Lets say you have a large list of numbers, and you want to calculate the average of every nth value. Not the average of all numbers, but just every nth number.
That is what we will learn in next few minutes.
Few assumptions
Before we jump in to any formulas, first lets assume that all your data is in a table, conveniently named as tbl. Lets say this table has below structure.
Also, the value of n is a named cell N.
Average of every nth value
Approach 1: Using helper columns
If you have no allergies towards nuts, dairy or helper columns, then this approach is easiest.
We just add an extra column to our tbl , called as helper.
In the helper column, write this formula.
=MOD([@ID], N)=0
This will fill the helper column with TRUE & FALSE values, TRUE for all nth values, FALSE for everything else. See aside.
Once we have the helper column, calculating average of every nth value is easy as eating every slice of a cake.
We use AVERAGEIF to do this.
=AVERAGEIF(tbl[Value],tbl[Helper],TRUE)
Approach 2: Not using helper columns
Now things get interesting. Lets say you want to calculate average, but not use any helper columns.
First the formula:
=AVERAGE(IF(MOD(tbl[ID], N)=0,tbl[Value]))
Array entered.
Lets understand how it works:
We want the average of every nth item of tbl[Value] column.
In other words, we want average of every item of tbl[Value] column, whose corresponding tbl[ID] value is perfectly divisible by n.
How do we know when a value is perfectly divisible by another?
Don’t worry. You don’t have to do the long division on paper now. Instead we use Excel’s MOD function.
When a value is perfectly divisible by another, the reminder is zero.
So, MOD(value1, value2) = 0 means, value2 divides value1 perfectly.
That means…
We want the average of tbl[Value] when MOD(tbl[ID], N) = 0
Lets write that in Excel formula lingo.
=AVERAGE( IF(MOD(tbl[ID], N) = 0, tbl[Value]) )
This formula results in a bunch of values and FALSEs. Assuming N=3, this is what we get (for sample data):
=AVERAGE({FALSE;FALSE;15;FALSE;FALSE;18;FALSE;FALSE;18;FALSE;FALSE;15;FALSE;FALSE;14; …})
Since AVERAGE formula ignores any logical values, it will calculate the average of {15, 18, 18, 15, 14 … } and returns the answer you are expecting.
As this formula is processing arrays instead of single values, you need to array enter it (CTRL+SHIFT+Enter after typing the formula).
Bonus scenario: Average of FEBRUARY values only!
Here is a bonus scenario. Lets say you want to calculate the average sales of FEB alone… Then you can use AVERAGEIF (or AVERAGEIFS, if you want to have multiple conditions).
=AVERAGEIF(tbl[value], tbl[month], “FEB”)
Download example workbook:
Click here to download the example workbook. It contains all the techniques explained in this post. Play with the data & formulas to understand better.
Time for some challenges…
If you think averaging every nth value is not mean enough, try below challenges. Post your answers using comments.
- Write a formula to calculate average of every nth value, starting at row number ‘t’.
- Write a formula to calculate average of every nth value, assuming your table has only value column (no ID column).
Go ahead. Show off your formula skills. Post your answers in comments section.
Improving your Excel batting average
Calculating averages predates slice bread. Folklore says that when first neanderthal figured out how to express numbers and carved 2 of them on a cave wall, his manager walked by and asked “What is the average of these two? Eh?” and thumped her chest.
Although caves & wall carvings are replaced by cubicles & spreadsheets, we are still calculating averages, almost 2.9 million of them per hour.
So it pays to learn a few tricks about Excel Average formulas. Check out below to improve your average:
- Calculating Moving Average, Weighted Average
- Average of top 5 values
- Show averages & distribution in your charts
- Using SUMIFS formula (same tricks apply to AVERAGEIF, AVERAGEIFS too)
If your boss is the kind who thumps her chest and mocks you for your poor Excel skills, don’t cave in. Fight back. Enroll in Excel School and show that you can evolve.
31 Responses to “Beautiful Budget vs. Actual chart to make your boss love you”
Would be considerably easier just to have a table with the variance shown.
On Step 3, how do you "Add budget and actual values to the chart again"?
There are a few ways to do it.
Easy:
1) Copy just the numbers from both columns (Select, CTRL+C)
2) Select the chart and hit CTRL+V to paste. This adds them to chart.
Traditional:
1) Right click on chart and go to "select data..."
2) From the dialog, click on "Add" button and add one series at a time.
One more way to accomplish it is just select the columns into chart. Press Ctrl+C and then press Ctrl+V
Regards
Neeraj Kumar Agarwal
Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to work for me in Excel 2010. The "Var 1" and "Var 2" columns cannot combine two fonts to display the symbol and the figure side-by-side.
Secondly, there is no option to Click on “Value from cells” option when formatting the label options. The only options provided are Series Name, Category Name or Value.
@TheQ47... the emoji font also has normal English letters, so if you use that font, then you should be ok. I am assuming your computer doesn't have that font or hasn't been upgraded for emoji support.
Reg. Excel 2010, you can manually link each label to a cell value. Just select one label at a time (click on labels, wait a second, click on an individual label) and press = and link it to the label var 1 or var 2.
I am using excel 2010, please explain how to apply Step 12
Regards
Neeraj Kumar Agarwal
Hi Neeraj,
"Value from cells" option is only available in Excel 2013 or above. In older versions, you have to manually adjust the label value by linking each label seperately.
Read this please: https://chandoo.org/wp/change-data-labels-in-charts/
Sir, you are just awesome.
Your creativity has no limit.
Regards
Neeraj Kumar Agarwal
Hi Chandoo,
I just found your website, and really love it. It helps me a lot to be an Excel expert 😉
Currently I am facing with a problem at step 11:
Var1 Var2
D30%
A5%
B0%
B4%
B7%
C10%
C13%
D27%
I42%
Though at mapping table, I used windings, here formula uses calibra. How I can change it? I am able to change only the whole cell. In this case numbers will be Windings too.
Thanks for your help!
Hi Mariann... Welcome to Chandoo.org and thanks for your comment.
If you wanted to use symbols from wingdings and combine them with % numbers, then you need to setup two labels. One with symbol, in wingdings font and another with value in normal font. Just add the same series again to the chart, make it invisible, add labels. You may need to adjust the alignment / position of label so everything is visible.
[…] firs article explains how you can enhance your charts with symbols. You can simply insert any supported symbol into your data and charts. To some extend you can […]
You're a good person, thank you to share your knowledge with us, I will try to do in my work
Great visualization of variance. My question is that is this possible in powerbi?
How would you go about it?
HELLO, WHY CANT I FIND VALUES FOR LABELS IN EXCEL 2013
Dear chanddo sir,
What to do if we have dynamic range for Chart. How this will work. can you able to make the same thing works on dynamic range.
Sir Chandoo,
Good Day!
First, I'd like to say that I am very grateful for your work and for sharing all these things with us.
I tried to do this chart but it seems that the symbols don't work with text (abs(var%),"0%") unless we keep the Windings font style.
The problem is, it converts the text into symbol as well and you wont see the 0% anymore. I'm using Windows 7.
WOW - Segoe UI Emoji
This is the greatest discovery for me this month 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
Here's my two-cents:
https://wmfexcel.com/2019/02/17/a-compelling-chart-in-three-minutes/
Sir This is awesome chart, and very easy to made because of your way to explain is very simple , everyone can do. Thank you
one problem i am facing, I hv made this chart , but when i am inserting data table to chart it is showing two times , how can i resolve this
in this chart when i am adding new month data for example first i made this chart jan to mar but when i add data for the apr month graphs updated automatically but labels are missing for that new month
Hi Renuka,
Please make sure the formulas for labels are also calculated for extra months. Just drag down the series and set label range to appropriate address.
So I am playing with the Actual chart here - but amounts are bigger than your - you have 600 as Budget - my budget is 104,000 - is there a way to shorten that I am unaware of
thank you - I LOVE YOUR SITE
Thanks for the tips and tricks on Excel. In the Planned versus Actual chart examples, you use multiple values (ex. multiple Categories in above). How can this be done when we have only 1 set of values? For example if I have only this:
Planned Actual
SOW Budget 417480 367551
How can I create a single bar chart like the one above?
Thank you Chandoo.
This one is just perfect for my Quarterly Review presentation on Operational Budget against Actual Performance for the Hospital I'm currently working with.
Just Subscribed today (10 minutes ago)
Is there a way to make the table of data into a pivot table to be able to add a slicer for the graph due to many different categories and months?
Hi, I tried to modify you template with something appropriate for me, and I found a problem. this template was modified by me started with excel 2010, then 2016 and finally 2019. Same thing - somehow appear an error - or didn't show the emoticons for positive percentage or doubled the emoticons for some rows. I suspect to be from excel. if is need it I can sand you my xlsx for study. Please help if you can.
Hi Chandoo,
Could you please check the Var Formula in Step1. You have mentioned budget-actual and when i did this i got different values but when reversed like actual-budget i got the actual value what you have demonstrated in step1.
Please share your view.
This is a great chart (budget vs. actual). However, in trying recreate it, I cannot color in the UP Down bars individually, and they all become formatted with the same color. I'm using Office 365. Look forward to the feedback.
Thanks.
Dan
pls explain in detail step 7
While in the Excel sheet you have used following formula for Var
Var = Actual - Budget
But
in the note, you have written
Var = Budget - Actual
Good Presentation and Data information.thank you so much chandoo.