Charting Side by Side Comparisons

Since it is getting to be that time of comparing budget to actual and doing forecasting for 2009, I thought I would show you a couple of different ways to create some charts.

This one is called a Side by Side Comparison and is simple to create. The trick is in setting up your data.

In this example, Column A is the months. Column B is the whole year budget by month and Column C is the actual by month. Notice that the Column C data does not begin until row 15 (This was so that I could have a space on the chart between the two series). Once your data is set up like this, just select it all and create a chart as you normally would.

If you don't think the the column chart showed the trend differences very well, consider a line chart. Below is an example, using the same data.

Tomorrow, I will talk about combination charts.

Converting Excel 2003 Commands into Excel 2007

I have been searching for how to do something with an Excel pivot table that was one step in Excel 2003 and now is hidden in a sub menu on a contextual toolbar! .. but while searching I came across a nice site that has a table showing the Excel 2003 command and its match in Excel 2007.
Take a look if you get frustrated trying to find something.
http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:mslPILwgXYcJ:office.microsoft.com/download/afile.aspx%3FAssetID%3DAM101864291033+show+pages+in+excel+2007&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

The link is .html but you can also download a worksheet version too.
My daughter is off tomorrow so I probably will be too so...........
Have a great Thanksgiving... don't eat too much and don't overdo the shopping on Friday:)

Moving a Pie Slice

Hey- the holidays are starting to close in.... perhaps that explains why all my examples lately have been wine and food.
Anyway, below are the steps if you want to explode a piece of your pie chart.
Please notice how nicely the pie slices match their respective pie colors :)
I

In the example, above, I moved the red Apple slice.

• Click on the Apple slice to select it
• Be certain that you have selected the slice and not the data label in the slice!
• Click your left mouse button
• Slowly drag your hand to the right and you should see an outline of the slice follow it.
• After you have moved it a little, let up on your mouse and you should see that the pie slice has moved.

If you want to explode all the pieces... the fastest way is to change the Chart Type and select the exploded pie illustration.

Well I am off to Chicago for the weekend. I am going to see Young Frankenstein- the Musical. .. yes.. that is right.hard to imagine isn't it?
I'll let you know on Monday how it was. Have a great weekend

X Axis and Numbers

Common X Axis Problem

If your first column contains numbers, such as years, Excel will not recognize that you want this series to be on the X axis. Excel will just treat it as another series. In the example below, zip code has been treated as a series rather than displaying on the x axis as the user wanted.

• On the Design tab, click on Select Data
• Select Zipcode in the dialog box
• Click Remove
• Click on the Edit button in the Horizontal (Category) Axis labels dialog box
  and select the zipcode data (A8:A11) as the Axis label range
• Make sure not to include the heading zipcode
• Click OK
• Click OK

Now, you have a nice chart with Zipcode labels on the X axis!

Function Keys - Charts

Here is a quick tip about a really quick way to create a chart.

• Select your data and then press F11. A full size chart will automatically be created on its own sheet.


• Select your data and press Alt+F1 and a chart will automatically be created on the same sheet as the data.