Budget vs. Actual Profit Loss Report using Pivot Tables
This is continuation of our earlier post Preparing Quarterly and Half yearly P&L using grouping option. You can also do budget v/s actual comparison using Pivot Tables. For this we will use calculated items feature of Excel PivotTables.
To begin, we have to add one more column to our data. I have added column Data Source to the end of data table. Existing data is marked as Actual and I have added more data rows which are marked as Budget. You can download new file with updated data and basic Pivot P&L.
How to pick a chart type – Charting 101
Bar chart or Line? Scatter plot or box plot? These are the questions we ask ourselves when we set out to make a chart. Because, “Selecting right chart for our data” is very important to tell our story.
In this article, we will learn how to “select the right chart” based on our data and situation.
Quickly Turn off Gridlines in Excel 2003 using Forms Toolbar [Excel Tips]
These days I rarely use Excel 2003. But when I do open the trusty old software, I always look for opportunities to improve my productivity with it. And I am pleasantly surprised to find a shorter and faster way to turn off grid lines on spreadsheets in Excel 2003. (I like my spreadsheets without any […]
Updates on Excel School [and 3 free lessons]
Remember Excel School? It was all I talked about between Jan last week and middle of Feb. Then as if someone has pressed mute button, there was not even a single mention about the school. So I thought, why not give you all an update on Excel School and tell you how the classes are […]
Speaking at TechEd 2010 on “How to Select the Right Chart for your Data”
I have come to Bangalore to attend the TechEd 2010 conference by Microsoft. Today (April 13th), I will be speaking on “How to select the right chart for your data”. A short talk telling people how to choose the correct chart based on the message they want to convey. [You can see the schedule and […]
Survey Results in Dot Plot Panel Chart [followup on Incell Panel Chart]
In a follow up to last week’s how to visualize survey data in excel, we will explore how you can create an incell dot plot panel chart. Please follow the links in the article to get more commentary and insights from established persona in the visualization world (including Stephen Few, Naomi, Jon etc.)
Make your Chart Legends Legendary
We all know that legend can be added to a chart to provide useful information, color codes etc.
Today we will learn how to make the chart legends smarter so that they provide more meaning and context to the chart, like this:
This type of legend can be more useful than a plain legend as this provides more useful information without taking up too much space.