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Chart type which doesn't exist

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LadyBlack

New Member
Hello all


I am at that frustrating point of knowing something about Excel but not knowing enough. I would like to create a chart which has :-


X axis is the month (to include the whole year)

y axis is the number of customers that particular month - also, the column needs to be divided into 3 to show that every customer falls into one of three categories : Pre, In Audit and Licence.


I have tried using one of the conventional charts, but the chart I most want it to look like uses a % indicator on the Y axis, and I don't want that. Now, there may be a very obvious solution to people out there. Please feel free to express it, because I have learnt most of my Excel stuff by backward engineering stuff, not by actually getting officially taught, so there are basic gaps in my knowledge.


Many thanks for any help
 
LadyBlack

Isn't a Stacked column chart what you are trying to to?

Don't get hung up Axis Formats as you can change them to whatever you need
 
Hello Hui


Yes, that's it exactly. I've just gone in and found how to alter the percentage to read whole numbers. However, the chart can't 'see' the total of people who have called the centre in one month.


I have on the X-Axis the months. To keep things simple, I have only figures in January. The column should be divided into 20/40/1/7 which it is at present. However, the Y-Axis reads 0 - 1, when it should go up in increments of 10.


So far, I have managed to get the January column to label each 'bit' so that the bottom part of the column reads '20' and the next bit reads '40' and so on. I have now removed the values on the Y Axis, so that it looks less confusing. However, it would be nice to be able to see at a glance the totals for each month.


Thanks
 
LadyBlack

With your chart selected, Right Click on the Left Axis and select Format Axis

On the Axis Options Tab (Excel 2007) make sure the Min, Max and Major & Minor units are set appropriately
 
I've now completely stumped myself. I've got the axis to read what numbers I want. However, I still can't get it to show me what the total is for wach month. I can't seem to post this in here either, so I can't show you.


I also can't get a sensible graph from another table. I have some results for the month of January. There are seven engineer's names, and each engineer has done a certain amount of Training. All I want to do is show the month (so the Graph heading can be "Results for January" and list the engineer's names up the side, and the number of hours across the bottom. When I try to use the chart wizard, it takes the last value entered as the X axis, the labels I want to use to divde the X axis as the legend, and won't give me a suitable unit of measurement up the Y axis.


So I now have a chart which has no values on it and labelled "45". Why will the chart wizard not allow me to choose what I want to use as the X Axis and the Y Axis?

Why are the units to be selected in stupid values like 'Hundreds', when the sensible divide for me would be 'Tens'?


Is there some way I can 'draw' a chart manually?
 
LadyBlack


from what you've described I think you want a Stacked Bar, not a Stacked Column chart as I advised earlier. Columns go up, Bars go across.


I would delete your current chart and start again and use the Wizard and slowly go through the prompts


The first 2 parts of this post may help

http://chandoo.org/wp/2008/05/20/gantt-in-60-seconds-churn-out-an-excel-project-plan-in-no-time/


Can you post your anonymised data somewhere on a free upload site ?
 
Hello Hui


Sorry, I have been exasperated and left it for a moment.


My only access to the internet is through work, so I have to be very careful as to which sites I go - for example, the usual suspects are denied me, like eBay etc., so could you give an example of a free upload site?


I'll have another look at the stuff tomorrow, when hopefully I will be in a calmer mood.


I'll be back!
 
Ladyblack

Maybe also have a browse through


http://peltiertech.com/Excel/ChartsHowTo/index.html

&

http://peltiertech.com/Excel/Charts/


these are very extensive and have step by step explanations on most charting areas
 
Manuy thanks Hui. I have now succeeded in composing one chart and my boss has now said that he wants another department to take care of the other chart. I still don't see why Excel can't understand what I'm trying to do with the data if I have it in the format I had it, but at least I can give the Big Boss an idea of what I can do at present, and take time out to work on the tutorials to see if I can understand what I'm doing wrong with the way I was working.


The way the tutorial has the information is the (in my case) Engineer's names across the top, and the months down the side. Then the engineers fill in the number of hours.


I wanted the Engineer's names at the bottom, the months up the side and the engineers fill in the hours. I think I see it, now, Excel was taking the number of hours as the titles, and I don't know enough to tell it to take a different area as the titles. I did try to redefine the areas, but it didn't work.


Anyway, many thanks.
 
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