How to use a histogram to present frequency data

Never heard of a histogram? A histogram is a column chart that shows frequency data. For example, if you’re in sales and would like to analyze how frequently you sell certain quantities of goods, you can use a histogram.

Note: Download the workbook to practice this exercise

Applies To: Microsoft® Excel® 2010 and 2013

  1. Download the practice workbook.
  2. Select any cell within the PivotTable.
  3. Select the Options
  4. Click the PivotChart

tip-1

  1. From the Insert Chart window, select the Clustered Column
  2. Click OK. The chart below will be inserted.

tip-2

  1. Right click on one of the data bars in the chart.
  2. Select the Format Data Series menu item.
  3. From the Series Options items, change the Gap Width to 0%.

tip-3

  1. The histogram below will be displayed. Edit the heading to “Frequency of Quantities Sold”.

tip-4

As you can see with this example, customer often buy quantities between 1 and 100 of product x. Using this information a Sales Manager can perhaps focus on selling quantities in that range. You can apply a histogram to other types of data, try it out!