One of my most popular Excel Chart Tips videos is the one on conditional formatting of a column chart based on the values being categorized into ranges (video is here). Another option for conditional formatting is to visually focus the audience on one (or more) column based on a condition or a decision you make.…
Category: Data & Graphs
Filter the data series shown on a graph; Issue #463 April 28, 2020
On a recent AFP webinar discussing what CEOs and Boards are expecting from the Finance department during these turbulent times, cash flow forecasting was clearly the biggest request. It was clear that finance teams are having to generate multiple future scenarios based on various assumptions. These forecasts get updated daily, if not more frequently. When…
Creating area graphs with Charticulator; Issue #460 March 17, 2020
What can you do if you want to create a chart but the values you have differ by an order of magnitude or more? If you use the standard column or bar graph, you risk the smaller values being virtually invisible because the chart is scaled to show the large values. In my customized workshops…
Scaling values for related data series; Issue #458 February 18 2020
It is not uncommon that to communicate a message you need to show two or three related data series. It is relatively easy to create a single graph that has all the data series shown. The challenge comes when you have values in the data series that are different by an order of magnitude or…
25 Advanced Excel Chart Tips and Tricks (video)
These 25 tips and tricks will help you take your skills in creating Excel charts/graphs to the next level. The techniques apply to all modern versions of Excel (Excel 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel 365 that is part of Office 365). These tips don’t require VBA, plug-ins, or add-ins so you can apply them right…
How one character in a file name can mess up linking Excel cells or graphs to a PowerPoint slide
I recently had someone contact me asking why the linking between Excel and PowerPoint was not working properly. They had followed my advice in this article & video but it wasn’t working properly. Let me explain the scenario, what I discovered the problem was, and the solution that shows how changing one character in the…
Lining up related column graphs at the horizontal axis
The challenge If you have related column graphs, how do you line them up so the horizontal axis in each graph is aligned? If you’ve ever tried to position the graphs manually in Excel or PowerPoint, you know that it is impossible to do it by trying to drag the graphs into the right position.…
The “last mile” in data analysis; Issue #453 November 12 2019
The “last mile” is a term that refers to delivering service all the way to the customer’s home, not just close by. It has been a significant challenge for companies like Amazon who deliver packages to people’s homes and for providers of high-speed internet. It is relatively easy to get a truckload of packages to…
Adding a watermark to an Excel or PowerPoint chart/graph
What can you do if you want to share a chart via email, Slack, or Teams but the chart doesn’t have all of the final data yet or you want others to know it contains confidential data? A good solution is to place a watermark behind the chart so everyone knows it is a draft…
Professional looking graphs; Issue #450 October 15 2019
It is relatively easy to create a graph in Excel or PowerPoint. But is the default graph good enough for a business presentation? I don’t think so. Recently I wrote three articles on how to make professional looking graphs for the three most common types of graphs: column graphs, line graphs, and bar charts. I…