Arranging secondary axis

In one of the earlier texts there were words on how to take advantage of the secondary axes to display disproportionate data series. The common problem here is the overlapping of the series. Therefore, the data is not sufficiently noticeable. By adjusting the width and gap between the series it can be slightly corrected. However, in order to make the data on the graph more noticeable, one can use a trick that will be described in the following text …

Sales funnel

In addition to my passion for Excel my great love, and partly my job, is Customer Relationship Management (CRM). One of the most important CRM charts for tracking sales is the Sales funnel. Every salesman likes to see it on his dashboard at the beginning of working day, because with one look he can conclude whether the sale is standing or advancing. Funnel does not exist as a standard chart. It is created by modifying the 3D Column chart, and how to do it you will find out in the text that follows …

Error bars

Sometimes the chart will show values ​​that are not reliable. In that case, it would be good to emphasize to the observer that the error exists, and how its tolerance is. For this purpose, error lines are used that express a potential error, relative to the point or marker for the given data set. They can also be used to highlight some future trends, or to make assumptions about future value data.

Trend line

Charts are often expected to present the current state and projection of future events. Nobody reliably knows what will happen in the future, but by approximating past data, it is possible to identify trends. Trend, by definition, represents the general direction of development or change. Excel sets trends and displays them using the trend line by application of  various mathematical functions.

Chart elements

Each chart consists of more elements that determine its appearance. This is, first of all, the way data are shown within a group (Data Series) or a single series (Data Point). Depending on the type of data, different charts are being used: Column, Bar, Line, Surface, Pie … Accordingly, the elements of such charts are: title, legend, axes, background … By adding or removing elements we ‘re getting the more effective report.