XL: Pie Chart Shows Incorrect Percentage Value

• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 5.0, 5.0c
• Microsoft Excel for Windows NT, version 5.0
• Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition
• Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, version 5.0
• Microsoft Graph for Windows, version 5.0
• Microsoft Graph for the Macintosh, version 5.0

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Graph, when you display percentages in a pie chart, an incorrect percentage may be displayed for the largest number in the series.

CAUSE

Because of the way Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Graph round numbers, the percentages will often add up to be 101 percent instead of 100 percent. When this happens, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Graph subtract 1 percent from the largest number in order to force the total percentage to equal 100 percent.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, use the method that is appropriate for your version of Microsoft Excel.

Microsoft Excel 7.0, Excel 97, and Excel 98 Macintosh Edition

To use this method, follow these steps:

1. Select all of the data labels by clicking any of the individual data labels on the chart.

2. On the Format menu, click Selected Data Labels.

3. Click the Number tab. In the Decimal Places box, enter "2" (without the quotation marks) and click OK.

Microsoft Excel 5.0

To use this method, follow these steps:

1. Select the largest data label by slowly clicking twice (do not double click rapidly). This ensures that only the largest data label is selected.

2. On the Format menu, click Selected Data Labels.

3. On the Number tab, click the Percentage Category with a 0.00% format. This should cause the second largest data label to correctly round up to become the largest label.

4. Select all data labels and reformat them as desired by clicking Selected Data Labels on the Format menu, and then selecting the appropriate number format on the Number tab.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

Incorrect percentages can also occur when you use percentages in your data (even when your percentages equal 100.00%). When you use Microsoft Graph version 5.0, the sample data in the range A1:B10 that follows produces an incorrect data label. The value 34.2% is displayed as 33.2% when the data label is set to "Percent" or "Label and Percent." When the data label is set to "Value" the value appears correctly.

   A1: Name       B1: Sales
   A2: Ford       B2: 24.7%
   A3: GM         B3: 34.2%
   A4: VW         B4:  0.6%
   A5: Chrysler   B5: 13.3%
   A6: Toyota     B6:  8.0%
   A7: Honda      B7:  6.0%
   A8: Other      B8:  6.0%
   A9: Mazda      B9:  2.6%
  A10: Nissan    B10:  4.6%