PowerPoint:Tables and Charts

Computer Information TechnologySection 5-11

Some text and examples used with permission from:http://www.jegsworks.com

Note: We are not endorsing or promoting religious doctrine, but simply taking advantage of this website for educational purposes.

Objectives: The student will:

1.Understand the issues surrounding table and charts in PowerPoint presentation

2.Know the options for getting data into a chart or table

3.Know how to create, change and resize a table.

PowerPoint: Tables and Charts

Many reports and discussions need to refer to tables of information or charts.

You will need to think carefully about how or whether to include these in your presentation.

Charts and Tables

Tables of data do not show up very well on slides. You cannot get very many cells on the slide

without making them too small to read easily. Too much information all at once means

none of it is absorbed by the audience. Complex charts are hard to read on the

screen. Text and bars or lines get small.

Problems with Charts and Tables

Simplify: Show only the most important data. Divide data: Use several simple tables or charts on

separate slides instead putting all in one table or chart. 

Reveal in parts - Table: Create a separate table for each row or column and arrange them on the slide to look like one table.  Use custom animation to reveal them one at a time.  

Reveal in parts - Chart: Reveal each series or each category in turn instead of all at once, using Effects Options for a custom animation. 

Notes: Put the complete table or chart in a Notes handout and just a summary or highlights on the slide.

Possible Solutions

Lots of data means lots of typing to create a table or chart

There are other options to get data into a PowerPoint presentation:

Copy and Paste: Data must already be in a table or chart in another program, like Word or Excel. 

Disadvantages: Can be edited only in PowerPoint, with PowerPoint's tools Will not show any changes made to the original after you pasted.

 

Getting Data into a Table or Chart

Import a file as an object (Insert menu): Advantage:

Can edit with original program. If linked, the  slide can be updated to show recent changes. Spreadsheet: If the original has several sheets, you can pick

which one shows on the slide. The rest is still there if you change your mind!

Disadvantage: Broken links: PowerPoint must be able to find the original

file when you update . If you moved the presentation to a different computer or moved the data file to a new location, the update will fail.

Presentation size gets larger when inserting whole files instead of just a data table or chart.  

Getting Data into a Table or Chart

Tables do not work particularly well on slides. With even just a few rows and columns a table quickly becomes hard to read.

What is a table? A set of rows and columns make up a table. Rows run

across the table and columns run from top to bottom. Usually there are column labels at the top and row labels at the left.

The intersection of a row and a column is called a cell.

Column A/Row1

Column B Column C Column D

Row 2 Cell B2 Cell C2 Cell D2Row 3 Cell B3 Cell C3 Cell D3

Tables

How to Create a Table There are 4 ways to insert

a table in PowerPoint (3 are done from the Table group in the Insert tab):

1. Insert Table: Creates a table with evenly

sized rows and columns, centered on the slide.

Works the same as in Word

How to Create a Table

2. Insert Table dialog box: Also creates a table with

evenly sized rows and columns, centered on the slide.

Choose  Insert Table...  from the Table dropdown. The Insert Table dialog opens for you to choose the number of columns and rows:

How to Create a Table3. Draw Table button :

Allows you to draw a table at the location and size that you want and then to draw in different sizes of rows and columns.

The Draw Table button turns your mouse pointer into a pencil shape. Dragging creates the outside of a table. Drag inside the table to draw in the rows and columns that you want.

If you need a variety of cell sizes, this method can be easier than having to merge cells here and there.

How to Create a Table4. Table Layout:

Choosing the Content Layout removes the text placeholder. Clicking the table button opens the Insert Table dialog.

Changing a Table Tables Tools tabs:

When you click on a table two Table Tools tabs are added to the ribbon

Design tab:

Layout tab:

Design Tab

Table Style Options and Table Styles allow you to select a color scheme, style. Etc. for the table. Changes are applied to the entire table.

WordArt Style allows you to create fancy fonts for the table. Make sure they are readable!

Draw Borders allows you to add, erase or change the style, thickness or color etc. of a border.

Layout Tab – Part 1

Table allows you to select part or all of the table.

Rows & Columns allows you to insert or delete rows and columns.

Merge allows you to merge cells together or split them apart.

Cell size allows you to control the size of the row or columns

Layout Tab – Part 2

Alignment allows you to control where in the cell the text will appear, rotate the text and change cell margins.

Table size allows you to set the size for the entire table.

Arrange allows you to control how the table will appear on the slide with respect to other items on the slide.

Resizing a Table Dragging on a table's handle will resize the

whole table, causing rows and columns to change size to fit inside the new table size. Handles: The resizing

handles on a table are just like the ones on a picture; Small dots in the corners and the center of each side. They will not show until after you click on the table.

Pointer Shape: Your pointer changes to a resizing shape when it is over the handle. These shapes are not the same as the shapes for resizing rows and columns

Summary

Table and Charts are difficult to manage in a presentation.

Try to present the least amount of information in a table/chart as you can. Put the rest in materials to hand out.

Creating a table is PowerPoint is very similar to tables in word

Rest of Today Download Homework 5-11 from the

Hancock website. Complete a table as described in the

homework. Do not print it out.