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Data labels

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Data labels help clarify the presentation of your data.

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About data labels

Data labels give information about individual data representations on a graph. Different graphs have different types of data representations. Therefore, some data label options are not available for some graphs. For example, you cannot label the bars of a histogram with row numbers from the worksheet. Usually, data labels come from the variables on the graph, but you can specify a column of custom labels.

Examples of data labels

Histogram

Bars are labeled with y-scale values.

Boxplot

You can add labels to outliers, medians, means, and individual data. Here, the boxplot has a mean label.

Pie Chart

You can add labels for individual slices with percent, frequency, and category names.

Add data labels when you create a graph

You can add data labels to most Minitab graphs.

  1. In the dialog box for the graph you are creating, click Labels.
  2. Click the Data Labels tab or the tab for the specific type of data labels, for example Slice Labels, for pie charts.
  3. Choose the label options specific to the graph and click OK.

Add data labels to an existing graph

You can add data labels to existing graphs.

  1. Double-click the graph.
  2. Right-click the graph and choose Add > Data Labels. For pie charts, choose Add > Slice Labels.
  3. Choose the label options specific to the graph and click OK.

Data label options for most graphs

Label the data display with y-values, row numbers, or values from a column. For example, the bars on the following histogram are labeled with the exact frequency value for each bar.

Use y-value labels
Label symbols or bars with the corresponding y-axis value.

The labels on this histogram show the y-value, or the exact frequency, for each bar.

The symbols on this scatterplot show the y-value for each observation.

Use row numbers
Label symbols with the corresponding row numbers from the worksheet (not available with histograms or bar charts). For example, each label in the following bubble plot shows the row number for the corresponding observation in the worksheet.
C1 C2 C3
X Y Size
6.8 2.5 9.5
9.7 9.5 1.2
9.0 3.3 8.5
... ... ...
Use labels from column
Label symbols or bars with values from a column. For example, the labels on the following bar chart are from the Fuel Labels column.
C1 C2 C3
Combined MPG Fuel Fuel Labels
19.25 1 Gas
39.55 2 Hybrid
25.50 1
41.20 2
... ...

Data label options for pie charts

Label pie slices with category names, frequencies, or percentages. You can also draw a line from the label to the slice. For example, the following pie chart shows the number of credit cards that are held by survey respondents. The labels show the percentages for each slice. The lines help to associate the labels with their respective slices.

Slice labels and leader lines

On the Slice Labels or Show tab, you can choose from the following label options.

Label Type
You can add any or all of these label types to your pie chart. The category name is the value of the categorical variable that is associated with each slice.
Category name
Frequency
Percent
Show leader lines
To show the leader lines, select Show leader lines or Draw a line from label to slice, depending on which dialog box you are using. To edit the appearance of the leader lines, double-click a label. On the Leader Lines tab, change the type, color, or size of the leader lines.
Not selected (default)
Selected

Data label options for boxplots, interval plots, and individual value plots

Label one or more data display elements with y-values, row numbers, or values from a column. For example, the outliers in the following boxplot are labeled with the corresponding row number. The median lines are labeled with the medians (y-values).

Data label options for marginal plots

When you create a marginal plot, you can label the bars of the histogram to show the frequency for each bin. In the dialog box, click Labels. On the Histogram Labels tab, select Label histogram bars with y-value.

Note

You cannot add data labels to an existing marginal plot.

Edit data labels

After you add data labels, you can edit them.

  1. Double-click the graph.
  2. Double-click the labels to edit. For more information on selecting labels, go to Select groups and single items on a graph.
    Tip

    Click and drag to move a label.

  3. Select the tab to make the edits that you want.
    • Font: Change the color, style, size, or font. You can also change the text of individual data labels.
    • Alignment: Change the text angle, the position, and the offset of the label. See the following examples:
      Text angle
      Rotate the labels. For example, rotating the labels on this time series plot by 35 degrees makes it easier to read adjacent labels.
      Text angle = 0 (default)
      Text angle = 35
      Position
      Change the position of the label relative to the anchor point. Under Position, choose Custom, then choose a position. The following examples show 3 of the available positions.
      Above (default)
      Above, to the left
      Below, to the right
      Offset
      Move the label horizontally or vertically relative to its current position. Under Offset, choose Custom, then specify the horizontal or vertical distance to move the label.
      Horizontal 0, Vertical 0 (default)
      Horizontal –0.05, Vertical –0.05
      Horizontal 0.05, Vertical 0.05
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