Pie charts are useful for showing percentages and portions. They are great for segmenting data. In our dashboard, we want to show the breakdown of receivables to understand what buckets our receivables fall into. In other words, we need to understand what percentage of our receivables is new and what percentages are aged at various lengths.
A pie chart is not a one size fits all for visualizations. Be careful when deciding to use a pie chart that you need to show various sums or counts and how they pertain to the grand total. Pie charts work for receivables, but not to show your cash balance. Be thoughtful!
Tip
Never use 3D charts, especially for pie charts. Depending on the angle or the rotation, your numbers will look skewed. Unless, of course, you want them skewed and you do not want anyone to see what your numbers really look like.
To build our receivables aging pie chart, use these steps:
Select the Receivables Aging worksheet.
Click on any cell in the pivot table to select the...