What Is Radar Chart in Excel ( 2 Practical Examples)

Microsoft Excel has some built-in charts. The Radar Chart is one of them which is also known as the spider chart, polar chart, web chart, and star chart. Various types of data can be plotted, including the performance of employees, athletes, products, and companies. Today, in this article, we will discuss what is radar chart in Excel, and also learn how to create a radar chart with practical examples.

In the following image, you can see the overview of a Radar Chart in Excel.

What Is Radar Chart in Excel?

It is a chart type that Excel has built in. One axis represents each category on a radar chart, also called a spider or web chart. It is utilized to exhibit information for two or more data series in a two-dimensional format. In radar charts, data points are plotted using a common scale on each axis radiating from the center. This geometric shape displays all categories’ performance at a glance.

You can plot employee performance, athlete performance, product performance, and company performance using radar charts. Performance evaluations and satisfaction surveys can be conducted with them.

Types of Radar Chart in Excel

There are three types of radar charts in Excel. They are:

1. Simple Radar Chart

Values are displayed with reference to a center point. In the case of non-direct comparisons, it is particularly useful. Here is the chart.

Read More: How to Create Radar Chart with Radial Lines in Excel

2. Radar Chart with Markers

There is only one difference between it and the earlier type: each data point has a marker. This type of chart is shown below.

Read More: How to Create Excel Radar Chart with Different Scales

3. Radar Chart with Fill

As with the previous two types, everything remains the same, but the radar chart now has color on the whole surface. I have provided an example of such a chart below.

Read More: How to Create a Circular Radar Chart in Excel 

What Is Radar Chart in Excel: 2 Practical Examples of Making Radar Chart

1. Sales Analysis of a Company Using Radar Chart

In this example, we will analyze the quarterly sales results for the past 6 years of XYZ company. To analyze the sales of the XYZ company, you can create a radar chart in Excel. Let’s follow the instructions below to learn!

• Select data range B4 to F10 >> Choose Insert tab >> Select Charts group >> Recommended Charts.

• Insert Chart window pops up. After that, select All Charts >> Radar >> Hit OK.

• Finally, you will be able to create a radar chart without formatting it in Excel.

How to Format Radar Chart in Excel

Now we will give the format of the radar chart. You can adjust the line color and marker style by right-clicking on each line. To describe the chart, add titles. You will now have a chart that looks like this.

Also, you can highlight only the markers rather than the lines on the chart. I always enjoy watching the advanced formatting.

• Select Marker options > select Built-in > choose the color per your wish.

• For all lines, repeat this step. The marker colors should be different but the markers should be the same.

• To change the color of spider lines, click on them and press Ctrl+1 >> Line >> Solid Line >> Choose a color >> Click on Dash Type > Choose dash lines.

• Now, choose any background color under the Format tab.

• Here is a look at the Radar chart.

2. Apply Radar Chart to Analyze Target vs Consumer Satisfaction Level

Now we will use the radar chart to analyze the sales target vs. consumer satisfaction level. The creation and formatting procedure of the chart is like the above example’s chart. Firstly, we will create a radar chart and give the format of the chat as we want. After all of the formatting, we will get the following radar chart.

Explanation of Radar Chart in Excel

• Each category’s target level is represented by the blue line, while the orange line indicates the corresponding achieved (scored) level.
• The communication category achieved a 90% score by reaching 9 out of 10.
• The next closest category is a skill, scoring 8 out of 10.
• The last category is urgency, scoring 5 out of 10.
• The evidence is conclusive that customer care executives should improve their sense of urgency and deepen their knowledge of the product. Perhaps they require training to achieve this.
• Additionally, they should strive to create a greater sense of urgency to increase the frequency of closed deals.

How to Create an Excel Radar Chart with Different Scales

In this section, we have selected a dataset with 3 columns: Courses, Total Students, and Passed. Basically, our dataset tells the story of an educational institution. Here the number of students enrolled and the percentage of students passing are shown for five subjects. Additionally, one scale will be from 80 to 100 for the number of students enrolled variable, and another scale will be from 30% to 70% for the percentage of the students passed variable.

Moreover, we have shown a Radar Chart with different scales applying the VBA Macro in Excel. VBA stands for Visual Basic Application. This is the programming language for Microsoft Excel. Let’s follow the instructions below to learn!

• Press ALT + F11 to bring up the Visual Basic Application You can do this by selecting the Visual Basic feature from the Developer tab.
• After that, select Insert >> Module.

• Now, write down the following code in that Module, and press the Run button or press the F5 key to run the VBA code.

Sub Radar_Chart_Different_Scales()
	ActiveSheet.Shapes.AddChart2(317, xlRadar).Select
	With ActiveChart
    	.SetSourceData Source:=Range("VBA!$B$4:$D$9")
    	.FullSeriesCollection(2).AxisGroup = 2
    	.ChartGroups(2).HasRadarAxisLabels = False
    	.HasTitle = True
    	.ChartTitle.Text = "Radar Chart with Different Scales"
    	.Axes(xlValue, xlSecondary).MinimumScale = 0.3
    	.Axes(xlValue, xlSecondary).MaximumScale = 0.7
    	.Axes(xlValue).TickLabels.Font.Size = 28
    	.FullSeriesCollection(2).AxisGroup = 1
    	.FullSeriesCollection(2).AxisGroup = 2
    	.Axes(xlValue, xlSecondary).MinimumScale = 0.3
    	.Axes(xlValue).MajorUnit = 5
    	.Axes(xlValue).MinimumScale = 80
	End With
End Sub

• As a result, you will be able to create a radar chart with different scales.

Pros and Cons of Using Radar Charts in Excel

Pros:

• Excel’s radar chart is very useful when presenting a two-dimensional dataset.
• Radar charts in Excel are most useful when readers don’t need to know the exact values, but the overall story is important.
• By comparing each radar size to its axis, we can easily see overall differences.
• Comparison of target and achieved performance is easier with spider charts in Excel.

Cons:

• When a radar chart has several webs, comparing observations in Excel can become difficult.
• An excessive number of variables leads to a large number of axes. It’s too crowded.
• It can be problematic when comparing values across different axes, despite gridlines connecting different axes for reference.

Things to Remember

• Radar charts are useful for comparing the relative performance of multiple variables across different categories.
• To create a radar chart in Excel, you need to have your data organized in a specific way, with each row representing a different category and each column representing a different variable.
• When creating a radar chart, it’s important to choose the appropriate chart type based on the data you want to display. Excel offers two types of radar charts: the radar chart and the filled radar chart.
• You can customize the appearance of a radar chart in Excel by changing the color, size, and style of the chart elements.
• When interpreting a radar chart, it’s important to keep in mind that the values displayed on the chart are relative to each other and not absolute values. Therefore, it’s important to use radar charts in conjunction with other forms of data visualization to get a more complete picture of your data.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What types of data are best suited for radar charts?

Radar charts are best suited for comparing the performance of multiple variables across different categories. For example, you could use a radar chart to compare the sales performance of different products across different regions.

2. Can I add more data to a radar chart in Excel?

Yes, you can add more data to a radar chart in Excel by either adding new columns or rows to your data table. You can then update the chart to include the new data.

3. Why do we use the radar chart in Excel?

The Radar Chart in Excel offers a key advantage in that it enables an easy display of insights into multiple significant data points. By using a Radar Chart, you can compare two or more important variables in your data and reveal hidden insights. This is why data visualization experts often utilize the Radar Chart in Excel. It is also used to compare data sets that are both bulky and complex, track employed performances, etc.

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Download this practice workbook for practice while you are reading this article.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, I have discussed what is Radar chart in Excel. I hope you found this article helpful. Please, drop comments, suggestions, or queries if you have any in the comment section below.

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