Pie Chart Of Pie Chart Excel

Creating a Pie of Pie chart in Excel is one of the most effective ways to visualize data sets where a few categories dominate the landscape while several smaller slices get lost in the noise. Standard pie charts often fail when you have too many categories; the smaller slices become indistinguishable slivers, making labels unreadable and comparisons impossible. Even so, the Pie of Pie chart solves this specific visualization problem by pulling the smallest values out of the main pie and grouping them into a secondary, smaller pie chart. This allows the viewer to see the major contributors at a glance while still retaining the granular detail of the minor contributors Easy to understand, harder to ignore..

This guide provides a comprehensive walkthrough of how to create, customize, and optimize this chart type, ensuring your data tells a clear and compelling story.

Understanding When to Use a Pie of Pie Chart

Before diving into the mechanics, it is crucial to understand why you would choose this specific chart type over a standard pie chart, a bar chart, or a treemap. The Pie of Pie chart is designed for a very specific data scenario: a dataset with a "long tail."

You'll probably want to bookmark this section That's the part that actually makes a difference. No workaround needed..

Imagine a sales report for a retail store. You might have three major product categories—Electronics, Clothing, and Home Goods—that account for 85% of revenue. The remaining 15% is split among ten smaller categories like Accessories, Stationery, Toys, and Seasonal items. In a standard pie chart, those ten small categories would appear as tiny, unlabeled slivers clustered together, rendering the chart useless for analyzing the smaller segments.

The Pie of Pie chart automatically (or manually) moves those smaller slices into a second pie. Consider this: the main pie shows the "Big Three" plus a single slice labeled "Other" (representing the aggregate of the small categories). The second pie explodes that "Other" slice, showing the proportional breakdown of Accessories, Stationery, Toys, etc Worth keeping that in mind. Simple as that..

Key use cases include:

• Market share analysis where a few leaders dominate.
• Budget allocation where major departments consume most funds.
• Website traffic sources where Direct and Organic dominate, but Referral, Social, and Email need visibility.
• Survey results where "Strongly Agree/Disagree" are large, but neutral options are fragmented.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating the Chart

Creating this chart in modern versions of Excel (Office 365, Excel 2016, 2019, 2021) follows a standard workflow. Still, ensure your data is organized in a clean tabular format: one column for Category Names and one column for Values. Do not include totals in your selection.

1. Prepare and Select Your Data

Arrange your data in two adjacent columns.

• Column A: Category Labels (e.g., Product Names, Departments).
• Column B: Numerical Values (e.g., Sales Figures, Budget Amounts). Select the entire range, including headers.

2. Insert the Chart

1. handle to the Insert tab on the Ribbon.
2. In the Charts group, click the Insert Pie or Doughnut Chart icon (it looks like a small pie chart).
3. In the dropdown menu, look under the 2-D Pie section.
4. Select the second icon: Pie of Pie. (The icon depicts a large pie with a smaller pie connected by lines).
5. Excel will immediately generate the chart on your active worksheet.

3. Initial Assessment

By default, Excel uses an algorithm to decide which slices go to the second pie. Usually, it moves the last few rows of your selection (typically the bottom 3 data points) into the secondary pie. It also connects the two pies with gap lines. Your first task is to verify if this default grouping matches your analytical intent. Often, you will want to move specific small categories—regardless of their row order—into the second pie.

Customizing the Split: The "Split Series" Options

The true power of this chart lies in the Format Data Series pane. On the flip side, this is where you define the logic for splitting the data. Practically speaking, right-click on any slice of the main pie (or the secondary pie) and select Format Data Series from the context menu. A pane will open on the right. Click the Series Options icon (the bar chart icon) to reveal the Split Series dropdown.

Here are the four methods to control the split:

1. Position (Default)

This splits the series based on the row order in your worksheet. The last N items (defined by "Values in second plot") are moved to the second pie.

• Best for: Quick prototyping when your data is already sorted with smallest values at the bottom.

2. Value

This is the most common professional setting. You set a Threshold Value. Any slice with a value less than this threshold is automatically moved to the second pie Turns out it matters..

• Example: Set "Values less than" to 1000. All categories with sales under 1,000 move to the secondary pie.
• Benefit: Dynamic. If you update the data next month and a category drops below 1,000, it automatically moves to the detail pie.

3. Percentage Value

Similar to "Value," but uses a percentage of the total sum. You define a percentage threshold (e.g., < 5%) Which is the point..

• Benefit: Keeps the visual balance consistent even if the total volume of data changes significantly year over year.

4. Custom

This gives you absolute manual control. After selecting "Custom," you can click individual slices in the chart (or use the "Point" list in the pane) and assign them to "First Plot" (Main Pie) or "Second Plot" (Detail Pie) using the radio buttons.

• Best for: Presentations where you must show specific categories in the main view regardless of their size (e.g., a strategic product line that is currently small but high-priority).

Adjusting "Values in Second Plot"

Regardless of the split mode (except Custom), the Values in second plot box determines how many items appear in the secondary pie if using Position, or acts as a secondary limit in other modes. Adjust this number to prevent the second pie from becoming overcrowded. A secondary pie with more than 5–7 slices defeats the purpose of clarity Still holds up..

Formatting for Professional Presentation

A default Excel chart rarely looks presentation-ready. Applying deliberate formatting transforms a raw chart into a business-ready visual.

Gap Width and Explosion

In the Series Options pane, you will see Gap Width and Second Plot Size.

• Gap Width: Controls the distance between the two pies. Increase this (e.g., 100–150%) if your connector lines are overlapping labels or if you want distinct visual separation.
• Second Plot Size: Controls the relative size of the detail pie. Increase this (e.g., 100–150%) if the secondary pie has many slices and labels are cramped.

Data Labels: The Critical Element

Because the secondary pie represents the "small stuff," labels are non-negotiable.

1. Click the chart, then the + icon (Chart Elements) floating to the top right.
2. Check Data Labels.
3. Click the arrow next to Data Labels > More Options.
4. In the Label Options pane, check Category Name and Value (or Percentage).
5. Crucial Step: Set Label Position to "Outside End" for both pies.
6. Check Show Leader Lines. This draws a thin line connecting the label to the slice, essential when slices are too thin to hold text inside.

Color Coding Strategy

Do not rely on Excel’s default rainbow palette. Use color strategically:

• Main Pie: Use distinct, high-contrast colors for the major categories. Use a neutral grey or light blue for the