the Cone Column Chart in the 3rd column - 1st row
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16. Click Next
17. In the fourth page of the wizard, if there are fields selected in the boxes on the right side, select each and drag it to another box to have Market Value in the box under the Preview Chart, Year Listed in the bottom box, and Property Type in the right box
     
    
18. Click Next
19. Accept the suggested title and click Finish
20. Save the form as Sales Per Year Per Type and display it in Form View
     
    
21. If you want, design the form the way you want. Here is an example
     
    
     
    Save and close the form