Update 1: you can make a chart or dashboard or combo chart.
Update 2: Download file changed, fixed an error with dates.
Update 3: We got a sponsor, it is Zoho. Scroll down to see more.
Here is a challenge many people face. How to make a chart visualizing sales data with several dimensions like product, brand, region, sales person name, year (or month or quarter) and one or two values like sales, # of units sold, profits, # of new customers.
In visualization challenge #2, all you have to do is a make one chart (dashboards are ok too) to visualize this sales data effectively.
The Data
Download the CSV file with data [mirror]. It has 28 columns – Region,Product,Customer Type,Sales Person Name and 24 Months starting Jan 08.
The Objective
You have to make one chart (or dashboards) using this data that would help a senior manager understand how the sales people have done in the 24 months. The chart can be dynamic / interactive / macro based. You can use any software (not just excel) to make this chart.
The Booty
The winner gets an … wait for it … iPod Touch 8GB
sponsored by good folks at Zoho Reports. That is right. We are going all out to make sure you submit the best.
2 more contestants will get a complimentary copy of project management bundle for excel.
The Fineprint, read all of these before you start your engines:
- You can submit any number of entries.
- You are free to change the actual numbers in the data. I just used RANDBETWEEN () to get these values. You can replace them with some other numbers if you want.
- The contest is open from now to 28-Nov-2009.
- Winner will be selected using a poll by our readers.
- There is a second and third prize too. 2 contestants will get one copy of Project Management Templates Set.
- You can use any software, but you must submit the source files (or alteast stuff close to that) so that our readers can download and play with the files.
- International contestants – If Amazon or Apple don’t ship the iPod to your country, we are still cool. You can choose to have some other product that can be bought online and delivered to you, because we are awesome like that.
How to submit entries?
- Download the data and make the chart(s).
- Upload the chart source files, any images to a free online storage service like skydrive.
- Drop a comment here with links to your files.
- Alternatively e-mail the files to me (I am e-mail rustic. So expect few days delay before I upload them somewhere) at chandoo.d @ gmail.com
- Please note: You agree that the files you submit can be freely distributed to readers on PHD for learning purposes.
Contest Sponsored by Zoho Reports
This contest is sponsored by awesome folks at Zoho Reports, Online Reporting and Business Intelligence Service
Please spread the message:
Take a minute and e-mail a friend or tweet about this contest or share this on facebook. The more people participating in this, the better it is for us. We can learn several interesting implementations.
11 Responses to “Fix Incorrect Percentages with this Paste-Special Trick”
I've just taught yesterday to a colleague of mine how to convert amounts in local currency into another by pasting special the ROE.
great thing to know !!!
Chandoo - this is such a great trick and helps save time. If you don't use this shortcut, you have to take can create a formula where =(ref cell /100), copy that all the way down, covert it to a percentage and then copy/paste values to the original column. This does it all much faster. Nice job!
I was just asking peers yesterday if anyone know if an easy way to do this, I've been editing each cell and adding a % manually vs setting the cell to Percentage for months and just finally reached my wits end. What perfect timing! Thanks, great tip!
If it's just appearance you care about, another alternative is to use this custom number format:
0"%"
By adding the percent sign in quotes, it gets treated as text and won't do what you warned about here: "You can not just format the cells to % format either, excel shows 23 as 2300% then."
Dear Jon S. You are the reason I love the internet. 3 year old comments making my life easier.
Thank you.
Here is a quicker protocol.
Enter 10000% into the extra cell, copy this cell, select the range you need to convert to percentages, and use paste special > divide. Since the Paste > All option is selected, it not only divides by 10000% (i.e. 100), it also applies the % format to the cells being pasted on.
@Martin: That is another very good use of Divide / Multiply operations.
@Tony, @Jody: Thank you 🙂
@Jon S: Good one...
@Jon... now why didnt I think of that.. Excellent
Thank You so much. it is really helped me.
Big help...Thanks
Thanks. That really saved me a lot of time!
Is Show Formulas is turned on in the Formula Ribbon, it will stay in decimal form until that is turned off. Drove me batty for an hour until I just figured it out.