Trouble subtracting one shape from another

jeljohns,

If you are just after the right appearance, or if you wish to keep the pie chart editable/unexpanded, you can:

1) Create the full circle to be taken out of the pie chart, if relevant including the white circular ring, maybe as a cricle with both fill and stroke if that is how you made it, then make it black (both fill and stroke if you have that),

2) Select everything and in the Transparency palette (flyout) click Make (Opacity) Mask with both Clip and Invert Mask unticked.

Select only the top circle and choose: Object > Path > Divide All Objects Below?

And then remove the inner parts?

As far as I can tell, the best way to do this would be multiple steps (sorry, no access to a screen recorder right now)

1. Ungroup your Chart - this will make it no longer editable as a chart, but it will make shapes that look like you see above - you MAY have to Edit>Expand, as well
2. On your center circle, Copy/Paste in front. 
3. Expand the size of the front circle so that it's larger than the pie chart
4. Select both circles (no part of the chart) and Object>Compound Path>Make (this makes the top a donut shape)
5. Select that Compound Path (Make sure it's on top) AND your chart parts
6. Object>Clipping Mask>Make

Hope that helps!

you need to first expand the chart by ungrouping it