Sales funnel is a very common business chart. Here is a simple bar chart based trick you can use to generate a good funnel chart to be included in that project report.
Download the Sales Funnel Chart – Excel Template and learn it by playing with it.
1. Get your sales data ready
The first step is to get your sales data ready for a funnel chart.
For this we take a normal phase-wise sales data and add a dummy series to it. The dummy values tell excel how far each of the sales figures should be moved away from y-axis to get the funnel effect.
The dummy values are calculated using a simple formula like =(some_large_number – funnel_size_at_that_phase)/2, In our case, I have used 150,000 for the large number.
We will also add a total column.
Tell me again, why are we using dummy series?
In order to create the funnel effect, we must move each of the bars in such way that they are all centered vertically. To do this, we take a large number and subtract funnel value from that and divide this by two. How it works ? well, that you can figure out while sipping coffee 😀
2. Create a simple bar chart with the columns Total and Dummy
Once you are done, the bar chart should look like this.
3. Now adjust bar overlap and gap width settings to create a funnel effect
Select the bars by clicking on them, and right click and go to format data-series. In the resulting dialog, go to options and adjust “series overlap” and “gap width” settings in such way that series are completely overlapped and gap is ZERO.
Once you do this, the chart should look like this.
4. Adjust colors and add labels
Select the dummy series and fill it with white color or make it transparent. Add data labels and you have a sparkling funnel chart ready.
Next time use this in your sales presentation to the boss and see everyone having a discussion.
Download the Sales Funnel Chart – Excel Template and learn it by playing with it.
6 Responses to “Make VBA String Comparisons Case In-sensitive [Quick Tip]”
Another way to test if Target.Value equal a string constant without regard to letter casing is to use the StrCmp function...
If StrComp("yes", Target.Value, vbTextCompare) = 0 Then
' Do something
End If
That's a cool way to compare. i just converted my values to strings and used the above code to compare. worked nicely
Thanks!
In case that option just needs to be used for a single comparison, you could use
If InStr(1, "yes", Target.Value, vbTextCompare) Then
'do something
End If
as well.
Nice tip, thanks! I never even thought to think there might be an easier way.
Regarding Chronology of VB in general, the Option Compare pragma appears at the very beginning of VB, way before classes and objects arrive (with VB6 - around 2000).
Today StrComp() and InStr() function offers a more local way to compare, fully object, thus more consistent with object programming (even if VB is still interpreted).
My only question here is : "what if you want to binary compare locally with re-entering functions or concurrency (with events) ?". This will lead to a real nightmare and probably a big nasty mess to debug.
By the way, congrats for you Millions/month visits 🙂
This is nice article.
I used these examples to help my understanding. Even Instr is similar to Find but it can be case sensitive and also case insensitive.
Hope the examples below help.
Public Sub CaseSensitive2()
If InStr(1, "Look in this string", "look", vbBinaryCompare) = 0 Then
MsgBox "woops, no match"
Else
MsgBox "at least one match"
End If
End Sub
Public Sub CaseSensitive()
If InStr("Look in this string", "look") = 0 Then
MsgBox "woops, no match"
Else
MsgBox "at least one match"
End If
End Sub
Public Sub NotCaseSensitive()
'doing alot of case insensitive searching and whatnot, you can put Option Compare Text
If InStr(1, "Look in this string", "look", vbTextCompare) = 0 Then
MsgBox "woops, no match"
Else
MsgBox "at least one match"
End If
End Sub