If you're only going to include two time points (i.e., two of your pies),
I'd make a clustered column chart. Two clusters, one for each date; five
series, one for each division. You can readily compare heights of all ten
bars. Looking at the pies I made with some dummy data, I formed a mental
assessment of the percentages of each wedge. When I made the column chart, I
was surprised by how small the small divisions were. Apparently smaller
values are overestimated when reading a pie chart, but not when comparing
heights of bars in a column chart.

But I'm not sure from your last post whether you need two charts, or 24 (12
months x 2 years). While one or two pie charts are bad, an array is awful.
There would be no quantitative information transferred at all.

This requirement to explicitly show three categories that comprise a total
of 5% of sales takes away attention from the two other categories which
account for the vast majority (95%) of sales. I would make a panel chart
like this one:

http://peltiertech.com/Excel/ChartsH...venScales.html

with different height panels. I'd put the panels in order so the largest
division is at the top and the smallest at the bottom. I'd make the scales
of the bottom three go from 0 to 10% (any smaller range makes the bottom of
the chart look too cluttered), and the larger two from zero to, whatever,
60% or so, to account for the greatest value in either division's sales, The
total height of the chart would then be 60+60+10+10+10, or 150%, and 10% in
one would be the same height as 10% in another.

When I get a chance I'll write this into a blog post. For now I think this
may give some ideas how to proceed.

- Jon
-------
Jon Peltier, Microsoft Excel MVP
Tutorials and Custom Solutions
Peltier Technical Services, Inc. - http://PeltierTech.com
_______


"nedwards" wrote in message
...
What the chart shows is 5 categories of sales. The purpose of the chart
is
to visually show the percentage of each category to total sales. The 2
largest categories run at 95% of total sales, with the other 3 categories
between 3 to 0%. Even thought the 3 categories are small they need to be
included to show 100% and my Exec wants to see them. We have only been
using
this type of categorization for 2 years. This year the Exec wants to see
the
2 years side by side. I was trying out some bar charts this morning but
can't seem to wrap my brain around showing 12 months, 2 years and 5
categories and the amount of each category.

I am fairly new at charts. Every once in a while I actually manage to
design one with just the right information, right style, right colors and
next thing you know people are calling you for their chart needs. I'd
like
to learn more, knock the socks off their feet more than once in a while
and
keep the rep.

Thank you for the instruction link.

"Jon Peltier" wrote:

Couldn't have said it better (actually the originator of the quote is
Tufte). It's not correct, of course, because a donut chart, which would
also
serve this purpose, is also worse than two pie charts.

How does greatly varying numbers justify a pie chart?

- Jon
-------
Jon Peltier, Microsoft Excel MVP
Tutorials and Custom Solutions
Peltier Technical Services, Inc. - http://PeltierTech.com
_______


"Gklass" wrote in message
...
Here's some instructions
http://lilt.ilstu.edu/jpda/charts/ch...rtstip%202.htm

But when Jon Peltier sees your message, I'm sure he will tell you that
the only thing worse than a Pie chart is two of 'em.

On May 13, 2:54 pm, nedwards
wrote:
I use a PIE chart because the numbers in my segments cvary greatly. I
would
like to put 2 pie charts side by side on a display page so I may show
2007
and 2008. Can this be done?