You have been there before.
Trying to compare last year numbers with this year, or last quarter with this quarter.
Today, let us learn how to create an interactive to chart to understand then vs. now.
Demo of Then vs. Now interactive chart
First, take a look the completed chart below. This is what you will be creating.
Inspiration for this chart
Before we jump in to Excel and understand how this is done, let me thank NY Times for providing the inspiration for this chart. I saw a similar chart in their climbing income ladder visualization.
Creating Then vs. Now chart in Excel
1. Arrange data
As usual, the first step is to get the data in to Excel. Structure your data like this.
2. Insert a combo box control to select a region
Since our chart will display values for one region at a time, we need a mechanism to let user control which region is displayed. We will use a combo box control do this. Follow these steps.
- Go to developer ribbon and insert combo box form control.
- Right click on the combo box and go to format control.
- Set up input range to list of regions in your data.
- Set up cell link to a blank cell in your workbook.
Related: Introduction to form controls.
3. Fetch selected region’s data
Now that we have a combo box to select which region to show in the chart, next step is to fetch data for selected region. You can use either VLOOKUP or INDEX formulas to do it.
Using VLOOKUP formula:
Assuming region name is in D17, and data is in values table, write:
=VLOOKUP(D17, values, 2, false)
to get 2nd column (then sales) value.
Using INDEX formula:
Assuming region number is in D16, and data is in values table, write:
=INDEX(values[then],D16)
4. Create a chart showing then to now movement
Next step is to create a chart that would show a line going from then value to now value. Lets take a closer look the line to understand how to make it in Excel.
We can create this chart with either XY (scatter) plot or line chart. Lets go with scatter plot.
In your workbook, set up a table like this:
Then, select the above and create a scatter plot. Select the scatter plot with connecting lines.
5. Formatting the chart
Since we want to show a thick circle at the beginning of then value and arrow at the end of now value, lets go ahead and do the formatting song and dance.
Formatting the first point:
- Select the first point of then values (you need to click once on it, take 3 deep breaths, click again and sacrifice a goat).
- Press CTRL+1 to format the data point.
- Go to Marker options and select built in marker and use the circle symbol.
Formatting the last point:
- Select the last point (same as above, but this time sacrifice a chicken)
- Format the data point.
- Go to line style, select End type and choose arrow.
Formatting the horizontal axis:
- Select horizontal (x) axis and press CTRL+1
- Set axis minimum to 1, maximum to 6.
- Click ok and delete the axis as we do not need it on the chart.
6. Adding “Break-up” of now values chart
This is easy, Just select fetched break-up values for selected region and create a bar chart. Format it as per your fancy.
7. Put everything together
Place the combo box, scatter plot and bar chart together in a nice fashion. Add a surrounding box shape so that everything looks like one report.
Add a descriptive title on the top. If possible, make chart title dynamic so that you can show the selected region name and % change in it.
8. Your Then vs. Now chart is ready
That is all. Your Then vs. Now chart is ready. Go ahead and flaunt it.
Download the chart workbook
Click here to download the chart workbook and play with it. Examine the formulas, chart settings and shapes to understand how this is set up.
Do you make then vs. now charts?
I think about half the charts made businesses around the world fall in to this category. I make these type of charts all the time. I use a variety of chart types to convey this information. Thermometer chart, waterfall chart and conditionally formatted tables are some of my favorite techniques.
What about you? Do you create then vs. now charts? what type of charts do you use? Please share your techniques and ideas using comments.
Learn more…
If you are not working in a cave or behind a huge stack of desks, chances are your job involves communicating for a living. Go ahead and read-up below articles to learn how to communicate with charts better, when it comes to then vs. now situations.
15 Responses to “Make a Bubble Chart in Excel [15 second tutorial]”
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!
Whyyyyyyyy?
The idea is to tell how to make a bubble chart. I got an e-mail from a reader recently asking how the scatter bubble is made. So I thought a 15 second tutorial would be a good idea to show this.
Did that email go "Dear Chandoo, I know that you scorn bubble charts, but if I don't do one in Excel for my boss then he'll fire my sorry ass, and my children will have to be sold for medical experiments in order for me to be able to afford the upgrade path to Excel 2010"?
If so, fair enough...it's all in the greater good 😉
Chandoo,
I am using excel 2003 and it is not working. The x axis is not the one that I enter in x axis column. Please help! Thanks.
Sorry, after few attempts, I managed to get the right result. I shouldn't select the title (header) of the table and select only the data to produce the right bubble chart.
What's wrong with bubble charts? Is there a better method for displaying scatter plots with lots of overlapping data points? Don't tell me you'd rather jitter!
@Sanwijay: Cool.
@Precious Roy: There is nothing wrong with bubble charts. Infact, it is the only way to show 3 dimensional data (x,y and sizes) without confusing your audience. Jeff is worried that people might misuse the chart. As with any chart, bubbles also have a place and time for using them.
I recommend using bubble charts to show relative performance various products in several regions and similar situations.
Also, human eye is notorious in wrongly estimating the bubble sizes (as we have to measure areas). See http://chandoo.org/wp/2009/07/28/charting-lessons-from-optical-illusions/
We can partially improve bubble charts by adding data labels, but if you have too many bubbles, the labels will clutter the chart and make it look busy.
I can't seem to find a way to plot more than ten bubbles on a chart and need to know how to add more
@KW.. why would such a thing happen. I am sure you can add more bubbles that that. Can you tell us exactly what you are doing...
Example table:
A B C (size)
Me: 25 30 15%
Him: 30 22 11%
Her: 12 30 20%
I am trying to make a bubble chart where the Y axis is A, the X axis is B, and the size of the bubble is C. There should be only 3 bubbles. I keep ending up with six (with the labels being only "Me" and "Her"). My goal is to have three bubbles, one representing each person. Clearly I am doing something wrong. Can you help explain...?
Hi,
I wanted to add data labels to the bubbles. Each bubble represents a different company name. Excel allows me to add the size, legend, x axis values and y axis values. How do I add instead- Company A, B, C, D for the bubbles?
youon you have to choice every data for every company..
ex:create bubble for A company,after that click right> add data label> adjust data labels :format data labels and choose : series name.
i hop u will succeed .
[...] we create a bubble chart with 2 bubbles. 1 for the actual mustache & 1 for target [...]
If we want bubble size to be controlled by one column, but the bubble labels to be controlled by another column, how can this be achieved?
many thanks!!!!