Building Charts
The Chart Builder allows you to build charts from predefined gallery charts or from the individual parts (for example, axes and bars). You build a chart by dragging and dropping the gallery charts or basic elements onto the canvas, which is the large area to the right of the Variables list in the Chart Builder dialog box. See Chart Builder layout and terms for an illustration of the Chart Builder dialog box.
As you are building the chart, the canvas displays a preview of the chart. Although the preview uses defined variable labels and measurement levels, it does not display your actual data. Instead, it uses randomly generated data to provide a rough sketch of how the chart will look. For information about defined variable labels and measurement levels, see Variable types .
Using the gallery is the preferred method for new users. For information about using the gallery, see Building a Chart from the Gallery. You can also build a chart from basic elements. See Building a chart from the basic elements for more information. This is a more complex method because the gallery charts have predefined options that you need to define explicitly when building from the basic elements.
How to Start the Chart Builder
- From the menus choose: