SVG maps

The introduction of the SVG format in Excel has gone unnoticed by most users, and it enables the conversion of maps into standard graphics objects. After that, you can do whatever you want with them. In this simple “recipe”, I’ll show you how to convert and format SVG maps you have previously downloaded, in order to create effective reports…

Checkbox

Checkbox is not a new Excel feature. We were able to add checkboxes to Excel reports earlier, by choosing some of the controls offered in the Developer ribbon (Form Controls, ActiveX Controls). Recently, Microsoft has made this option much more accessible, and in the following post you will find out how to add a checkbox to your report and how you can analyze such reports.

Tiny charts

When you want to display data that contains multiple separated series in a chart, it can often look clumsy. It is possible to tolerate presentation of three or four series, but anything more than that is a nightmare for those who watch the reports and need to draw a certain conclusion. The solution is to display several smaller, separate charts instead of one. This type of data presentation is called small multiples, and here’s how to achieve it in Excel reports.

3D charts

A large number of Excel charts also have their 3D version. Although in most cases this is just unnecessary embellishment, making it difficult to draw conclusions, sometimes 3D charts really do make sense. In the text that follows, you will find out how to make this type of chart, as well as how you can change the perspective of looking at the data…

Bullet Chart

Bullet is a type of Column or Bar chart where we display series one above the other, and later in their display settings we determine the way the series overlap. This is a simple chart that is suitable for comparing one larger and one smaller size, e.g. Budget and Actual sales values. How to create this type of chart you will find out in the following “recipe”…