There are beautiful, powerful & awesome charting examples all around us. Today, I want to show you how we can harness the power of Excel to create Analytical Charts.
Analytical What?!?
To be frank, I do not know what to call these charts, so I choose the term Analytical Charts. But this is what I have in mind (see below) when I say Analytical charts:
A chart is analytical chart,
- If it is interactive
- It it can answer different questions by re-structuring same data differently
What is the inspiration for Analytical Charts?
Google Analytics. I use Google Analytics, a web-app that tells me about the visitors and traffic flowing in to my site. It gathers millions of data points every day and presents all this information in rich, easy to read views. One of the powerful features of Google Analytics is that, you can tell it to show the same information in different views so that you can answer different questions.
On top of every report in Google Analytics, we have these buttons:
When you click the button, the report is instantly restructured to answer a different question.
So how to make such charts in Excel?
The basic technique behind this is similar to the one we discussed in show one chart from many article. Since, It would be 1800 word long if I describe the process, I decided to make a short video (18 minutes) explaining how the charts are constructed. Watch the video tutorial below:
Excel Analytical Charts – Video Tutorial:
The Process for creating Analytical Charts:
- Make individual views of the data in different cell ranges.
- Name each range uniquely, like chtRng1 for tabular view and chtRng2 for percentage comparison view etc.
- Insert radio buttons (option buttons) from developer ribbon > forms, one each for a different view.
- Now, link all the radio buttons to same cell. That way, when select a view the linked cell would show corresponding number.
- Create a named range called chtSel and point it to a CHOOSE formula that would select the corresponding named range defined in (2)
- Now, select any few cells, press CTRL+C and paste them as a picture link. (tutorial on picture links).
- Select the picture link, go to formula bar and type =chtSel
- That is all. Now, you have made an analytical chart that makes your boss love you.
Download Excel Analytical Chart Example Workbook
Click here to download the example workbook. This should work in Excel 2007 or above.
Do you use Analytical Charts?
As I mention in the video, I find the “views” option in Google Analytics quite useful. It hides answers for questions that are not yet asked. But with just a click, I could visualize information in a different way.
What about you? Do you find analytical charts useful or as clutter? How would you implement them? Please share your ideas and techniques using comments.
30 Responses to “Great News: Chandoo becomes MVP”
Congratulations! It's well deserved. 🙂
This is amazing. Hearty congratulations and a rocking new year ahead!!!
Congrats! I have learnt alot from your site... and the most important is learning how to achieve the most with the simplest concepts.
Thanks for the excel calendar. Is it possible to get a simple big fonted calendar printable on an A4 size paper without any distracive notes or visuals? BTW, I have already signed up for your newsletter. With warm regards and
Gratefully yours
50+ year old CHarish.
Hey Chandoo,
Great to hear that. Congratulations! The best new year gift, I would say. Keep it up, u've been doing extraordinary work for the excel users community.
Regards,
Pankaj Verma
Congrats dude... fantastic news!
congratulations! your site is great, this is well deserved
Rich
I recently found your site, I visit many. The tips that you provide are in the top 1% of all the sites I visit. Keep on Excelling.
Arnold
South Africa
Congratulations, Chandoo! That's a great way to start the year and make the PHD even better.
Congratulations, Chandoo.
Your site is one of most useful on the net. Happy new year and lot of ideas you will present for us.
Congrats.
Just read your name in an email from Abhishek. Well deserved.
Congratulations, and Happy New Year.
Greetings from Rio de Janeiro my friend! You trully deserve it!
Nive way to start 2009! Keep up the good work!
FC
That was quite forseeable , so you have now really got your PhD in excel.
Anyways Chandoo you have made excel a real Fun doo
I will like you to write some more on INDEX and MATCH function in near future.
@Hey Chandoo ! Congrates....
Ab to treat mangta hai !
Well deserved Chandoo!!
Congrat's!! Very well deserved 🙂
i always browsed mr.excel and used to see MVP writtne below names of people who used to solve queries in excel forum there......i just used to admire as to what they have special in them that they are MVP......
but now i got my answer...............u deserve it man..........
@All: thanks everyone 🙂
Congratulations Chandoo, nice job!
Chandoo,
A well deserved recognition and a good start to the New Year. Continue your good work.
Subbu
Many Congratulations.
You deserve a Ph.D. 🙂
congrats.....
Congrats dude. Rock on!
[...] charting community in 2007 and has been growing strongly ever since. In year 2009, I have received the MVP award from Microsoft. Just few days back I have become a dad [...]
Respected sir,
I am impressed!.... Good job done.. Keep it up...
Sir, How to be a MVP certified person. What level of knowledge is required for it? send me links if possible.
Please reply...
Regards,
Dipak Khalasi.
Dipak -
The first thing you need to cultivate is the ability to search the web effectively. You could start by Googling "Microsoft MVP".
[...] boy and girl which has been made hectic and incredibly fun ever since to their life.He has been awarded MVP status in 2009 by Microsoft(and renewed in 2010,2011 & 2012).His MVP profile is here.If you want to contact him direct then [...]
Congrats Chandoo!!
[…] Chandoo becomes MVP […]