“Microsoft Excel is already installed on 750 million computers.

But creating mod-

ern visualizations using Excel charts seems impossible. In this book, Jonathan
Schwabish gives you the step-by-step instructions to make Excel charts do what
most people (including me) previously thought was impossible in Excel. Every
chapter, you will learn how to make visualizations that most people assume
require Python or R.”
–Bill Jelen, Excel MVP and publisher of MrExcel.com

“Those who expanded their graphicacy with Schwabish’s Better Data Visualizations
are going to love the follow up, in which Jon outlines how to make graphs using the
ubiquitous Microsoft Excel. Readers will appreciate Jon’s pragmatic examples, easy-to-
follow instructions and entertaining writing. If you need to communicate with data
and lack confidence making graphs in Excel, I urge you to add Data Visualization in
Excel to your library!”
–Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic, founder and CEO of storytelling with data (SWD)

“Wow, just wow. One book that explains how to make all the fancy, powerful
charts you see in good ol’ Excel. If you want to impress your boss with Excel
charting wizardry, this is THE BOOK for you. Not only does the book explain the
chart construction process, it also provides guidance on designing great outputs.
I wish I had this book when I started my data analyst journey. A must buy. Highly
recommended.”
–Chandoo (Purna Duggirala), Microsoft MVP, Chandoo.org

“This book takes you well beyond the defaults of Excel charting. It shows you how
to apply principles and best practices of data visualization in an accessible way.
In the process it streamlines the use of Excel while enabling the creation of much
more advanced graphics.”
–Jon Peltier, Peltier Technical Services

“Thank you Jonathan Schwabish for giving us such a clear how-to book! Data
Visualization in Excel shows us how far we can go with Excel to make data visual-
ization insights accessible to a much broader audience! I am making this my go-to
textbook for teaching myself and my students to create better, more effective, and
different graphs in Excel to operationalize the data visualization concepts and
strategies the earlier books have inspired in us.”
–Kosali Simon, Distinguished Professor, Indiana University,
O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs
“There aren’t many places where the cliché “think outside the box” can be applied
with such propriety (and benefits) than when making charts in Excel. If you go
beyond its poor chart library and defaults, there is a whole world to discover, and
Jon’s new book is a great journey companion. This detailed step-by-step tuto-
rial will show you how to take advantage of Excel’s flexibility, how to use design
and formatting options far from their original intent and how to visualize data
directly on the spreadsheet, going even further away from the chart library. On
top of this, Jon is a communicator and a data visualization expert, so his many
examples are relevant (many analytical tasks can benefit from them) and designed
for effectiveness applying sound data visualization guidelines.”
–Jorge Camões, data visualization consultant, founder of Excelcharts.com

“For data visualisation practitioners looking to hone their charting craft there are
three core questions: what, when, and how. What different options exist. When
should I use. How do I make them. Jon’s bestseller “Better Data Visualizations:
A Guide for Scholars, Researchers, and Wonks” addresses the first two of those
enquiries, and much more besides, but this excellent new text gives explicit solu-
tions for the matter of how. For Excel users, beginners or advanced, this book will
become an essential practical companion. You’ll learn how to elegantly master
the standard charting functions in the most effective and efficient way, but you’ll
also discover how to truly make Excel sing, finding novel approaches and clever
workarounds to expand your visual vocabulary even further.”
–Andy Kirk, independent consultant, educator, and author,
founder of visualisingdata.com

“I found this book 20 years too late! Seriously, I wish I had this book a long time
ago, for its rich collection of tutorials, best practices, lessons learned, and princi-
ples of data visualization using Excel. From broken stacked bars to Gantt charts,
heatmaps, tile grid maps, and waffle plots (and so much more from A to Z), the
many detailed visualization examples in this book will provide tremendous ben-
efit in the workplace whenever and wherever data storytelling, visual analytics, or
data-driven decision insights are required. Excel users from beginners to experts
will discover useful data visualization examples, corresponding detailed instruc-
tions, and perhaps some secrets of Excel here in this wonderful book.”
–Kirk Borne, Chief Science Officer, DataPrime Inc.
“Jonathan Schwabish taught me what constitutes a good chart. In this incredibly
useful volume, he teaches me how to make a good chart in Excel. A step-by-step
guide – practical, easy to follow and (of course) well-illustrated.”
–David Wessel, Director, Hutchins Center on Fiscal & Monetary Policy,
The Brookings Institution

“Finally, a comprehensive data visualisation book for Excel that’s detailed enough
that a relative beginner can use it, and extensive enough that an experienced user
will also discover tips and learn valuable Excel techniques and data visualisation
best practices.”
–Mynda Treacy, MyOnlineTrainingHub.com

“Data visualization has an ever-growing toolbox of applications and program-

ming languages for creating charts, but some may come with steep learning
curves, some may require coding skills, and some resources may lack the full
range of functionality we really need. The one, often overlooked tool familiar and
often available to most of us is Microsoft Excel. In this companion book to Better
Data Visualizations: A Guide for Scholars, Researchers and Wonks, Jon Schwabish
systematically and expertly shows us how to create a wide variety of visualization
types, from simple heatmaps right through to more complex examples such as
raincloud plots and Marimekko charts, each with detailed tutorials and with all
companion resources available via his website. This book first opens your eyes to
the wide range of visualization possibilities that were most likely available to you
all along in Excel, then promptly equips you with the skills to create them all.”
–Neil Richards, Lead Business Intelligence Analyst at JLL,
former Knowledge Director for the Data Visualization Society
 Data Visualization in Excel
This book closes the gap between what people think Excel can do and what they
can achieve in the tool. Over the past few years, recognition of the importance
of effectively visualizing data has led to an explosion of data analysis and visu-
alization software tools. But for many people, Microsoft Excel continues to be
the workhorse for their data visualization needs, not to mention the only tool
that many data workers have access to. Although Excel is not a specialist data
visualization platform, it does have strong capabilities. The default chart types
do not need to be the limit of the tool’s data visualization capabilities, and users
can extend its features by understanding some key elements and strategies. Data
Visualization in Excel provides a step-by-step guide to creating more advanced
and often more effective data visualizations in Excel and is the perfect guide
for anyone who wants to create better, more effective, and more engaging data
visualizations.

Jonathan Schwabish is an economist and data communication expert. Dr Schwabish

is considered a leader in the data visualization field and is a leading voice for clarity
and accessibility in research. He is a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, a non-profit
research institution in Washington, D.C., and is the founder of the data visualization
and presentation skills firm, PolicyViz.
 AK Peters Visualization Series
Visualization plays an ever-more prominent role in the world, as we communicate about and
analyze data. This series aims to capture what visualization is today in all its variety and d
­ iversity,
giving voice to researchers, practitioners, designers, and enthusiasts. It encompasses books from all
subfields of visualization, including visual analytics, information visualization, scientific visual-
ization, data journalism, infographics, and their connection to adjacent areas such as text analy-
sis, digital humanities, data art, or augmented and virtual reality.

SERIES EDITORS:
Tamara Munzner, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Alberto Cairo, University of Miami, USA

RECENT TITLES:
Building Science Graphics
An illustrated guide to communicating science through diagrams and visualizations
Jen Christiansen
Joyful Infographics
A Friendly, Human Approach to Data
Nigel Holmes
Questions in Dataviz
A Design-Driven Process for Data Visualisation
Neil Richards
Making with Data
Physical Design and Craft in a Data-Driven World
Edited by Samuel Huron, Till Nagel, Lora Oehlberg, Wesley Willett
Mobile Data Visualization
Edited by Bongshin Lee, Raimund Dachselt, Petra Isenberg, Eun Kyoung Choe
Data Sketches
Nadieh Bremer, Shirley Wu
Visualizing with Text
Richard Brath
Interactive Visual Data Analysis
Christian Tominski, Heidrun Schumann
Data-Driven Storytelling
Nathalie Henry Riche, Christophe Hurter, Nicholas Diakopoulos, Sheelagh Carpendale

For more information about this series please visit: https://www.routledge.com/AK-Peters-

Visualization-Series/book-series/CRCVIS
Data Visualization in Excel
A Guide for Beginners,
Intermediates, and Wonks

Jonathan Schwabish
First Edition published 2023
by CRC Press
6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742

and by CRC Press

4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN

CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

© 2023 Jonathan Schwabish

Reasonable efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and publisher cannot
assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of their use. The authors and p
­ ublishers
have attempted to trace the copyright holders of all material reproduced in this publication and apologize to
­copyright holders if permission to publish in this form has not been obtained. If any copyright material has not
been acknowledged please write and let us know so we may rectify in any future reprint.

Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or
utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without written
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that are not available on CCC please contact [email protected]

Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are used only for
identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

Library of Congress Cataloging‑in‑Publication Data

Names: Schwabish, Jonathan A., author.
Title: Data visualization in Excel : a guide for beginners, intermediates, and wonks / Jonathan Schwabish.
Description: First edition. | Boca Raton : AK Peters/CRC Press, 2023. |
Series: AK Peters visualization series | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022055048 (print) | LCCN 2022055049 (ebook) | ISBN 9781032343280 (hbk) |
ISBN 9781032343266 (pbk) | ISBN 9781003321552 (ebk) | ISBN 9781032487823 (eBook+)
Subjects: LCSH: Information visualization—Data processing. | Visual analytics. |
Microsoft Excel (Computer file)
Classification: LCC QA76.9.I52 S394 2023 (print) | LCC QA76.9.I52 (ebook) | DDC 005.7/2—dc23/eng/20230104
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022055048
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022055049

ISBN: 978-1-032-34328-0 (hbk)

ISBN: 978-1-032-34326-6 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-32155-2 (ebk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-48782-3 (eBook+)

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552

Typeset in Minion
by codeMantra

Access the Support Materials: https://www.routledge.com/9781032343266

Dedication
For Ellie and Jack

v
 Contents

To help guide you through the tutorials, each chapter is roughly classified by
­difficulty depending on the number of steps, how many different chart types are
used, and how much data preparation is needed.

Beginner       Intermediate       Advanced

Acknowledgements xi

PART ONE: SETTING THE STAGE

1. Introduction 3

2. How to Use This Book 11

3. The Philosophy of Data Visualization in Excel 17

4. Introduction to Making Graphs in Excel 25

5. Fundamental Formulas Used in Building Your Graphs 53

6. Building a Custom Color Palette in Excel 73

PART TWO: MAKING GRAPHS IN EXCEL

7. Sparklines 85

8. Heatmap 89

vii
viii Contents

9. Stripe Chart 97

10. Waffle Chart 103

11. Gantt Chart 111

12. Comparing Values with Two Graph Types 125

13. Broken Stacked Bar Chart 135

14. Diverging Bar Chart 147

15. Block Shading (Same Frequency) 155

16. Block Shading (Different Frequencies) 161

17. Mark an Event with a Line 169

18. Dot Plot 187

19. Slope Chart 199

20. Overlaid Gridlines 213

21. Lollipop Chart 221

22. Bullet Chart 227

23. Tile Grid Map 239

24. Histogram 257

25. Marimekko Chart 275

26. Cycle Plot 287

27. Strip Chart 297

28. Raincloud Plot 303

29. Making Better Tables 315

 Contents ix

PART THREE: MOVING VISUALS OUT OF EXCEL

30. Exporting Graphs from Excel 325

31. Redesigns and Examples 331

32. Conclusion 345

Appendix 1. Color Tools 347

Appendix 2. Data Visualization Tools 349

Appendix 3. Additional Excel Resources 355

Appendix 4. Quick Instructions List 357

References 377

Index 379
 Acknowledgements

After teaching any sort of introductory data visualization class or workshop,

one of the first questions I hear is: How can I build data visualizations? Learning
more about dot plots, slope charts, waffle charts, and others can expand a per-
son’s graphic toolbox, but how does someone create those visuals?
In response, I started teaching more about the technical aspects of building
data visualizations in Excel. But an hour or two or four is still insufficient for
folks to really level up their skills, so I wrote a step-by-step e-book (a fancy
word for a PDF document) for people who needed extra support during the
training.
This book is a better, more comprehensive version of that e-book. I thought
it would be easy—just take the e-book, update a few steps, add a few more
graphs, and it’s all set! But it’s never as easy as that. Even when I finished the
first draft and asked my kids to take a first pass through the tutorials, I knew it
needed a major revision. The steps were too much of a narrative—I needed to
simplify, update, and streamline.
This book could not have been completed without the assistance of Glenna
Shaw. Glenna outdid herself with this project. She worked tirelessly to capture
all of the images, adding pointers and annotations, and correcting several mis-
takes. Without her help, this project would have taken twice as long and looked
half as good.
I’m also thankful for the assistance of Michael Brenner and Wesley Jenkins.
Michael, a designer with the incredible Data4Change organization, created the

xi
xii Acknowledgements

cover for the book and assisted with a variety of images. Wes is an expert editor
and helped shepherd this project to its final completion. Writing a step-by-step
book is not the most creative writing exercise in the world, but Wes stuck by
me, making sure the writing was concise and clear.
A book like this needs to be tested. Each step. Over and over again. I am
grateful to the people who spent time and effort testing each tutorial: Margot
Hollick, Kyungmin (Mina) Lee, Cynthia Ma, Navya Patury, Charles Tang, and
Steven Yates.
Big thanks are due to the publishing team at CRC Press—Randi Cohen,
Sathya Devi, Mansi Kabra, Elliot Morsia and Todd Perry—and the series
­editors, Alberto Cairo and Tamara Munzner. I’m also thankful to the ­reviewers
of early versions of this book, including Dave Bruns, Jorge Camões, and Jon
Peltier.
The data visualization community is incredibly supportive, creative, and
energetic. Without that creativity and desire to produce better, more effective
ways to communicate data, this book would not have come to fruition. I hope
that through this book readers will see it’s not what tool you use to create your
visualizations, but the care and creativity you bring to that work.
I’m also grateful for my Urban Institute colleagues who strive to make the
world a better place through economic and social policy research. The diversity
of perspectives, backgrounds, experiences, and skills has helped me to become
a better researcher and better data communicator.
I’m especially thankful to friends inside and outside the data visualization
field who have supported me while I worked on this book, either by answering
questions about data or data visualization or simply grabbing a quick breakfast
or a drink at the end of the day: Lindsay Betzendahl, Nayan Bhula, Matt Chase,
Alice Feng, Kevin Flerlage, Francis Gagnon, Cole Knaflic, Ken Skaggs, Sharon
Sotsky Ramirez, Alli Torban, and John Wehmann. Special thanks to my entire
extended family for the endless supply of support and love.
Finally, as always, my most special thanks go to my wife and kids. Since Ellie
and Jack have grown up, I have written four books; fortunately for me, they
are now more active participants in the process. Both spent hours testing this
book, trying to follow their dad’s complicated instructions, looking through
colors and fonts, cover drafts, and always offering constructive feedback and
thoughtful opinions. I couldn’t have completed this book without them. I hope
they’ll always know how they inspire me to do the work I do.
My deepest thanks go to my wife, Lauren. Let’s always hold hands.
 Part 1

Setting the
Stage
 Chapter 1
Introduction

As a senior in college at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, my mentor

and I worked on a project that looked at how the US poverty rate and US eco-
nomic growth changed over time. For my part of the project, I compiled data
from a number of government sources, from employment data at the Bureau of
Labor Statistics to economic growth data at the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
For each year in the dataset, I entered the values into several Excel workbooks,
made a lot of charts, and even ran regressions (something I would never do
now!).
The graphs were, let’s just say, not inspired. I’m sure I used the Excel defaults
(likely Excel 97) and just let the tool do what it wanted to do. But creating those
graphs is my earliest memory of using Microsoft Excel for research, and it’s a
memory that has stuck with me ever since (Figure 1.1).
Several years later, while conducting my graduate work in economics at
Syracuse University, I had another opportunity to explore the capabilities of
Excel. I was assisting my graduate mentor with his work that measured earn-
ings and income inequality in different countries around the world. We used
the Luxembourg Income Study, an archive and research center that houses the
largest database of cross-national data in the world. I compiled the estimates
of certain measures of inequality—such as the 10th, 50th, and 90th percentiles
and the Gini coefficient—to include in journal articles and reports. My mentor
had already created a graph for this dataset, which strategically placed a bar

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-23
 4 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 1.1 Source: Robert Haveman and Jonathan Schwabish. 1999. “Macroeconomic
Performance and the Poverty Rate: A Return to Normalcy?” IRP Discussion Paper No. 1187-
99 (March).

chart in the middle of the table so readers could see the exact values and the
Making

gap between the top and bottom of the income distribution.

By this time, I could write computer code using statistical packages like SAS
and Stata, but I still used Excel to make my graphs and charts. This table was
more inspired than my earlier attempts as an undergraduate, and it afforded
me the exciting opportunity to explore Excel by recreating it and expanding
the capabilities of the tool beyond the standard bar chart. Although I could
likely improve this table now, it was perhaps the first time that I saw a more
Moving

effective way to present complex data (Figure 1.2).

My interest in creating better, more effective graphs and tables would con-
tinue to grow as my career progressed. While working at the Congressional
Budget Office—the budget arm of the US Congress—in Washington, DC, I
investigated ways my colleagues and I could improve how we communicated
our work to federal policymakers. We used Excel and several other tools to
create clearer, more engaging, and more colorful graphs and diagrams in our
reports, slide decks, and blog posts.
All the while, the landscape of data visualization tools was changing. In
2003, the dashboarding tool Tableau launched, allowing users to create interac-
tive dashboards quickly and without computer code. Statistician and developer
Hadley Wickham also released his ggplot2 system for making data visualiza-
tions in the R programming language in 2003, immediately enabling users to
make better graphs. Members of Stanford University’s Visualization group—
Mike Bostock, Jeffrey Heer, and Vadim Ogievetsky—released D3, a JavaScript
 Chapter 1: Introduction 5

Setting
FIGURE 1.2 Source: Timothy M. Smeeding. 2002. “Globalisation, Inequality and the Rich
Countries of the G-20: Evidence from the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS).” Reserve Bank of
Australia Conference presentation. https://www.rba.gov.au/publications/confs/2002/smeeding.

Making
html.

library used to produce interactive data visualizations on the web, in 2011.

Later, more tools would show up on the scene, including Datawrapper (started
in 2012), RAWGraphs (2013), PowerBI (2014), Google Data Studio (2016), and
Flourish (2018) (Figure 1.3).

Moving
FIGURE 1.3

But I stuck with Excel. I tried to learn some of these other tools—I could code
in SAS, Stata, and Fortran (yes, Fortran!), but a language like D3 was beyond
my skills. Today, I use all of the tools mentioned above to some degree—maybe I
make a map in R, a Sankey diagram in RAWGraphs, interactive tables in Google
Data Studio—but Excel remains my workhorse and my go-to.
You might be thinking to yourself: Why would someone who spends so
much of his time collecting, analyzing, and visualizing data use a tool that
requires, at its core, manual processes? For one, it requires time and dedication
 6 Data Visualization in Excel

to become proficient in these other tools and languages. But more importantly,
everyone has Excel and everyone can easily get started in Excel.
Think about a small nonprofit organization staffed by six, seven, or eight
people. Maybe that organization has one person who is the data person—they
are responsible for collecting and assembling the data, cleaning it, and making
the graphs, slides, and reports.
Maybe that person showed an interest in data visualization or maybe they
were thrust into the role because, well, there wasn’t really anyone else who could
(or wanted to) do it. That person may not have the interest—nor the time—to
learn another tool. That person’s organization might not be able to afford other
tools or might not house a huge amount of data. Or maybe that person’s needs
are relatively simple—a good bar chart or line chart can go a long way—so cre-
ating interactive dashboards or websites is not what their organization needs.
Setting

I stick with Excel because for my purposes (and for many other data prac-
titioners like me), Excel is all I need. Hopefully my approach to Excel in this
book will demonstrate that you can create great, effective visualizations with-
out having to lean on an entire suite of data visualization tools.
You can think of this book as the hands-on companion to my book on data
visualization principles and practices, Better Data Visualizations: A Guide for
Scholars, Researchers, and Wonks. In that book, I lay out the core principles for
Making

creating effective data visualizations and show that any of us can learn how to
read different graphs and charts. I explore many different kinds of data visual-
izations, from static graphs to interactive dashboards, but the bulk of the book
is dedicated to presenting more than 80 different graph types with examples
from all over the world.
In this book, I show you how to build nearly 30 of the “non-standard” graphs
Moving

in Excel, graphs that are sometimes more complex than those in the standard
drop-down menus and that can sometimes show data in better or more engag-
ing ways. I focus on how to extend and combine the basic graphs in the Excel
charting engine; how to use Excel formulas to make your graphs and data more
responsive and flexible; and how you can be more productive and efficient when
working with the tool.
Learning the steps to create graphs in Excel is just one part of the process.
Understanding the basic principles of data visualization design is central to
visually communicating your message. I find three guiding principles espe-
cially useful to creating effective graphs, charts, and diagrams (each described
in more detail in Better Data Visualizations):
•• Show the Data. It’s important to decide how much data to show and
how to help our reader or user find the key argument, values, or trends.
We don’t need to show all of the data all of the time, but we do want to
make the visualization as clear as possible.
 Chapter 1: Introduction 7

In a default Excel chart, all elements are given the same weight and
focus. The bars in a bar chart and the lines in a line chart, for example,
have the same thickness and color weight. In many cases, this approach
is fine, but in cases where we want to highlight the most important
value or trend, it doesn’t work as well. In those cases, we might need
to thin some of the lines or lighten some of the colors. Notice in this
example how the change from a default chart to one with thicker
lines focuses our attention and ties directly to the title of the chart
(Figures 1.4 and 1.5).

Setting
Making
FIGURE 1.4

Moving

FIGURE 1.5
 8 Data Visualization in Excel

•• Reduce the Clutter. To help the reader get to the data as fast and as
easily as possible, we should reduce or eliminate extraneous gridlines,
tick marks, data labels, and data markers. Fortunately, newer versions
of Excel are much better at keeping these non-data elements lighter and
less emphatic. But as we consider how to add or change these elements,
we need to keep in mind that the reader needs to process every addi-
tional element we add to a visual.
We could create this graph in Figure 1.6 and maybe, though ­probably
not likely, have a good reason to do so. But all of the heavy gridlines,
tick marks, and data markers make it difficult to understand what we
are supposed to learn from the graph. By comparison, the graph in
Figure 1.7 eliminates or lightens many of these non-data elements to
make the point clear.
Setting
Making
Moving

FIGURE 1.6

FIGURE 1.7
 Chapter 1: Introduction 9

•• Integrate the Graphics and Text. When possible, directly label the data
in a chart—the bars, lines, and circles. We want to use concise, active
titles that prime the reader for what they are supposed to take away
from the graph rather than just describing what’s in the graph. And we
want to include explanatory labels and annotations in and around the
graph to help people understand its content.
In Excel, we can add context by drawing lines and adding text boxes,
but as you’ll see in the chapters to come, I prefer to integrate labels and
other annotations by attaching them to data. By inserting new data
fields or series in our charts, we can be more certain we are placing
these labels exactly where we want them and that they will look more
consistent and better aligned. The graph in Figure 1.8 is a recreation
of graphs I have seen in practice—with slanted lines and misaligned

Setting
or inaccurately placed labels. It does not look as polished as the one in
Figure 1.9, which has all of those non-data elements inserted by using
data placed at the precise position.

Making
Moving
FIGURE 1.8

FIGURE 1.9
 10 Data Visualization in Excel

Following these basic principles will help our graphs effectively commu-
nicate our data to our audience. Instead of simply handing our reader what-
ever graph the default Excel settings produce, we can take some active steps
to make our data clearer so our readers can understand the point quickly
and easily.
Setting
Making
Moving
 Chapter 2
How to Use
This Book

Through this book, I intend to provide you with a step-by-step guide to creat-
ing better, different, and more effective data visualizations. The book is geared
toward people who have at least some experience using Excel and making data
visualizations, but Chapters 4 and 5 provide a basic overview of the tool and its
charting capabilities. Even if you’re an experienced Excel user, I hope you can
find some valuable lessons in those chapters.
Before you begin the tutorials, I recommend you visit the website for this
book (https://www.routledge.com/9781032343266) and download the tuto-
rial Excel files. There are three files to download:
1. The first contains the data used in each graph but none of the formulas
or the final visualization. You will need to work through each tutorial
to insert the formulas before making the final graph.
2. The second file contains the data for each graph and the final graph
shown in the tutorial, fully formatted.
3. The third includes the data and all of the completed formulas, but not
the final visualization. This file is probably best used with the “Quick
Instructions” tutorials that appear at the end of each chapter, which are
discussed below.

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-311
 12 Data Visualization in Excel

All three files include the raw data with source information and website links. I
recommend you use the first file to work through the tutorials. It’s easy to open
the final graphs and use them in your work, but it won’t help you learn how to
build those visualizations. If you don’t want to bother with typing formulas,
you can use the second or third file to copy the formulas to the first file.
You may already know how to create some of the graphs in this book, but I
still recommend you read through the first few tutorials. In those chapters, I set
up the primary menus that I use throughout the book. As you go further, you
will find that I don’t repeat the same basic steps about how to Select Data, Change
Chart options, or navigate to the formatting menus. At some point, these steps
will become second nature as you build, edit, and style your Excel graphs.
Over time, Microsoft has tried to bring the version of Excel on PCs and the
version on Macs closer together. In general, the newest versions of Excel have
Setting

relatively minor differences between the two operating systems. The two big-
gest differences are adding and editing data in a chart and combining charts.
I explain how these differences affect data visualizations generally in the next
chapter, and I highlight where those differences exist in each tutorial and how
you can create the graph on your particular operating system.
In the tutorials, I use italics to refer to Excel menus, options, and buttons, and
the Courier font to show Excel formulas. Most of the tutorials begin with the
Making

visualization in default Excel formats and ends with a version that I’ve format-
ted with different colors, fonts, and other layout changes. I don’t discuss all of
the formatting changes I make in the final graph, but hopefully you’ll become
familiar enough with the graphing options to make those changes on your own.
The tutorials are independent of one another, but the basic skills build from
one to the next. In the first few tutorials, I’ll remind you where to click and
Moving

what button to select to add the data. But after a while, I’ll assume you have that
skill mastered and won’t walk through each step in each menu. Sometimes,
I’ll use a shorthand like A > B > C, which simply means select option/menu A,
then option B, then C. I also refrain from telling you to click the OK button on
every single menu. It’s worth noting that the menus and directions are based
on the English (United States) version of the tool, and some tab names and but-
ton orders may differ for versions of Excel in other languages.
To help guide you through the tutorials, each chapter has a header table with
four pieces of information:
•• Difficulty Level. Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced. This level is a
rough classification based on the number of steps, how many differ-
ent chart types are used, and how much data preparation is needed.
Generally, the tutorials grow from the easiest to the hardest over the
course of the book.
 Chapter 2: How to Use This Book 13

•• Primary Data Type. I cover five data types in this book and have
included an entry for the primary data type typically used for each
graph. It is possible, of course, that some graphs may be used to visual-
ize multiple data types, so this categorization is just a guide.
1. Categorical. Visualizations that are used to compare categories or
different values—the classic case is a bar chart.
2. Distribution. Visualizations that are used to show the spread of
data, like a histogram or box-and-whisker plot.
3. Geospatial. Visualizations that are used to show geographic pat-
terns in the data or, in other words, maps.
4. Part-to-Whole. Graphs that are used to show a value relative to the

Setting
whole—think pie charts.
5. Time. Graphs that are used to show changes over time, like a line
chart.
•• Combine Charts. This cell provides a Yes/No classification for whether
the tutorial requires combining chart types. Although combining
charts doesn’t necessarily increase the difficulty of making the graph,

Making
it certainly adds an extra step. In Chapter 4, I describe how to combine
chart types and how that process differs for PC users and Mac users.
•• Formulas. To demonstrate how to prepare the data for graphing, some
of the tutorials include formulas or other data manipulations. This field
lists the formulas used in the tutorial. In Chapter 5, we explore how
these Excel formulas work. If you don’t want to bother with these steps,

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simply use the second or third Excel files, which have all of the data
fields filled in.
Table 2.1 contains this information for every chapter.
The end of each chapter includes a “Quick Instructions” list, an abbreviated
set instructions to build each graph. There is also a separate Appendix at the
end of the book with a full collection of the Quick Instructions for every tuto-
rial. These instructions don’t always line up with the numbered steps in the full
tutorials and tend to use more shorthand than a full description of each step.
They also don’t include the steps to set up and organize the data with formulas
or how to style the colors, axes, text, and other aesthetic elements. Because the
full details are not included in these bulleted lists, you may want to use the
Excel file that includes the formulas and has the data preparation completed. If
you feel you have mastered the steps or just need a quick refresher, these quick
instructions may be what you need.
 Moving Making Setting
14

TABLE 2.1

Primary Data Type:

Difficulty: Categorical/Time/
Beginner/ Geospatial/ Combine
Chapter Intermediate/ Distribution/ Charts:
Number Chapter Title Advanced Part-to-Whole Yes/No Formulas: IF, SUMIF, AVERAGEIF, etc.
7 Sparklines Beginner Time No None
8 Heatmap Beginner Categorical No None
Data Visualization in Excel

9 Stripe chart Beginner Categorical No None

10 Waffle chart Beginner Part-to-whole No IF, &
11 Gantt chart Beginner Time No IF, AND, &
12 Comparing values with two graph types Intermediate Categorical Yes None
13 Broken stacked bar chart Intermediate Categorical No MAX
14 Diverging bar chart Intermediate Categorical No SUM
15 Block shading (same frequency) Beginner Categorical Yes None
16 Block shading (different frequencies) Intermediate Categorical Yes None
17 Mark an event with a line Intermediate Time Yes IF, OR, VALUE, RIGHT
18 Dot plot Intermediate Categorical No IF, AVERAGE
19 Slope chart Intermediate Time No &
20 Overlaid gridlines Intermediate Categorical Yes None
21 Lollipop Intermediate Categorical No None
22 Bullet chart Advanced Categorical No MAX, AVERAGE, MATCH, TEXT, CHAR, &
23 Tile grid map Advanced Geospatial No VLOOKUP, MIN, MAX
24 Histogram Advanced Distribution No COUNTIFS, &
25 Marimekko Advanced Categorical Yes IF, INT, VLOOKUP, SUM
26 Cycle plot Advanced Time Yes IF, AVERAGEIF, TEXT
27 Strip chart Intermediate Distribution No None
28 Raincloud plot Advanced Distribution Yes WEEKNUM, AVERAGEIF, PERCENTILE,
COUNTIF, IF
 Chapter 2: How to Use This Book 15

I maintain a separate webpage on my PolicyViz website (https://policyviz.

com/pv_books/data-visualization-in-excel-a-guide-for-beginners-intermedia-
tes-and-wonks/) with additional resources, files, and links to help you create
better, more effective data visualizations in Excel. That page will expand over
time with more Excel tutorials, tips, and answers to common questions from
this book. If you run into trouble, check if the answers to your questions are
available there.
Okay, we’re now set up to go. Let’s talk about data visualization in Excel.

Setting
Making
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 Chapter 3
The Philosophy of
Data Visualization
in Excel

Microsoft Excel, with its more than 750 million users worldwide (Wann, 2020),
continues to be the standard for desktop data analysis. Excel’s data visualiza-
tion library has significantly expanded since it was introduced in 1985, but at
its core, it’s still a drag-and-drop tool. On the one hand, that simple functional-
ity makes it more accessible because anyone can open it up, type in some data,
and start making something. On the other hand, the tool is limited by what is
in the drop-down menus and what is in the library of options.
I hope the tutorials in this book can move you beyond the standard graphs
in the drop-down menu and show you how to create other data visualiza-
tions—even those that you think on the surface may not be something Excel
can handle.
There are a lot of data analysis and visualization tools you can use to work
with and display your data. But whatever tool you use, it’s important to keep in
mind that it’s just that: a tool. As much as I am a fan of Excel and its capabili-
ties, it clearly can’t do everything. I wouldn’t use Excel to create an interactive
data visualization for the Washington Post website, and I wouldn’t use it for a
large dataset with millions of observations. But if I need to create a basic bar
chart or line chart—or even some more complex charts like those found later
in this book—Excel might be the perfect tool for the job.
Before diving into our Excel tutorials, it’s worth understanding the world
of data visualization tools. In the image below, I’ve organized almost 20 tools
by their “barrier to entry,” which we can think of as the difficulty of getting

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-417
 18 Data Visualization in Excel

started. On the left side of the axis, I’ve put tools that are primarily drag-and-
drop or click-based—tools like Excel and Google Sheets, or browser-based tools
like Datawrapper and Flourish. These tools are easy to use and anyone can
open them up, paste in some data, and make a chart. On the right side of the
axis, I’ve put tools that have a higher barrier to entry. These tools are primarily
programming languages like JavaScript, Python, and R, which require some
understanding of computer programming and its syntax (Figure 3.1). (See the
Appendix 2 for a more detailed list of data visualization tools.)
Setting
Making

FIGURE 3.1 Source: Based on image from Jonathan Schwabish, Better Data Visualizations:
A Guide for Scholars, Researchers, and Wonks.
Moving

There are two tradeoffs with this barrier to entry metric. The first is the limi-
tations of these tools. The tools on the left, which everyone can use to create
a graph, are more limited in what they can be used to create. What’s included
in the tool and in the drop-down menus dictates what we can make. For the
tools on the right, we are only limited by our ability to write the correct code to
make our preferred visualization.
The other tradeoff is how reproducible the visualizations are in each tool.
To teach someone how to make a graph in Excel or Google Sheets, we need to
show them each step in the process. And if the data changes in some way—say
there are more values or an additional series—we might need to change the
approach we used to create the graph. On the other side of the axis, however,
we can share a snippet of code or script, and someone else can run it to create
the same visualization with little additional work.
This book seeks to inch Excel to the right as much as possible—to make our
data visualizations in Excel act like a coding language without requiring any
 Chapter 3: The Philosophy of Data Visualization in Excel 19

actual code. By incorporating actual data into all elements of our charts—the
labels, lines, shapes, and annotations—we can update the data or share it with
someone else with fewer challenges of reproducing and extending it.
Using data in all facets of our Excel charts achieves two things. First, it makes
the graphs easier to move from one tool to another. If we draw a line on top of
a bar chart in Excel then try to copy it over to PowerPoint or Word, we need
to select and copy both elements because Excel views them as two separate
objects. But if we draw a line with data, Excel sees a single object, which makes
moving it between programs easier and more consistent.
Second, this approach is more reproducible. We cannot avoid the fact that
teaching someone how to create a complicated chart in Excel requires a step-
by-step guide (ahem, this book?). But if we use formulas to subset and select
our data and use data to add elements to our graphs, we can make that process

Setting
easier and more reproducible.
Consider the annual unemployment rate in the US from 1950 through 2021
(Figure 3.2). We can insert a line chart of these data (in columns A and B) with
just a few clicks. But what if we want to label the first year of each decade (e.g.,
1950, 1960, 1970, and so on) and include its unemployment rate?

Making
Moving

FIGURE 3.2

If we right-click on the line (CTRL+Click on Mac) and select the Add Data
Labels option, Excel will add a label to every data point on the line. We could
selectively delete the 64 labels we don’t want, but this approach is tedious, isn’t
sensitive to adding more data, and really stinks if we make a mistake because
we will have to start again (Figure 3.3).
 20 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 3.3

What if we added another data series to the chart instead? For this new
series, we include only the data for years we want to label (using a simple IF
formula, which we’ll cover later). Now, when we include both lines in the chart,
Making

we can select our second line (shown with the orange dots below) and right-
click to add the data labels on just those eight points (Figure 3.4).
Using this strategy is faster, easier to extend, and easier to replicate with
additional or other data. By incorporating formulas into the second series—
which we will cover in Chapter 4—we can more easily paste in new data that
automatically updates through the formulas and into the graphs.
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FIGURE 3.4
 Chapter 3: The Philosophy of Data Visualization in Excel 21

To best create data visualizations in Excel, we need to recognize that Excel

works within two main frameworks. First, it has three primary shapes (or
encodings) to represent data: lines, bars, and circles. If the data visualization
we want to create is made up of lines, bars, or circles, it’s likely something that
Excel can do. There is a small caveat here: the shapes need to be of a non-trivial
size or length. Take a map—the coast of Florida, for example, has a lot of turns
and curves. Excel is not going to be very good at drawing that coast because
each turn and curve requires a new data point and line, ultimately necessitat-
ing a massive dataset.
Second, Excel works in a horizontal (X) and vertical (Y) space. Of course,
this basic framework is how we plot data, but it’s worth noting that Excel doesn’t
work in an X-Y-Z (3D) space, which many people use to create “cool-looking”
graphs. Excel does have some 3D capability, but the 3D graphs in Excel are not

Setting
truly 3D! Excel uses a perspective approach to rotate these graphs, so we don’t
need to wear the classic red-blue glasses to see them (Figure 3.5).

Making
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FIGURE 3.5
 22 Data Visualization in Excel

Take a look at these two graphs. In the 2D representation in Figure 3.6, the
value of each bar is clear—40, 30, 20, and 10. But in the 3D representation in
Figure 3.7—using the exact same data—the tops of the bars don’t touch the
appropriate gridline. The “3D effect” in Excel distorts the data, and I recom-
mend against using those graph types.
Setting
Making

FIGURE 3.6
Moving

FIGURE 3.7
 Chapter 3: The Philosophy of Data Visualization in Excel 23

Excel certainly has its fair share of graphs that do not follow what many con-
sider to be data visualization best practices. But it does have a core set of graphs
that we can modify and combine to create even more data visualizations than
the basic graphs in the drop-down menus. As you work your way through the
tutorials in this book, keep in mind that Excel enables us to work in three basic
shapes (lines, bars, and circles) and in a basic X-Y space. We will use a variety
of formulas to analyze, clean, and organize our data to create graphs that are
easy to manipulate and recreate with new data or data that changes.
Before we get to that point, let’s cover some basics of how Excel works.

Setting
Making
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 Chapter 4
Introduction to
Making Graphs
in Excel

For a beginner Excel user, the program can seem daunting with its many avail-
able menus to clean, analyze, and visualize data. But once you have the lay of
the land, you’ll find the tool isn’t as scary as it is at first glance. I find the tool is
well-organized and enables users to gain familiarity by using the same menus
time and again to make changes to the spreadsheet and graph elements. That
means we don’t need to learn new menus, views, or buttons for every task. And
in my opinion, the newer versions of Excel—through the Office 365 subscrip-
tion model—are a big improvement over the older versions.
Don’t get me wrong: there are some things about Excel that drive me crazy,
and many of the graphs in the basic drop-down menu are drop-down dreadful.
But the tool is built in such a way that we can make more advanced visualiza-
tions simply by understanding what it can and cannot do.
In this chapter, I introduce some basic parts of Excel for users who may
have never opened the tool or made a graph. I focus primarily on the sec-
tions of the tool that are most relevant to creating effective graphs. There are
many terrific blogs, resources, and books available if you want to learn other
aspects of Excel like Pivot Tables, PowerQuery, macros and the Visual Basic
for Applications (VBA) language, and more advanced formulas (see Appendix
3 for a curated list).
This chapter also provides some valuable information for the more expe-
rienced user. Not every Excel user knows about the Plot Area and the Chart
Area or how to modify the properties of Excel charts. I’ve inserted this icon ( )

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-525
 26 Data Visualization in Excel

before the sections that I think everyone can benefit from learning, not just the
first-time users. If you are experienced with Excel, you can jump to those icons
to see if there are some nuggets of wisdom here to help you become a better
Excel user.

The Excel View

Before we begin to explore using Excel, we must understand how the program
is organized. The main area at the top of the Excel window is called the ribbon
and each section of the ribbon (e.g., Home, Insert, etc.) are called Tabs. Within
each Tab are a variety of options, menus, and buttons. Additional Tabs will
appear when we are working within a specific element of Excel, like a graph or
Pivot table. Below the ribbon is the Formula Bar where we can begin to type in
Setting

a formula for our spreadsheet and Excel will prompt us with formula options
(see next chapter) (Figure 4.1).
Making
Moving

FIGURE 4.1

The narrow area above the ribbon is called the Quick Access Toolbar or QAT.
When opening Excel for the first time, there will be two or three icons, likely for
Save ( ), Undo ( ), and Redo ( ). We can customize the QAT by selecting the
down arrow on the far right side and choosing Customize the Ribbon. Once the
dialog box opens up, we can add commands to the QAT or even create a new Tab.
Adding a variety of commands to the QAT can help us be more productive by
reducing the number of clicks we have to make.
 Chapter 4: Introduction to Making Graphs in Excel 27

Alternatively, instead of customizing the QAT, you can familiarize yourself

with keyboard shortcuts. You’re most likely familiar with common shortcuts
like CTRL+C for Copy, CTRL+V for Paste, and CTRL+S for Save. There are
hundreds of other shortcuts that my memory isn’t strong enough to remember
all of the time (and they differ between PCs and Macs). But one other incred-
ibly useful shortcut is CTRL+1 (CMD+1 on Macs), which will bring you to the
Format > Current Selection menu (the drop-down menu in the far left part of
the Format tab) of whatever you have selected. Want to format the horizontal
(x-) axis in your chart? Select it and hit CTRL+1. Want to format the cells in the
spreadsheet? Select them and hit CTRL+1. For me, CTRL+1 is as important as
all of the other standard shortcuts we have come to know and love.
The spreadsheet itself—called “worksheets” in Excel parlance—takes up the
main area of the view and consists of rows (horizontal) and columns (verti-

Setting
cal), with the intersections called cells. Rows are numbered in Excel, and their
default height depends on the computer’s monitor and resolution—rows on
my Windows Surface Pro have a default height of 38 pixels, while rows on my
MacBook Pro have a default height of 16 pixels. Columns are labeled with let-
ters, and their size will also depend on the screen—columns on my Surface
Pro have a default width of 136 pixels and columns on my MacBook Pro have
a default width of 65 pixels. Both dimensions can be adjusted by selecting

Making
the column/row and right-clicking or by dragging the column/row edge. The
spreadsheet gridlines can also be modified or turned off by using the Show
menu in the View tab.
You may notice that Excel shows two numbers for row heights and column
widths. A column width unit in Excel is equal to the width of one character,
with the default on my Surface Pro equal to 47 characters or 136 pixels. Row

Moving
height is measured in pixels and points, which can make it a little annoying to
compare the dimensions of rows and columns. Fortunately, if we stick to pixels
and don’t worry about converting to characters or points, it’s not such a big
deal. Excel determines the width of columns by the character width of the font,
which can vary between monitors, screen resolutions, operating systems (e.g.,
Windows and Mac), and font families. As a result, some of the column widths
or row heights in the tutorials might not look perfect on every machine, but we
can adjust them to fit our preferences.
At the bottom of the Excel window are some basic controls of the worksheet.
Each worksheet has a default name and number (e.g., Sheet1, Sheet2), but the
name and color of the tabs can be controlled by right- or double-clicking. We
can toggle between sheets by clicking on the desired sheet or by using the left/
right triangles/arrows. We can also control the view (Normal, Page Layout,
Page Break) with the buttons on the right side and the zoom level with the
slider next to that.
 28 Data Visualization in Excel

A few other keyboard combinations can come in handy when selecting data
and navigating through the various menus.
1. CTRL+Arrow keys (CMD+Arrow on Macs) will bring us to the last
used cell in the current data region. If there is data in cells A1 to A100,
place the cursor in cell A1 and press CTRL+Down Arrow. The cursor
will go all the way down to cell A100.
2. SHIFT+CTRL+Arrow (SHIFT+CMD+Arrow on Macs) will let us select
all of the data in the cells going in the direction of the arrow. In the pre-
vious example, if we pressed SHIFT+CTRL+Down Arrow, we would
select all of the data in cells A1 to A100.
3. ALT+. Many of the buttons in the ribbon have a dedicated keyboard
shortcut assigned to them. With any cell selected, if we press the ALT
Setting

key plus a letter, number, or function key, we can shortcut right to that
tab or command. Personally, I’m a mouse-first user, so I don’t rely on
the ALT+ commands (plus, they don’t work on Macs), but ALT+ com-
mands can help you work faster. Table 4.1 contains a curated list of the
most important shortcuts.
Making

TABLE 4.1 Selected Useful Excel Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut PC Mac
Copy CTRL+C CMD+C
Cut CTRL+X CMD+X
Paste CTRL+V CMD+V
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Undo last action CTRL+Z CMD+Z

Redo last action CTRL+Y CMD+Y
Find CTRL+F CMD+F
Save CTRL+S CMD+S
Save as CTRL+SHIFT+S CMD+SHIFT+S
Add hyperlink CTRL+K CMD+K
Format (almost) anything CTRL+1 CMD+1
Go to next worksheet CTRL+PgDn Option+Right Arrow
Go to previous worksheet CTRL+PgUp Option+Left Arrow
Select entire row SHIFT+SPACE SHIFT+SPACE
Select entire column CTRL+SPACE CTRL+SPACE
Select entire worksheet CTRL+A CMD+A
Move active cell/menu right in a selection TAB TAB
Move active cell/menu left in a selection SHIFT+TAB SHIFT+TAB
 Chapter 4: Introduction to Making Graphs in Excel 29

Excel Graph Types

To insert a chart in Excel, we must navigate to the Insert tab. There are about
eight main chart types listed in the default Charts tab of the ribbon (again, the
layout looks a little different between PCs and Macs) (Figure 4.2).

FIGURE 4.2

Inserting a chart is easy—select the data in the worksheet and select one of
the charts from the Insert menu. Excel will place the graph closest to your cur-
sor, but you can always move it to wherever you want it in the worksheet. Once
these steps are done, a few things will happen.

Setting
1. A new Chart Design tab appears in the ribbon. This tab enables us to
add different elements to the chart, select data, and change the chart
type (Figure 4.3).
The Chart Design menu contains some especially important parts:
a. On the far-left area of the menu is the Add Chart Element button.

Making
Clicking on this button will reveal a number of ways we can add,

Moving

FIGURE 4.3

subtract, or edit elements in the chart, including axis titles, grid-

lines, data labels, and more (Figure 4.4). We will use this menu
extensively in the tutorials. As you gain more experience using the
various menus and creating visualizations, I will assume you can
find the menu on your own and won’t describe it each time.
 30 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting
Making
Moving

FIGURE 4.4

b. Toward the right side of the tab is the Switch Row/Column but-
ton. Excel orients the selected data based on the program’s default
behavior, so if our data stretch across columns, Excel might plot it
along the rows and vice versa. We can easily switch the orientation
of our data by selecting this button rather than changing the layout
of the data (Figure 4.5).
c. Next to that button is the Select Data button, which we can use to
add, subtract, and edit the data in the chart. We can also access
this button by right-clicking in the chart and choosing the Select
Data option in the menu. We will add and edit data in our charts
throughout the book, so it’s important to know how to use this
menu as we will use it over and over again (Figures 4.6–4.8).
 Chapter 4: Introduction to Making Graphs in Excel 31

Setting
FIGURE 4.5

Making
Moving

FIGURE 4.6
 32 Data Visualization in Excel

FIGURE 4.7
Setting
Making
Moving

FIGURE 4.8

Sometimes when we add or edit a new series, Excel will insert a

placeholder in the selection box. That text will be a “={1}” character,
and we will need to overwrite or delete it before inserting our data
series. If we don’t overwrite it, we will end up with a data entry like
“={1}=Sheet1!$A$1:$A$10” and Excel will show an error message.
To fix our data, we will need to correct the formula or re-insert the
reference.
d. Finally, the Change Chart Type button (found by right-clicking on
the chart or by using the button in the Chart Design tab) enables
us to change the chart type directly without having to delete what
 Chapter 4: Introduction to Making Graphs in Excel 33

we have (Figure 4.9). We can also use this menu to combine chart
types, something we will do a lot in this book. On PCs, there is a
Combo chart option at the bottom of this menu, which allows us
to select a chart type for one data series and a different chart type
for another data series. Be careful to note that if we select an entire
chart and use the Combo chart option, Excel will change every
series to the Clustered Column chart (which is apparently the default
chart option). Although it’s not specified, every time you use the
Combo chart option, it’s best practice to select the chart series you
want to change first before navigating to the Combo chart option
(Figure 4.10).
On Macs, select the series in the chart you want to change,
then select the new chart type in the Change Chart Type menu

Setting
(Figure 4.11). There is no Combo chart option on Macs, so you need
to have the series selected to change it.
Not all charts can be combined, and with few exceptions, we can
only combine two chart types at a time.

Making
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FIGURE 4.9 Change chart type menu on PCs.

 34 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting
Making

FIGURE 4.10 Combo chart option menu on PCs.

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FIGURE 4.11 Change chart type menu on Macs.

 Chapter 4: Introduction to Making Graphs in Excel 35

2. When we select a chart, a new Format tab will appear. This tab houses
various formatting options including colors, text options, and chart
dimensions (Figure 4.12).

Setting
FIGURE 4.12

Making
A few buttons and menus are particularly important here:
a. The drop-down menu on the far left in the Current Selection area
(“Chart Area” in the image) lists all of the elements in our chart,
including axes, gridlines, and the data. If we have a chart with a lot
of data or other elements in it, we can use this drop-down menu to
select an element.

Moving
b. The Shape Fill and Shape Outline buttons near the center of the
menu enable us to control the “fill” colors and “outline” colors of
the elements in our chart.
c. On the far right of the tab are two fields that control the size of the
chart. The default size for a chart is 3×5 inches. If we want to change
the size and keep this ratio the same, we can check the box next to
these fields and change the values by using the up/down arrows or
typing new numbers.
3. The chart will appear near the center of the window and will have a
series of default aspects, including a horizontal (x-) and vertical (y-)
axis, default colors, a “Chart Title” box, and a default size of 3×5 inches.
4. When the chart is selected, the data included in the chart will be high-
lighted in the worksheet.
 36 Data Visualization in Excel

Office 365, which launched in 2013, introduced better and more current secu-
rity features and allowed Microsoft to add features or fix bugs. One feature that
Microsoft added to Excel was a new set of graphs. Some of these graphs—such
as treemaps, sunburst diagrams, and box-and-whisker plots—require different
data layouts than the standard one row per observation and one column per
variable. If you’d like to explore these graph types but don’t know how to set
up the data, you can insert the chart in PowerPoint (using the standard Chart
area of the Insert menu). When you do so, PowerPoint will open an Excel file
with placeholder data, which you can use as a template for your own data entry
and graph creation.

Chart Parts and Properties

Setting

Many new data practitioners assume that a chart is nothing more than a hori-
zontal axis, a vertical axis, and plotted data. But it’s worth recognizing that a
graph consists of many different parts that we can control and change.
Take this basic line chart, which shows the monthly unemployment rate in
the US from 1960 to 2021 (Figure 4.13). At first glance, you may think, “Okay,
the line goes up and down, up and down.” You may also notice that there is a
horizontal (x-) axis, a vertical (y-) axis, a title at the top, and so on.
Making
Moving

FIGURE 4.13

But there is a lot more going on in this graph than the basic line and title, and
we can control and style all of it. We can set the font type, size, and orientation
of the title, subtitle, sources, and notes. We can show or hide the vertical and
horizontal axes, and style their color and thickness. We can turn tick marks on
 Chapter 4: Introduction to Making Graphs in Excel 37

or off; change the style, thickness, color, and frequency of the gridlines; and,
of course, style the actual data shown in the graph, be it bars, lines, or circles.
In the example, I annotated (and added a line around) what Excel calls the Plot
Area and the Chart Area. The styles, sizes, and arrangement of these areas can be
adjusted—the Plot Area can be made smaller, for example, to make room for labels
or other text—and is something that we will encounter in a few of the tutorials.
There are a few ways to modify the different chart elements. First, we can
select the chart and use the Add Chart Element button in the Chart Design
menu (which will often appear as Chart Design > Add Chart Element in the
tutorials). Second, we can select the plus button that appears next to a selected
chart (PCs only). Third, we can right-click on any element of the chart and
select the appropriate Format menu, such as Format Axis or Format Data
Series. Finally, we can use the CTRL+1 keyboard shortcut (CMD+1 on Macs)

Setting
to modify the selected object.
Using any of these options will bring you to the Format menu. This menu
has numerous options, but the top-line icons are as follows (Figure 4.14):
•• The paint can icon lets us change the fill and outline colors of chart ele-
ments as well as change or style markers in the chart.
•• The pentagon icon allows us to add styling options like a shadow or a

Making
glow around chart elements.
•• The arrow/square icon contains options to control different text align-
ment features such as direction and margins.
•• The bar chart icon differs for each part of the chart, but can include axis
ranges, bar widths, and number formats.

Moving

FIGURE 4.14
 38 Data Visualization in Excel

All of these options are available for the chart as a whole as well, so we can
change the border or background color of the entire chart. The Format Chart
Area menu also includes a Chart Options area, which you can see in Figure 4.15.
Here, we can control the dimensions of the entire chart using the fields under Size
(though there are no direct controls for the Plot Area). We can also set whether
the chart can be moved and/or sized with the cells in the Properties area of the
menu. If we create a chart and insert or delete a row or column, the default option
(Move and size with cells) in the Properties area dictates that the size of the chart
will also change. But if we want to change things in the spreadsheet without
changing the size of our chart, we can select the other options.
Setting
Making
Moving

FIGURE 4.15

Excel is sensitive to using actual numbers in our charts, which means it

won’t know what to do with text or with spaces. Although it can be infuriat-
ing when we get an error and can’t figure out why, it can also be used to our
advantage. We can (and we will!) insert an “=NA()” formula in our worksheet
 Chapter 4: Introduction to Making Graphs in Excel 39

cells when making graphs because Excel will ignore those values. Let’s say we
want to add a data series to a chart in order to add labels (again, something we
will do a lot!), we can insert NAs in the data series instead of 0s because Excel
will ignore the NAs but will plot the 0s.

Recognizing the Defaults

Throughout all of these options and menus, we must recognize Excel’s defaults
and when we need to change them. Excel simply plots the data how we ­specify—
it’s not doing anything right or wrong, so being aware of its default behaviors
and how to change them is crucial.
There are six main default behaviors in Excel that are worth keeping in mind
because they will come up again and again in the tutorials.

Setting
1. Adjusting the Vertical Axis Range and Units. As a default, Excel will
not let you plot data to the top of the vertical axis. If you need to change
the vertical axis limits, you can do so in the Format Axis menu.
The scatterplot in Figure 4.16 shows per capita gross domestic
product (GDP) on the x-axis and life expectancy on the y-axis. The
default range for the vertical axis is 0 to 100, but we should adjust that

Making
minimum for two reasons. First, 0 is (fortunately) not an average life
expectancy for any country. Second, unlike in a bar chart where a
baseline of 0 is important and necessary, in a scatterplot, we can use
a nonzero axis. In this case, we can type “50” in the Minimum box to
manually fix the starting point. If you add more data, the Maximum
value might change, but the Minimum will stay at 50 until you reset it.

Moving

FIGURE 4.16
 40 Data Visualization in Excel

2. Length of Error Bars. Error bars are useful for our graphs because
they allow us not only to denote uncertainty or ranges but also to add
annotations or pointers to specific data points. Excel has preset defaults
when we insert error bars into our charts. For scatterplots, Excel will
insert two error bars: one along the vertical dimension and one along
the horizontal dimensions. For line charts and bar charts, Excel will
only insert an error bar along one dimension.
We can also adjust the length and appearance of the error bars, but
it’s worth noting that the default value of all error bars is set at a Fixed
Value equal to one. If I zoom into the GDP-life expectancy scatterplot
and add error bars, the vertical error bars are visible but the horizontal
error bars are not (Figure 4.17). The horizontal bars exist, but because
they have a length of 1, they cannot be seen because the range on the
Setting

x-axis (0–5,000) is much, much larger than that of the y-axis (65–80).
Making

FIGURE 4.17
Moving

3. Creating the graph. There are some basic defaults that apply when we
insert a chart in Excel. Take a scatterplot—when we select two data series
and insert a scatterplot (or what Excel calls a Scatter), Excel will, by
default, place the first series in the X (horizontal) position and the second
series in the Y (vertical) position. We can always change the organization
of the data in the worksheet or in the chart by using the options in the
Select Data Source menu (Figure 4.18).
4. Color transparency. We will sometimes have bars, lines, or dots that
overlap one another. In some cases, we might need to winnow down
our data to show a smaller number of series, but in other cases, we can
change the transparency of the colors to help show the data behind the
object. In the Format Data Series menu, we can change the transpar-
ency of the fill and border colors by selecting a color and adjusting the
Transparency slider (Figure 4.19).
 Chapter 4: Introduction to Making Graphs in Excel 41

FIGURE 4.18

Setting
Making
Moving
FIGURE 4.19

5. Bars and gap width. For bar charts, Excel sets the default widths of
the bars and the gaps between bars to −27% and 219%, respectively.
We can adjust these widths by right-clicking on the bars and selecting
the Format Data Series menu. Here, we can use the Series Overlap and
Gap Width options to adjust. Series Overlap refers to having bars sit on
top of each other instead of next to each other. Gap Width refers to the
space between the bars, so adjusting the width of the gap changes the
width of the bars. The chart on the left of Figure 4.20 uses the default
settings for these options, while the chart on the right uses edited val-
ues of 0% and 100%. Personally, I prefer the 0% and 100% combination
because the ratio of bar width to white space looks better to me, but
neither setting is objectively better than the other.
 42 Data Visualization in Excel

FIGURE 4.20

6. Primary and Secondary Axes. The final styling Excel default to be

aware of is the ability to place data on secondary axes. When we insert a
column chart, for example, Excel places the data along a horizontal (x-)
Setting

axis at the bottom of the chart and a vertical (y-) axis along the left side
of the chart. We could add more data and apply them to the “second-
ary” axes—a horizontal axis at the top of the chart and a vertical axis
along the right side of the chart. In most cases, Excel will not show
the secondary horizontal axis by default. Instead, we need to make that
axis visible by using the Chart Options menus. If we add a data series
to a chart on the secondary axis but it doesn’t look quite right, we may
Making

need to turn on and adjust those axis values (Figure 4.21).

Moving

FIGURE 4.21

Worksheet Formatting
Although this book focuses on data visualization, the formatting options in
worksheets, which are generally used for text elements, can still be useful for
us. As you’ll see, there are lots of charts we can make directly in the worksheet
by using the formatting options.
The primary formatting tools in Excel are located in the Home tab of the rib-
bon, and we’ll discuss each area, delineated by vertical lines, from left to right
along the first half of the tab (Figure 4.22).
 Chapter 4: Introduction to Making Graphs in Excel 43

FIGURE 4.22

Copying and Pasting

You probably know the basic keyboard shortcuts for copying and pasting
(CTRL+C and CTRL+V), but the Paste drop-down menu is important because
it can allow us to paste data or calculations as formulas with or without the
cell formatting, as values (just the numbers, no formulas), or as a variety of
other options. In addition to the Paste menu options and the well-known
keyboard shortcuts, Excel also lets you can drag the contents of a cell—values

Setting
or formulas—across rows or columns by grabbing the green square in the
bottom-right part of the selected cell. You can double-click on that part of the
square and the cell contents (including formulas) will fill up to the next blank
cell (Figure 4.23).

Making
Moving
FIGURE 4.23

In the tutorials, when you see something like, “Copy-and-paste the formula
down the column,” I am referring to three steps: select the cell with the origi-
nal formula and copy (CTRL+C), select the cells where you want to add the
formula, and paste (CTRL+V). Alternatively, you can select the cell with the
original formula and drag it down the length of the column using the green
square in the bottom-right part of the cell.

Text Formatting
In the text formatting area, we can control the font type and size by using
the two drop-down menus, and we can add boldface, italics, or underline.
 44 Data Visualization in Excel

The button with the grid is the Borders area of the tab, which allows us
to add borders around cells. The color and thickness of the border can be
controlled at the bottom of that menu. The default is a black border, but we
might have cells filled with color and want to use a white border so changing
the color of the border can be helpful. Finally, we can change the color fill
of a cell in the menu with the paint can icon and the color of the text in the
menu with the capital letter A icon.

Cell Alignment
Here, we can control the vertical alignment of the cells using the top three
icons and the horizontal alignment using the bottom three icons. We can also
rotate the text by using the icon with the letters “ab” on top of an arrow. Finally,
Setting

we can indent text with the two icons that show arrows and three lines, a tool
that can be useful when we want to align numbers in tables (see Chapter 29).
Although a vertical line separates the indent icons from the next area of
the tab, that area is also part of the alignment section. The Wrap Text tool lets
us expand a cell so text appears on multiple lines instead of overlapping with
other cells. The Merge & Center tool merges selected cells together and offers
a few formatting options. These tools can be used together to save time when
Making

creating data visualizations by merging cells and wrapping the text so the text
isn’t entered separately in multiple cells.
One last thing worth knowing: we can force a carriage return in our cells by
placing the cursor where we would like the return and using the ALT+ENTER
keyboard combination (Option+ENTER on Macs). If we want to insert a car-
riage return in a formula, we can use the CHAR(10) formula (with the Wrap
Moving

Text option turned on)—see Chapter 22 to see how this function works in
practice.

Data Sorting
Another aspect of formatting data in your worksheet is understanding how to
arrange and sort your data. The menu to sort your data is not located in the
Home tab of the ribbon but in the Data tab. There are four primary buttons in
this area of the ribbon:
1. The A → Z shortcut automatically sorts the data from smallest to largest.
2. The Z → A shortcut automatically sorts the data from largest to smallest.
3. The Sort button lets us specify the direction to sort the data, which
variable (or variables) to sort by, and whether to sort the data from left-
to-right rather than up-to-down.
 Chapter 4: Introduction to Making Graphs in Excel 45

4. The Filter button lets us add sorting and filter options to the cells at
the top of our data columns. This button can be especially useful if
we want to make some quick sorting and filtering changes to our data
(Figure 4.24).

FIGURE 4.24

Setting
Number Formats
The last part of this section of the Home tab is the number formatting area. The
drop-down menu with the word “General” in it has default formatting options
included. The buttons below ($, %, and ,) format the numbers in your cells. The
buttons to the right with the zeros add or subtract decimals from the data.

Making
We can access more number formatting options by using the formal Number
Format menu. Right-click on a cell and select the Format Cells option. In the
first area of the menu (under Number), a list of formatting options, includ-
ing “Number,” “Currency,” “Percentage,” and “Scientific,” appears. Each area
lets us apply various formatting options to include different symbols, decimal
places, commas, and so on.
The Custom area of the Format Cells menu is particularly powerful. Here,

Moving
we can add custom formats to the entries in the spreadsheet cells or graphs.
With this tool, we can change how the number looks without changing any
data. Custom number formats have a specific structure with four arguments,
separated by semi-colons:
a. Positive values
b. Negative values
c. Zero values
d. Text values
We don’t need to include all four arguments for every formula, and we can
skip a format by simply adding another semi-colon. (Where we enter the cus-
tom number format will be called different things depending on the operating
system and use case: on PCs, it will be a box called Type when working in a
 46 Data Visualization in Excel

spreadsheet but Format Code when working in a graph; on Macs, the box is
always called Type.)
I’ll demonstrate how a custom number format works with the highlighted
example in Figure 4.25.
#, ##0_);[Red](#, ##0)
This format will style positive and negative values. The pound sign (#) is a place-
holder for optional digits. The “#, ##0” format tells Excel to use a comma in the
number and not to include decimals. The underscore tells Excel to add a space
the width of whatever character comes next, so the “_)” character tells Excel to
add a space the width of a closed parenthesis. The format for negative numbers
is included after the semicolon and will color the numbers red (“[Red]”) and
wrap them in parentheses.
Setting
Making
Moving

FIGURE 4.25
 Chapter 4: Introduction to Making Graphs in Excel 47

You can see a variety of formatting results in the image below. A much longer
list as well as excellent details about how to create custom number formats can
be found on the ExcelJet website (https://exceljet.net/custom-number-­formats)
(Table 4.2).

TABLE 4.2

Value Code Result Notes

123456 #,##0_) 123,456 Positive number format
-123456 ;[Red](#,##0) (123,456) Negative number format
18-Jan-21 yyyy 2021 Year only
18-Jan-21 mmmm-yyyy January-2021 Month and year
15.5 ##.#" years old" 15.5 years old Text for units

Setting
155 #,##0 155 Positive number format
1550 #,##0 1,550 Positive number format
15500 #,##0 15,500 Positive number format
12000 0,"K" 12K Number in thousands
65 ;;; Hide the content
100 \VA VA Escape character

Making
125 [Blue][>100]#,##0 125 Conditional format

Pulling It All Together

Now that we’ve gone over all of these menus, let’s create a basic column chart.
We’re not going to add fancy formatting or complex parts, but we’ll walk

Moving
through a few of the basic chart formatting options so you can become familiar
with how the more advanced tutorials will look.
For this example, we’ll use data from the World Bank to make a paired col-
umn chart of gross domestic product (GDP) measured in thousands of dollars
for seven countries in 2010 and 2020.
First, we select the data in cells A1:E8 and use the Insert tab to create a
Clustered Column Chart, which is the first column chart in the top-left menu
and is labeled as 2-D Column (Figure 4.26).
Notice the space between the columns? There’s nothing objectively wrong
with that space, but personally, I’m not a fan. So let’s tighten it up. Select
the bars, right-click, select the Format Data Series option in the drop-down
menu, and change the Series Overlap to 0% and the Gap Width in to 100% in
the menu. In the tutorial chapters, these directions will look something like:
right-click on the bars > Format Data Series > Series Overlap to 0% and Gap
Width to 100% (Figure 4.27).
 48 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting
Making

FIGURE 4.26
Moving

FIGURE 4.27

Let’s adjust the formatting of the numbers on the y-axis. Select the y-axis
labels and right click: Format Axis > Number > Currency. Again, this notation
is intended to lead us from one step to the next. In the Currency menu, select
the dollar sign ($) in the drop-down menu (if it wasn’t automatically selected)
(Figure 4.28).
 Chapter 4: Introduction to Making Graphs in Excel 49

FIGURE 4.28

Setting
Just for fun, let’s add some labels to each set of bars: right-click on the bars
and select the Add Data Labels option in the menu. Because the numbers in
the worksheet cells are shown as whole numbers, the data labels will appear
as whole numbers. Let’s modify the format in the chart by selecting the data
labels, right-clicking, and Format Data Labels > Number. Now, set the number
of decimal places to 1 in the box (Figure 4.29).

Making
Moving

FIGURE 4.29

Let’s move the legend to the top: select the legend, right-click, and in the
Legend Options menu, select the Top option (Figure 4.30).
Sorting the bars based on the data values is usually better than the default
alphabetical sorting. We can make this change in the worksheet by selecting
the data (cells C1:C8), navigating to Data > Sort, and sorting on the 2020 per
capita GDP values in column C (Figure 4.31).
 50 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 4.30
Making
Moving

FIGURE 4.31

Finally, we can make a few finishing changes to the chart. I might change
the size of the chart (3x5 inches is pretty small) and insert a title by editing the
default Chart title area. Personally, I would also change the colors of the bars
and use a different font to get away from the default settings. If I were includ-
ing labels above each bar, I would delete the y-axis labels and the horizontal
gridlines (by simply selecting and deleting) because they are redundant with
the visible data labels (Figure 4.32).
 Chapter 4: Introduction to Making Graphs in Excel 51

Setting
FIGURE 4.32

Going Forward

Making
We’ve only just scratched the surface of what Excel can do. If you’re new to
Excel, this chapter has hopefully given you a peek into the power of how you
can use the tool to analyze, organize, format, and visualize your data. If you’ve
been using Excel for a while, you’ve likely seen a few techniques and strategies
that can make your work in Excel more productive and efficient. Of course,
no single chapter—or even a single book—can teach you everything there is

Moving
to learn about Excel. A lot of Excel knowledge comes with time and practice
(and patience). I’ve included a list of some of my favorite data visualization
websites in Appendix 3 at the end of the book to help you continue your learn-
ing journey.
 Chapter 5
Fundamental
Formulas Used
in Building
Your Graphs

Throughout the tutorials in this book, you’ll see the heavy use of formulas to
arrange and organize the data for your graphs. I will often read in my full data-
set to Excel before pulling the specific data points or series I need for the graph,
but the full dataset remains for me to update, reference later on, pull additional
data points or series, or make other changes.
In this section, I define and show examples for 17 Excel formulas that I use
regularly in my work and that you will see throughout the tutorials. There is
no way to show every Excel formula here—nor is it really necessary—but these
formulas should serve you well when using the tool.
For each formula, I demonstrate how it works using a simple dataset of pop-
ulation estimates for 14 countries around the world (Table 5.1).
Before we get into specific formulas, it’s worth understanding how formulas
are copied and pasted within an Excel spreadsheet. To insert a formula in a
cell, start by typing an equal sign (=). From there, Excel will prompt different
formula options as we type. In the pop-up that appears, we can click on the
linked (blue) text and a separate window will open with an Excel help window
(Figure 5.1).
We can edit the formulas in the “formula bar,” which is the white text box
above the worksheet. Excel has a number of built-in reference tools to help us
find the right formula for our purposes.

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-6 53
 54 Data Visualization in Excel

TABLE 5.1

Region Country Population, 2020

Africa Ethiopia 114,963,583
Asia Vietnam 97,338,583
Asia Turkey 84,339,067
Asia Thailand 69,799,978
Africa South Africa 59,308,690
Europe Spain 47,351,567
South America Argentina 45,376,763
South America Peru 32,971,846
Asia Nepal 29,136,808
Africa Chad 16,425,859
Setting

Europe Belarus 9,379,952

Europe Denmark 5,831,404
Asia Singapore 5,685,807
Asia Mongolia 3,278,292
Making
Moving

FIGURE 5.1

Absolute and Relative References

Once we have inserted a formula, we can copy and paste it anywhere in our
Excel workbook (or even another workbook). The elements of the formula “fol-
low” their position to the next location. Take a simple example: type a number
in cell B1 and another cell C1. In cell A1, insert a simple formula that multiplies
the values in those cells: =B1*C1.
If we copy the formula in cell A1 (CTRL+C) and paste it in cell A2 (CTRL+V),
the formula updates automatically to the following: =B2*C2. In other words,
 Chapter 5: Fundamental Formulas Used in Building Your Graphs 55

Excel is “looking” at the inputs to the formula relative to its position, so we call
these inputs relative references.
This functionality can be problematic if we want to reference the input in a
formula elsewhere in a worksheet. Say we want to multiply a whole bunch of num-
bers by the value in cell C1. Copying our original formula won’t reference that cell
unless we convert it to an absolute reference. To do so, we can “lock” the cell refer-
ence by inserting a dollar sign ($) before the row reference (number), column ref-
erence (letter), or both. (We can also use a keyboard shortcut to insert the absolute
reference rather than typing it in—F4 or FN+F4 on PCs and CMD+T on Macs.)
Let’s demonstrate with our population data. We have the region of the world
in column A, the country name in column B, and the 2020 population in col-
umn C. We can convert the numbers to millions by dividing each number in
column C by 1,000,000. To do so, we type 1,000,000 in cell E2. In cell D2, we

Setting
type =C2/E2, which converts the population of Ethiopia to 115.0. If we copy
and paste that formula, we get an error because the formula in cell D3 for
Vietnam is =C3/E3, and cell E3 is empty. Again, the formula inputs are always
relative to their initial position (Figure 5.2 and Table 5.2).

Making
FIGURE 5.2

TABLE 5.2
A B C D E F
1 Region Country Population, 2020 Millions Millions

Moving
2 Africa Ethiopia 114,963,583 115.0 1,000,000 115.0
3 Asia Vietnam 97,338,583 #DIV/0! 97.3
4 Asia Turkey 84,339,067 #DIV/0! 84.3
5 Asia Thailand 69,799,978 #DIV/0! 69.8
6 Africa South Africa 59,308,690 #DIV/0! 59.3
7 Europe Spain 47,351,567 #DIV/0! 47.4
8 South America Argentina 45,376,763 #DIV/0! 45.4
9 South America Peru 32,971,846 #DIV/0! 33.0
10 Asia Nepal 29,136,808 #DIV/0! 29.1
11 Africa Chad 16,425,859 #DIV/0! 16.4
12 Europe Belarus 9,379,952 #DIV/0! 9.4
13 Europe Denmark 5,831,404 #DIV/0! 5.8
14 Asia Singapore 5,685,807 #DIV/0! 5.7
15 Asia Mongolia 3,278,292 #DIV/0! 3.3
 56 Data Visualization in Excel

If we change the formula to =C3/$E$3, we “lock” that cell reference. Now,

when we copy the formula down the column, we still reference cell E3 in the
denominator. For Thailand (in row 5), the formula is =C5/$E$3. We could have
also typed =C3/E$3 because we are not copying across columns, so the column
reference does not change.
You will see these relative and absolute references throughout the tutorials. I
use them liberally to copy-and-paste formulas without worrying about making
manual changes.

IF Formulas
=IF(Evaluation, if TRUE, if FALSE)
Setting

We start with one of the easiest formulas in Excel, the IF formula.

The IF formula has three arguments: what we are going to evaluate,
what happens if the evaluation is true, and what happens if the evalu-
ation is false. As an example, let’s create a binary variable that tells us
whether a country has more than or fewer than 50 million people.
=IF(C2>50000000,1,0)
Making

When we copy and paste this formula down column D, we’ll get 1s
for countries with more than 50 million people and 0s for countries
with fewer than 50 million people.
We can also use this formula with text by placing what we want to
come out of the formula in quotation marks. For example:
Moving

=IF(C2>50000000,”More than 50 million”,”Fewer than

50 million”)

When we copy and paste this formula down column E, we get the
relevant text in each cell (Figure 5.3 and Table 5.3).

FIGURE 5.3
 Chapter 5: Fundamental Formulas Used in Building Your Graphs 57

TABLE 5.3
A B C D E
1 Region Country Population, 2020 IF-Number IF-Text
2 Africa Ethiopia 114,963,583 1 More than 50 million
3 Asia Vietnam 97,338,583 1 More than 50 million
4 Asia Turkey 84,339,067 1 More than 50 million
5 Asia Thailand 69,799,978 1 More than 50 million
6 Africa South Africa 59,308,690 1 More than 50 million
7 Europe Spain 47,351,567 0 Fewer than 50 million
8 South America Argentina 45,376,763 0 Fewer than 50 million
9 South America Peru 32,971,846 0 Fewer than 50 million
10 Asia Nepal 29,136,808 0 Fewer than 50 million

Setting
11 Africa Chad 16,425,859 0 Fewer than 50 million
12 Europe Belarus 9,379,952 0 Fewer than 50 million
13 Europe Denmark 5,831,404 0 Fewer than 50 million
14 Asia Singapore 5,685,807 0 Fewer than 50 million
15 Asia Mongolia 3,278,292 0 Fewer than 50 million

Making
=AND(argument 1, argument 2,…)
Another simple formula: when using the AND function, Excel
returns the word “TRUE” if every argument in the formula is true.
For example, =AND(C2>50000000,A2="Asia") will return the word
“TRUE” for Vietnam, Turkey, and Thailand as each country has
more than 50 million people and is located in Asia, but “FALSE” for
all other countries (Figure 5.4 and Table 5.4).

Moving
FIGURE 5.4

=OR(argument 1, argument 2,…)

Similar to the AND function, the OR function returns TRUE if any
of its arguments are true and returns FALSE if all of its arguments
are false. Here, we can insert =OR(C2>50000000,A2="Asia") and
see TRUE for countries that have more than 50 million people OR
are located in Asia (Figure 5.5 and Table 5.5).
SUMIF(range, criteria, sum _ range)
The SUMIF formula lets us sum a series of data values if it satisfies a
certain condition. The three arguments in the SUMIF formula are:
 58 Data Visualization in Excel

TABLE 5.4
A B C D
1 Region Country Population, 2020 AND
2 Africa Ethiopia 114,963,583 FALSE
3 Asia Vietnam 97,338,583 TRUE
4 Asia Turkey 84,339,067 TRUE
5 Asia Thailand 69,799,978 TRUE
6 Africa South Africa 59,308,690 FALSE
7 Europe Spain 47,351,567 FALSE
8 South America Argentina 45,376,763 FALSE
9 South America Peru 32,971,846 FALSE
10 Asia Nepal 29,136,808 FALSE
Setting

11 Africa Chad 16,425,859 FALSE

12 Europe Belarus 9,379,952 FALSE
13 Europe Denmark 5,831,404 FALSE
14 Asia Singapore 5,685,807 FALSE
15 Asia Mongolia 3,278,292 FALSE
Making

FIGURE 5.5

TABLE 5.5
A B C D
1 Region Country Population, 2020 OR
Moving

2 Africa Ethiopia 114,963,583 TRUE

3 Asia Vietnam 97,338,583 TRUE
4 Asia Turkey 84,339,067 TRUE
5 Asia Thailand 69,799,978 TRUE
6 Africa South Africa 59,308,690 TRUE
7 Europe Spain 47,351,567 FALSE
8 South America Argentina 45,376,763 FALSE
9 South America Peru 32,971,846 FALSE
10 Asia Nepal 29,136,808 TRUE
11 Africa Chad 16,425,859 FALSE
12 Europe Belarus 9,379,952 FALSE
13 Europe Denmark 5,831,404 FALSE
14 Asia Singapore 5,685,807 TRUE
15 Asia Mongolia 3,278,292 TRUE
 Chapter 5: Fundamental Formulas Used in Building Your Graphs 59

– range, which refers to the list of values that reference the condition;
– criteria, which is the value we set a condition on; and
– sum_range, which is the range of values across which we want
to sum.

For this example, let’s sum the population across the six Asian
countries. We insert this formula in cell C2:
=SUMIF(A2:A15,"Asia",C2:C15)

The first argument is the range, which points us to the Region

column. The second argument, the criteria, is what we are looking
for in the range (“Asia”). And the final argument, sum_range, is the

Setting
column of data we want to add up (C2:C15). I typed “Asia” in the for-
mula for this example, but I could have typed it in a cell somewhere
and referenced that cell in the formula (Figure 5.6 and Table 5.6).

Making
FIGURE 5.6

TABLE 5.6
A B C D

Moving
1 Region Country Population, 2020 SUMIF
2 Africa Ethiopia 114,963,583 289,578,535
3 Asia Vietnam 97,338,583
4 Asia Turkey 84,339,067
5 Asia Thailand 69,799,978
6 Africa South Africa 59,308,690
7 Europe Spain 47,351,567
8 South America Argentina 45,376,763
9 South America Peru 32,971,846
10 Asia Nepal 29,136,808
11 Africa Chad 16,425,859
12 Europe Belarus 9,379,952
13 Europe Denmark 5,831,404
14 Asia Singapore 5,685,807
15 Asia Mongolia 3,278,292
 60 Data Visualization in Excel

The SUMIF formula is valuable for adding data values automati-

cally, especially if you might update or sort your data in different ways.
SUMIFS(sum _ range, criteria _ range1, criteria1,
[criteria _ range2, criteria2], ...)
Unlike the SUMIF formula, which only lets us apply one condition,
the SUMIFS formula lets us apply multiple conditions. Let’s expand
our dataset to include 2 years of data and see what happens when we
apply a revised formula:
=SUMIFS(D2:D15,A2:A15,"Asia",C2:C15,"2020")

Here, we are going to sum the population estimates in column

D for countries in Asia and in 2020. Notice that the order of the
Setting

arguments is slightly different than in SUMIF—we start with the

column that we are going to sum, then the condition range, then
the actual condition (Figure 5.7 and Table 5.7).
Making

FIGURE 5.7

TABLE 5.7
A B C D E
1 Region Country Year Population SUMIFS
Moving

2 Asia Nepal 1960 10,105,060 280,614,436

3 Asia Nepal 2020 29,136,808
4 Asia Vietnam 1960 32,670,048
5 Asia Vietnam 2020 97,338,583
6 South America Argentina 1960 20,481,781
7 South America Argentina 2020 45,376,763
8 Asia Thailand 1960 27,397,208
9 Asia Thailand 2020 69,799,978
10 Asia Turkey 1960 27,472,339
11 Asia Turkey 2020 84,339,067
12 South America Peru 1960 10,155,011
13 South America Peru 2020 32,971,846
14 Europe Spain 1960 30,455,000
15 Europe Spain 2020 47,351,567
 Chapter 5: Fundamental Formulas Used in Building Your Graphs 61

You can see these arguments more clearly if I highlight the three
parts of the formula:
=SUMIFS(D2:D15,A2:A15,"Asia",C2:C15,"2020")

The first part of the formula in green is the series we want to add
up; the second section in blue defines that we want to search for
“Asia” in cells A2:A15; and the third section in pink defines that we
want to look for “2020” in cells C2:C15.
Using SUMIF rather than a simple SUM formula is valuable
because it makes the task less prone to error (i.e., selecting the wrong
cells) and is more flexible to the format of our data. If we were to
sort these data by population, the result of the SUMIFS formula will
remain the same, but the results of a regular SUM formula would

Setting
be incorrect.
• AVERAGEIF(range, criteria, average _ range)
• AVERAGEIFS(average _ range, criteria _ range1, cri-
teria1, [criteria _ range2, criteria2], ...)

Making
AVERAGEIF and AVERAGEIFS work the same way as SUMIF and
SUMIFS. In this example, we calculate the average population for
all Asian countries in both 1960 and 2020 and for all Asian coun-
tries in 2020 only (Figure 5.8 and Table 5.8).

Moving
FIGURE 5.8

Cell E2: =AVERAGEIF(A2:A15,"Asia",D2:D15)

Cell F2: =AVERAGEIFS(D2:D15,A2:A15,"Asia",C2:C15,"2020")

• COUNTIF(criteria _ range, criteria1)

• COUNTIFS(criteria _ range1, criteria1, [criteria _
range2, criteria2]…)
 62 Data Visualization in Excel

TABLE 5.8
A B C D E F
1 Region Country Year Population AVERAGEIF AVERAGEIFS
2 Asia Nepal 1960 10,105,060 47,282,386 70,153,609
3 Asia Nepal 2020 29,136,808
4 Asia Vietnam 1960 32,670,048
5 Asia Vietnam 2020 97,338,583
6 South America Argentina 1960 20,481,781
7 South America Argentina 2020 45,376,763
8 Asia Thailand 1960 27,397,208
9 Asia Thailand 2020 69,799,978
10 Asia Turkey 1960 27,472,339
Setting

11 Asia Turkey 2020 84,339,067

12 South America Peru 1960 10,155,011
13 South America Peru 2020 32971846
14 Europe Spain 1960 30455000
15 Europe Spain 2020 47351567
Making

The COUNTIF and COUNTIFS formulas are slightly different than

SUMIF and AVERAGEIF because we only need to look at one con-
dition and not the sum or average of the values in another column
(Figure 5.9 and Table 5.9):
Moving

FIGURE 5.9

Cell E2: =COUNTIF(A2:A15,"Asia")

Cell F2: =COUNTIFS(A2:A15,"Asia",C2:C15,"2020")

 Chapter 5: Fundamental Formulas Used in Building Your Graphs 63

TABLE 5.9
A B C D E F
1 Region Country Year Population COUNTIF COUNTIFS
2 Asia Nepal 1960 10,105,060 8 4
3 Asia Nepal 2020 29,136,808
4 Asia Vietnam 1960 32,670,048
5 Asia Vietnam 2020 97,338,583
6 South America Argentina 1960 20,481,781
7 South America Argentina 2020 45,376,763
8 Asia Thailand 1960 27,397,208
9 Asia Thailand 2020 69,799,978
10 Asia Turkey 1960 27,472,339

Setting
11 Asia Turkey 2020 84,339,067
12 South America Peru 1960 10,155,011
13 South America Peru 2020 32,971,846
14 Europe Spain 1960 30,455,000
15 Europe Spain 2020 47,351,567

Making
Find the Top and Bottom
• MIN(number1, [number2], ...)
• MAX(number1, [number2], ...)

The MIN (minimum) and MAX (maximum) formulas let us pull

Moving
out the largest and smallest values in a data series (Figure 5.10 and
Table 5.10).
Cell E2: =MIN(D2:D15)

Cell F2: =MAX(D2:D15)

FIGURE 5.10
 64 Data Visualization in Excel

TABLE 5.10
A B C D E F
1 Region Country Year Population MIN MAX
2 Asia Nepal 1960 10,105,060 10,105,060 97,338,583
3 Asia Nepal 2020 29,136,808
4 Asia Vietnam 1960 32,670,048
5 Asia Vietnam 2020 97,338,583
6 South America Argentina 1960 20,481,781
7 South America Argentina 2020 45,376,763
8 Asia Thailand 1960 27,397,208
9 Asia Thailand 2020 69,799,978
10 Asia Turkey 1960 27,472,339
Setting

11 Asia Turkey 2020 84,339,067

12 South America Peru 1960 10,155,011
13 South America Peru 2020 32,971,846
14 Europe Spain 1960 30,455,000
15 Europe Spain 2020 47,351,567
Making

Combine Pieces of Information

• CONCATENATE(text1, [text2],…)
• CONCAT(text1, [text2],…)
• Ampersand (&) symbol
Moving

We can combine (concatenate) data fields in Excel using a few meth-

ods. The CONCATENATE formula was the original way to combine
data fields but has been replaced with the CONCAT function. Both
work in the same way—the arguments inside the formula are joined
together. A faster and a slightly easier way is to use the ampersand
(&) symbol.
Using these techniques, we can combine data fields to create data
labels or to use in another formula. With our country population
dataset, we can create a label for each country in “country name,
year” format by using:
Cell E2: =B2&", "&C2
 Chapter 5: Fundamental Formulas Used in Building Your Graphs 65

This formula joins the value in cell B2 (“Nepal”) with a comma and
space (“, ”) and the value in cell C2 (1960). I often use this approach
to create custom labels or specific search identifiers for a data value
(Figure 5.11 and Table 5.11).

FIGURE 5.11

TABLE 5.11
A B C D E

Setting
1 Region Country Year Population Label
2 Asia Nepal 1960 10,105,060 Nepal, 1960
3 Asia Nepal 2020 29,136,808 Nepal, 2020
4 Asia Vietnam 1960 32,670,048 Vietnam, 1960
5 Asia Vietnam 2020 97,338,583 Vietnam, 2020
6 South America Argentina 1960 20,481,781 Argentina, 1960

Making
7 South America Argentina 2020 45,376,763 Argentina, 2020
8 Asia Thailand 1960 27,397,208 Thailand, 1960
9 Asia Thailand 2020 69,799,978 Thailand, 2020
10 Asia Turkey 1960 27,472,339 Turkey, 1960
11 Asia Turkey 2020 84,339,067 Turkey, 2020
12 South America Peru 1960 10,155,011 Peru, 1960

Moving
13 South America Peru 2020 32,971,846 Peru, 2020
14 Europe Spain 1960 30,455,000 Spain, 1960
15 Europe Spain 2020 47,351,567 Spain, 2020

LOOKUP Functions
• VLOOKUP(lookup _ value, table _ array, col _ index _
num, [range _ lookup])
• HLOOKUP(lookup _ value, table _ array, row _ index _
num, [range _ lookup])
• XLOOKUP(lookup _ value,lookup _ array,return _
array,[if _ not _ found], [match _ mode], [search _ mode])
 66 Data Visualization in Excel

We now get into the LOOKUP formulas, which are extremely help-
ful for simplifying or organizing our data. There are three primary
LOOKUP formulas in Excel:
– VLOOKUP is a vertical lookup function that looks up and down
columns.
– HLOOKUP is a horizontal lookup function that looks across
rows.
– XLOOKUP is a newer function that looks across rows and
columns.
The formulas all work similarly, and the VLOOKUP formula
appears throughout the tutorials, so we’ll focus on it here. There are
Setting

four arguments in VLOOKUP:

– The lookup_value is what we are looking for in our dataset, such
as a country name.
– The table_array is the table or set of columns where we are look-
ing to find the data value or values we want. The thing we are
looking for (e.g., country name) must exist in the first column of
Making

the table.
– The col_index_num is the column number we want to look
through in our table. The column in which we are looking for
the lookup_value counts as the first column.
– The range_lookup has two options:
– Exact match (0 or FALSE) searches for the exact value in the
Moving

first column.
– Approximate match (1 or TRUE) assumes the first column
in the table is sorted and searches for the closest value. This
option is the default in Excel, but we don’t always want to find
an approximate match so it’s always worth specifying.

Admittedly, there are a lot of parts to the VLOOKUP formula,

so let’s break it down:
=VLOOKUP("Peru",A2:B15,2,0)

We’ve got our four pieces:

– The first argument is the thing we are looking for: the word
“Peru”.
 Chapter 5: Fundamental Formulas Used in Building Your Graphs 67

– The second argument is the data table range where we are look-
ing (A2:B15). The thing we are looking for (“Peru”) must appear
in the first column of this range.
– The third argument is the column number from which we want
to pull our result—the first column contains the list of things we
are looking for (country names) and extends to the right. In this
case, we want to get the population value for Peru, so we want to
pull the data from the second column in the range (column B).
– The last argument is the exact or approximate match identifier.
In this case, we want to find the value for Peru exactly, so we
insert the number 0 (or the word FALSE if you like) (Figure 5.12
and Table 5.12).

Setting
FIGURE 5.12

Making
TABLE 5.12
A B C
1 Country Population, 2020 VLOOKUP
2 Ethiopia 114,963,583 32,971,846
3 Vietnam 97,338,583
4 Turkey 84,339,067

Moving
5 Thailand 69,799,978
6 South Africa 59,308,690
7 Spain 47,351,567
8 Argentina 45,376,763
9 Peru 32,971,846
10 Nepal 29,136,808
11 Chad 16,425,859
12 Belarus 9,379,952
13 Denmark 5,831,404
14 Singapore 5,685,807
15 Mongolia 3,278,292
 68 Data Visualization in Excel

What about using the approximate match? Let’s say we want to

add an indicator to our dataset that classifies countries as “small,”
“middle,” or “large.” We can accomplish this task by using a
VLOOKUP formula.
First, we must set up a smaller “lookup” table to the side, which
defines our conditions for what constitutes a “small,” “medium,” or
“large” country. Then, in column C (starting in cell C2), we insert
this formula:
=VLOOKUP(B2,$E$2:$F$4,2,1)

Our formula starts by looking at cell B2, the population of Ethiopia.

With the second argument (i.e., $E$2:$F$4), we instruct our for-
mula to compare that population number in cell B2 to the thresh-
Setting

olds we created in the blue-shaded lookup table in columns D and

E (Figure 5.13 and Table 5.13). (Remember, the thing we are looking
for must be in the first column.) Here, we use absolute references
(the dollar signs) so the reference to the lookup table doesn’t change
when we copy the formula down column C. The third argument, 2,
specifies that we are going to extract the word in the second column
Making

from our lookup table) using an approximate match (the 1 in the last
argument).
Moving

FIGURE 5.13

But what does the approximate match do? In short, it takes

the data (here in column E) and builds ranges with it. Countries
with populations between 0 and 50 million people are consid-
ered “small,” countries with 50–100 million people are consid-
ered “middle,” and countries with 100 million or more people are
classified as “large.” When the formula looks in the table for the
population of Ethiopia (cell C2), it compares the 115 million data
point to each of those thresholds: to 0 million—greater than that;
to 50 million—greater than that; and finally 100 million or more.
The formula sees that Ethiopia’s population exceeds the 100 mil-
lion threshold, so it inserts the text value in the second column
(“Large”) into the cell.
 Chapter 5: Fundamental Formulas Used in Building Your Graphs 69

TABLE 5.13
A B C D E F
1 Region Country Population, 2020 VLOOKUP
2 Africa Ethiopia 114,963,583 Large 0 Small
3 Asia Vietnam 97,338,583 Middle 50,000,000 Middle
4 Asia Turkey 84,339,067 Middle 100,000,000 Large
5 Asia Thailand 69,799,978 Middle
6 Africa South Africa 59,308,690 Middle
7 Europe Spain 47,351,567 Small
8 South America Argentina 45,376,763 Small
9 South America Peru 32,971,846 Small
10 Asia Nepal 29,136,808 Small

Setting
11 Africa Chad 16,425,859 Small
12 Europe Belarus 9,379,952 Small
13 Europe Denmark 5,831,404 Small
14 Asia Singapore 5,685,807 Small
15 Asia Mongolia 3,278,292 Small

Making
I use the VLOOKUP formula a lot in this book, so it’s worth
familiarizing yourself with how it works. Absolute references can be
added to any of its arguments, and we can embed many of the for-
mulas shown above—IF, AND, OR, and the ampersand symbol—
inside the VLOOKUP. To demonstrate, let’s extend our previous
example with the following formula in cell F2:

Moving
=VLOOKUP(G2&" "&G3,A2:E15,5,0)

Here, we have a table with a new Label column that combines the
country name and the year of data. Our new formula combines the
values in cells G2 and G3 and separates them with a space (e.g.,
“Vietnam 2020”). It then looks through our Label column for the
same combined value and pulls out the data point from the fifth
column of the designated range for the specific country-year com-
bination specified in cells G2 and G3 (Figure 5.14 and Table 5.14).

FIGURE 5.14
 70 Data Visualization in Excel

TABLE 5.14
A B C D E F G
1 Label Region Country Year Population VLOOKUP
2 Nepal 1960 Asia Nepal 1960 10,105,060 97,338,583 Vietnam
3 Nepal 2020 Asia Nepal 2020 29,136,808 2020
4 Vietnam 1960 Asia Vietnam 1960 32,670,048
5 Vietnam 2020 Asia Vietnam 2020 97,338,583
6 Argentina 1960 South America Argentina 1960 20,481,781
7 Argentina 2020 South America Argentina 2020 45,376,763
8 Thailand 1960 Asia Thailand 1960 27,397,208
9 Thailand 2020 Asia Thailand 2020 69,799,978
10 Turkey 1960 Asia Turkey 1960 27,472,339
Setting

11 Turkey 2020 Asia Turkey 2020 84,339,067

12 Peru 1960 South America Peru 1960 10,155,011
13 Peru 2020 South America Peru 2020 32,971,846
14 Spain 1960 Europe Spain 1960 30,455,000
15 Spain 2020 Europe Spain 2020 47,351,567
Making

XLOOKUP(lookup _ value,lookup _ array,return _

array,[if _ not _ found], [match _ mode], [search _ mode])
XLOOKUP works similarly to VLOOKUP, but it’s worth defining
because I expect it to become the go-to formula in the coming years.
XLOOKUP is more flexible than VLOOKUP for two main reasons.
Moving

First, the value you are looking for does not need to appear in the
first column of the data table. Second, XLOOKUP can return an
array with multiple items, so one formula can return multiple fields.
Let’s say our data table is rearranged so the country names are
in the far-right column. With XLOOKUP, we can conduct a simple
lookup:
=XLOOKUP(B2,D8:D14,B8:B14)

The formula looks for the value in cell B2 (Turkey) in the moved
country column, cells D8:D14. It then looks for the value in cells
B8:B14 that corresponds to our lookup value, Turkey.
 Chapter 5: Fundamental Formulas Used in Building Your Graphs 71

In row 5, we have another XLOOKUP formula, which pulls both

population estimates into new cells. That formula is:
=XLOOKUP(B5,D8:D14,B8:C14)

By setting the last argument as cells B8:C14, Excel returns the cor-
responding values from each column when we click the Enter or
Return key. VLOOKUP, by comparison, would require us to add a
separate column reference that would need to change from column
to column (Figure 5.15 and Table 5.15).

Setting
FIGURE 5.15

TABLE 5.15
A B C D

Making
1 Country Population, 1960
2 Turkey 27,472,339
3
4 Country Population, 1960 Population, 2020
5 Peru 10,155,011 32,971,846
6
7 Region Population, 1960 Population, 2020 Country

Moving
8 South America 20,481,781 45,376,763 Argentina
9 Asia 10,105,060 29,136,808 Nepal
10 South America 10,155,011 32,971,846 Peru
11 Europe 30,455,000 47,351,567 Spain
12 Asia 27,397,208 69,799,978 Thailand
13 Asia 27,472,339 84,339,067 Turkey
14 Asia 32,670,048 97,338,583 Vietnam

Wrap-Up
There are two other lookup formulas that many people like to use in Excel:
INDEX and MATCH. Both formulas work similarly to the LOOKUP for-
mulas but are faster (in terms of computer processing speed) and more flex-
ible in terms of how the data table can be organized. But they also have more
 72 Data Visualization in Excel

arguments, which can make them difficult to build and understand. I consider
myself a “LOOKUP” person, so I don’t present these formulas here.
Excel has a myriad of formula types and a variety of ways to construct and
combine formulas. Some formulas can pull data directly from the web (e.g.,
STOCKHISTORY), and others are arrays that can hold a collection of values,
not just in a single cell. The Microsoft Office suite also houses the Visual Basic
for Applications (VBA) programming language, which can be used to auto-
mate certain tasks or expand Excel’s general capabilities. In short, the formu-
las and approaches that I use in this book may not be the right formulas or
even what the most experienced Excel users would choose to use. But I have
used these formulas for many years, and they have served me well to analyze,
extract, organize, and visualize my data.
Setting
Making
Moving
 Chapter 6
Building a Custom
Color Palette
in Excel

Choosing and implementing color palettes is a challenging task when visu-

alizing data. Color can highlight and draw attention, but it can also make a
graphic look confusing or ugly. As computer scientist Maureen Stone once
wrote, “Color used poorly will obscure, muddle, and confuse” (Stone, 2006).
Using the default color palettes in Excel will yield visualizations that look
like everything else you can make in Excel. For me, using the default colors
suggests a level of laziness—the creator couldn’t bother to consider alternatives
to better display the data or convey their argument (Figure 6.1).
We can create our own custom color palettes and add them to Excel, allow-
ing us to easily switch between the default palette and our own. Even better,
once we’ve created our palettes, we can share them with others to create consis-
tent graphs and charts across an entire team or organization. We can load the
palettes into all of the other Microsoft tools as well to create visually cohesive
Word documents and PowerPoint slides.

A Primer on Choosing Colors

Building a custom color palette is no easy task and demands an understanding
of design, contrast, accessibility, and how different color models work. Going
in depth on how to choose the colors for your palette is beyond the scope of
this book, but I would point to four general considerations when generating
custom colors.

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-773
 74 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 6.1
Making

First, leave it to the experts. As someone who does not have a background
in graphic design, I leave building custom color palettes to the experts. With
so many considerations around color theory and how we perceive color, you
are probably best served by letting an expert construct the palette for you. But
keep in mind that data visualizations have different color needs than tradi-
tional branding purposes. Some colors may work well in a logo or on a website,
but not necessarily in a bar or line chart. Thus, when you work with an expert
Moving

in color, you may need to be the expert in data visualization to create a palette
that will work in charts, graphs, and diagrams.
Second, keep accessibility in mind (see Box 6.1). There are many forms of
vision impairments that can make differentiating between colors difficult.
Other kinds of vision impairments can lead to light sensitivity or blurred
vision, which makes color choices important.
Third, use good tools. There are lots of color-picking and color-testing tools
available on the web, many of which are free to use. Some of these tools also
have libraries or collections of existing palettes you can use in your work. I
have included a list of some of the tools I use regularly in Appendix 2.
Fourth, test your colors. Once you have a palette, do some testing. Create a
variety of visualizations and see if the colors work well together—and be sure to
try multiple visualizations with different numbers of series and values. Ask oth-
ers to read your charts and provide feedback on the color palette. This process is
the easiest kind of user testing you can do and will pay off in the long run.
 Chapter 6: Building a Custom Color Palette in Excel 75

Box 6.1: Accessibility Considerations

A full exploration of how to make your graphs and other visual content accessi-
ble to people with vision, physical, intellectual, or other impairments is beyond
the scope of this book. But there are two things we can all do to make our data
visualizations as accessible as possible.
First, carefully consider the colors you use. About 300 million around the
world have some form of color vision deficiency, the most common of which
(deuteranopia) makes it difficult for people to distinguish between similar
shades of reds and greens. But this isn’t the only vision impairment that some
of our readers might have—some people might have sensitivity to light or con-
trast and others might have low visual acuity, which refers to the clarity or
sharpness of vision (World Wide Web Consortium, 2019). A number of tools
listed in Appendix 1 offer useful guides to picking and creating color palettes

Setting
that address many of these vision impairments.
Second, be sure to write alternative text (known as “alt text”) for all your
graphs. Alt text provides a description of the visual content. Assistive tools like
screen readers read the alt text out loud so users with vision impairments can
hear the content. Without alt text attached to your images, screen readers will
either skip over the image or read the filename.
To write usable alt text for graphs, consider including these three compo-

Making
nents (Cesal, 2020):
1. The Chart Type. Tell the user if the graph is a line chart, bar chart, or
pie chart.
2. Type of Data. Explain what the x- and y-axes show.
3. A Bottom Line. Tell the reader what they should learn from the chart.
If you’ve written an active title for your chart, start with that.
In Excel (and other Microsoft Office products), you can use the Alt Text option

Moving
in the Format menu or right-click on the graph to type in your alt text.
There is a growing body of work around best practices and ways to make
your data and data visualization accessible to a wider audience. Utilizing the
resources available at the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)—an
international consortium focused on making the web accessible to every-
one—is a great starting point (https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/
wcag/). Chartability (https://chartability.fizz.studio/) also offers a set of testable
questions we can apply to our data visualizations to help ensure accessible
visuals. And the Do No Harm Guide from me and others (Schwabish, Feng, and
Popkin, 2022) brings together some of the current best practices in this area.

Creating Your Own Color Palette

Modern versions of Excel contain about 25 alternative color palettes. On the
left side of the Page Layout tab, there is a Themes group, in which there is a
Colors drop-down menu, among other options (Figure 6.2).
 76 Data Visualization in Excel

FIGURE 6.2

Selecting any of the alternatives in the drop-down menu changes the default
colors applied across the entire Excel workbook. So with one click, we can go
from the blue-orange-gray default color palette to shades of blue in the “Blue
Warm” palette (Figure 6.3; we’re coming to the custom colors).
Setting
Making
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FIGURE 6.3
 Chapter 6: Building a Custom Color Palette in Excel 77

At the bottom of this drop-down menu, there is a Customize Colors option.

Selecting this option allows us to manually change each of the colors in the
Excel palette and save our new palette in an XML file format. (This process
only works on PCs, but you can still create custom palettes on Macs by follow-
ing the same steps in PowerPoint in the Design > Variants > Colors menu. You
can also create custom color palettes in PowerPoint on PCs if you’d prefer to
work there.)
As you can see in Figure 6.4, there are two text/background combination
options, six “accent” colors, and options for the hyperlinks and followed hyper-
links in the default palette. The “Sample” area on the right part of the menu
provides a preview of how the colors will work in practice. Note that the order
matters here. If we create a bar chart with one series using the default color
palette, the bars will be the blue color in the Accent 1 box. If we add a second

Setting
series, those bars will be colored in orange, shown in the Accent 2 box.
To add your own colors, select the drop-down menu next to each color/
text option and type in the “Red Green Blue” (RGB) code (three numbers
ranging from 0 to 255) or the hexadecimal (HEX) code (a six-character com-
bination of letters and numbers; Figure 6.5). If you are on a Mac computer or
using PowerPoint on a Windows computer, you can use the eyedropper tool
to select the color from an image directly.

Making
Moving

FIGURE 6.4
 78 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 6.5
Making

When you’ve changed all of your colors, name the palette and click the Save
button (Figure 6.6). Excel (or PowerPoint, depending on where you built the
palette) will generate a full color palette XML file for you.
Moving

FIGURE 6.6
 Chapter 6: Building a Custom Color Palette in Excel 79

Microsoft automatically generates the tints and shades of your colors to fill
in the entire color palette menu (Figure 6.7). Now, when you open the Colors
drop-down menu in any of your Office tools (you may need to restart the appli-
cation, but you shouldn’t need to restart your computer), your new color palette
will appear and you can start using it. Even if you created the palette in Excel,
it will be available to you in PowerPoint and Word (Figure 6.8).

Setting
Making
FIGURE 6.7

Moving

FIGURE 6.8
 80 Data Visualization in Excel

Where Is the XML File?

Now that we’ve created the new color palette, where does Microsoft save the
XML file for us to share it with our team or organization? It’s not the same on
all computers and all versions of Windows, but on my PC running Windows
11, the Microsoft Colors folder can be found here: C:\Users\USERNAME\
AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates\Document Themes\Theme Colors.
You will need to replace the USERNAME section with your username on
your computer. If you can’t find the “AppData” folder, it’s probably hidden.
Open File Explorer/Windows Explorer and type %AppData% in the address
bar and hit enter.
If you can’t find the XML file, my suggestion is to name your color palette
something outlandish and use the PC Windows Explorer or Mac Finder tool to
find the file. Remember, it’s just a regular file like anything else on your com-
Setting

puter, so if you name it “Schwabish,” chances are it will be the only file that will
come up in a search. (Of course, that strategy doesn’t work for me!) Once you
locate the folder, you’ll see your color palette(s) in individual XML files, which
you can share with your colleagues (Figure 6.9).
Making
Moving

FIGURE 6.9

One last thing: we can do this task another way, which works if we have mul-
tiple color palettes that we want to load into Excel quickly. With this method,
we can write our own XML file and place it in the appropriate folder.
The XML file follows a basic template, elements of which we can modify for
our own needs. To create the file, open a text editor and write the code shown
on the next page. We just need to edit the name of the palette shown in blue
and the HEX color codes shown in green (Figure 6.10).
 Chapter 6: Building a Custom Color Palette in Excel 81

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>

<a:clrScheme xmlns:a="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/
drawingml/2006/main" name="Viridis">
<a:dk1><a:srgbClr val="000000"/>
</a:dk1><a:lt1><a:srgbClr val="FFFFFF"/>
</a:lt1><a:dk2><a:srgbClr val="44546A"/>
</a:dk2><a:lt2><a:srgbClr val="E7E6E6"/>
</a:lt2><a:accent1><a:srgbClr val="430C54"/>
</a:accent1><a:accent2><a:srgbClr val="404486"/>
</a:accent2><a:accent3><a:srgbClr val="29778E"/>
</a:accent3><a:accent4><a:srgbClr val="20A784"/>
</a:accent4><a:accent5><a:srgbClr val="7AD051"/>
</a:accent5><a:accent6><a:srgbClr val="FCE625"/>
</a:accent6><a:hlink><a:srgbClr val="0563C1"/>
</a:hlink><a:folHlink><a:srgbClr val="954F72"/>

Setting
</a:folHlink></a:clrScheme>

The name of the palette appears in quotation marks on line three and the
text/colors in quotation marks on the other lines. To change any of the col-
ors, replace their HEX codes. The first accent color in this palette is “430C54,”
which is a rich purple. (With this approach, we have to use HEX color codes,

Making
Moving

FIGURE 6.10 The “Viridis” color palette.

 82 Data Visualization in Excel

so we will need to convert any RGB codes to HEX codes. There are tools avail-
able online to make these conversions, like this one at the COLORRRS website
at https://www.webfx.com/web-design/hex-to-rgb/. A curated list of my favorite
color tools can be found in Appendix 1.) Once you’ve finished entering your
color palettes, save the file with a .xml file extension to the Theme Colors folder
as described above and Excel will generate the tints and shades, as in the stan-
dard palette (Figure 6.10).
Now we have a series of separate color palettes we can use in any of our
Microsoft tools and share with our colleagues to create visually cohesive graphs
in Excel, slides in PowerPoint, and objects in Word.
Setting
Making
Moving
 Part 2

Making Graphs
in Excel
 Chapter 7
Sparklines

Sparklines
Level: Beginner
Data Type: Time
Combine Charts: No
Formulas Used: None

Sparklines are small line charts intended to be embedded within a table. With
sparklines, instead of needing a huge, unwieldy table with a large number of
rows or columns, we can simplify the data and make it more visual.
Here, we have the stock market trading volume for 10 large technology firms
(Figure 7.1). We have each company’s stock symbol in column A, the com-
pany’s full name in column B, the trading volume at the beginning of January
2022 in column C, the trading volume at the end of January 2022 in column D,
and the percent change from the start to the end of January in column E. We’ll
place the sparklines in column F, which will reference the daily data shown in
columns H to AA.
1. In the Insert tab, select the Line option in the Sparklines drop-down
menu, which is located to the right of the standard Charts area on the
ribbon (Figure 7.2).

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-985
 86 Data Visualization in Excel

FIGURE 7.1
Setting

FIGURE 7.2

2. To create our sparklines, we only need to insert two references: the data
Making

we want to graph and the location of the sparklines. In the first box,
we’ll enter the data reference (cells H3:AA12), and in the second box,
we’ll enter the location of the sparklines (cells F3:F12). Once we hit OK,
the sparklines will automatically generate (Figure 7.3).
Moving

FIGURE 7.3
 Chapter 7: Sparklines 87

3. If we select any of the sparklines in column F, a new Sparkline tab will

appear on the ribbon, which is where we can do all of our styling. We
can format the color of the sparklines in the Sparkline Color drop-down
menu, add markers in the Show tab, or even change the chart type to
columns in the Type tab (Figure 7.4).
As a default, the vertical axis for each sparkline will be different
because sparklines are intended to show users general patterns, not
specific values. If we want to enable users to see more specific compari-
sons by using the same vertical axis for each row, we can standardize
the range in the Axis area of the Sparkline menu.

Setting
Making
Moving
FIGURE 7.4

By using sparklines, we can present our data to the user in one small visual
table instead of showing the exact values across 30-plus columns. The spar-
klines show the overall trend during January, with the data marker showing
the trading volume at the end of the month (Figure 7.5).
 88 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 7.5

Quick Instructions
1. Insert > Sparklines > Line
Making

2. Enter the data range (H3:AA12) in the top box and the placement range
(F3:F12) in the bottom box
Moving
 Chapter 8
Heatmap

Heatmap
Level: Beginner
Data Type: Categorical
Combine Charts: No
Formulas Used: None

Heatmaps are similar to a table, but instead of showing the actual numbers, the
heatmap shows colors. They are typically used to show high-frequency data in
a compact format.
Creating heatmaps is relatively easy to do using Excel’s Conditional Formatting
menu, combined with a little trick to hide the numbers. We’ll use the power of
Conditional Formatting several times in this book, so this tutorial serves as a
good introduction to how the menu works.
The basic data for this example consists of the total number of singles, dou-
bles, triples, and home runs hit by every Major League Baseball team during
the 2021 baseball season. We want to show the totals for each category, and a
basic table, while not a terrible option, is not particularly useful for easily pick-
ing out patterns or trends in the data (Figure 8.1).

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-1089
 90 Data Visualization in Excel

A B C D E F
1 Team 1B 2B 3B HR Total
2 Arizona Diamondbacks 814 308 31 144 1,297
3 Atlanta Braves 779 269 20 239 1,307
4 Baltimore Orioles 820 266 15 195 1,296
5 Boston Red Sox 862 330 23 219 1,434
6 Chicago Cubs 794 225 26 210 1,255
7 Chicago White Sox 886 275 22 190 1,373
8 Cincinnati Reds 822 295 13 222 1,352
9 Cleveland Indians 796 248 22 203 1,269
10 Colorado Rockies 847 275 34 182 1,338
11 Detroit Tigers 847 236 37 179 1,299
Setting

12 Houston Astros 962 299 14 221 1,496

13 Kansas City Royals 906 251 29 163 1,349
14 Los Angeles Angels 853 265 23 190 1,331
15 Los Angeles Dodgers 822 247 24 237 1,330
16 Miami Marlins 837 226 23 158 1,244
17 Milwaukee Brewers 784 255 18 194 1,251
18 Minnesota Twins 795 271 17 228 1,311
Making

19 New York Mets 821 228 18 176 1,243

20 New York Yankees 819 213 12 222 1,266
21 Oakland Athletics 795 271 19 199 1,284
22 Philadelphia Phillies 804 262 24 198 1,288
23 Pittsburgh Pirates 862 240 35 124 1,261
24 San Diego Padres 831 273 21 180 1,305
Moving

25 San Francisco Giants 823 271 25 241 1,360

26 Seattle Mariners 766 233 11 199 1,209
27 St. Louis Cardinals 822 261 22 198 1,303
28 Tampa Bay Rays 790 288 36 222 1,336
29 Texas Rangers 838 225 24 167 1,254
30 Toronto Blue Jays 895 285 13 262 1,455
31 Washington Nationals 914 272 20 182 1,388

FIGURE 8.1

1. First, we need to add color to the cells using Conditional Formatting,

which we can do by selecting the first category (cells B2:B31) and going
to the Home tab > Conditional Formatting > Color Scales > More Rules
(Figure 8.2).
 Chapter 8: Heatmap 91

Setting
FIGURE 8.2

2. In the resulting menu, we can select the colors we want to use. The
standard “sequential color palette” uses lighter colors for smaller values
and darker colors for larger values. We can select other options in the
Minimum and Maximum drop-down menus, but the default options,
Lowest Value and Highest Value, are sufficient for our purposes. Select

Making
the colors in the “Color:” drop-down menu and click OK (Figure 8.3).

Moving

FIGURE 8.3

The column will now display the colors selected (Figure 8.4).
3. Repeat the process with new colors for the remaining columns. Keep in
mind that there may be cases where we want to use shades and tints of
a single color for the entire table. In those cases, we will follow the same
process—select the entire table and apply the color palette. If we apply a
single color palette to the entire table, we’ll get a different perspective of
 92 Data Visualization in Excel

A B C D E F
1 Team 1B 2B 3B HR Total
2 Arizona Diamondbacks 814 308 31 144 1,297
3 Atlanta Braves 779 269 20 239 1,307
4 Baltimore Orioles 820 266 15 195 1,296
5 Boston Red Sox 862 330 23 219 1,434
6 Chicago Cubs 794 225 26 210 1,255
7 Chicago White Sox 886 275 22 190 1,373
8 Cincinnati Reds 822 295 13 222 1,352
9 Cleveland Indians 796 248 22 203 1,269
10 Colorado Rockies 847 275 34 182 1,338
11 Detroit Tigers 847 236 37 179 1,299
Setting

12 Houston Astros 962 299 14 221 1,496

13 Kansas City Royals 906 251 29 163 1,349
14 Los Angeles Angels 853 265 23 190 1,331
15 Los Angeles Dodgers 822 247 24 237 1,330
16 Miami Marlins 837 226 23 158 1,244
17 Milwaukee Brewers 784 255 18 194 1,251
Making

18 Minnesota Twins 795 271 17 228 1,311

19 New York Mets 821 228 18 176 1,243
20 New York Yankees 819 213 12 222 1,266
21 Oakland Athletics 795 271 19 199 1,284
22 Philadelphia Phillies 804 262 24 198 1,288
23 Pittsburgh Pirates 862 240 35 124 1,261
24 San Diego Padres 831 273 21 180 1,305
Moving

25 San Francisco Giants 823 271 25 241 1,360

26 Seattle Mariners 766 233 11 199 1,209
27 St. Louis Cardinals 822 261 22 198 1,303
28 Tampa Bay Rays 790 288 36 222 1,336
29 Texas Rangers 838 225 24 167 1,254
30 Toronto Blue Jays 895 285 13 262 1,455
31 Washington Nationals 914 272 20 182 1,388

FIGURE 8.4

the data. In the version on the left of Figure 8.5, we can see which teams
had the most hits of each type. Arizona and Boston hit a lot of doubles
(2B), and Toronto hit a lot of home runs (HR). But in the version on the
right, we can see that singles (1B) were by far the most common type of
hit for every team.
 Team 1B 2B 3B HR Total Team 1B 2B 3B HR Total
Arizona Diamondbacks 814 308 31 144 1,297 Arizona Diamondbacks 814 308 31 144 1,297
Atlanta Braves 779 269 20 239 1,307 Atlanta Braves 779 269 20 239 1,307
Baltimore Orioles 820 266 15 195 1,296 Baltimore Orioles 820 266 15 195 1,296
Boston Red Sox 862 330 23 219 1,434 Boston Red Sox 862 330 23 219 1,434
Chicago Cubs 794 225 26 210 1,255 Chicago Cubs 794 225 26 210 1,255
Chicago White Sox 886 275 22 190 1,373 Chicago White Sox 886 275 22 190 1,373
Cincinnati Reds 822 295 13 222 1,352 Cincinnati Reds 822 295 13 222 1,352
Cleveland Indians 796 248 22 203 1,269 Cleveland Indians 796 248 22 203 1,269
Colorado Rockies 847 275 34 182 1,338 Colorado Rockies 847 275 34 182 1,338
Detroit Tigers 847 236 37 179 1,299 Detroit Tigers 847 236 37 179 1,299
Houston Astros 962 299 14 221 1,496 Houston Astros 962 299 14 221 1,496
Kansas City Royals 906 251 29 163 1,349 Kansas City Royals 906 251 29 163 1,349
Los Angeles Angels 853 265 23 190 1,331 Los Angeles Angels 853 265 23 190 1,331
Los Angeles Dodgers 822 247 24 237 1,330 Los Angeles Dodgers 822 247 24 237 1,330
Miami Marlins 837 226 23 158 1,244 Miami Marlins 837 226 23 158 1,244
Milwaukee Brewers 784 255 18 194 1,251 Milwaukee Brewers 784 255 18 194 1,251
Minnesota Twins 795 271 17 228 1,311 Minnesota Twins 795 271 17 228 1,311
New York Mets 821 228 18 176 1,243 New York Mets 821 228 18 176 1,243
New York Yankees 819 213 12 222 1,266 New York Yankees 819 213 12 222 1,266
Oakland Athletics 795 271 19 199 1,284 Oakland Athletics 795 271 19 199 1,284
Philadelphia Phillies 804 262 24 198 1,288 Philadelphia Phillies 804 262 24 198 1,288
Pittsburgh Pirates 862 240 35 124 1,261 Pittsburgh Pirates 862 240 35 124 1,261
San Diego Padres 831 273 21 180 1,305 San Diego Padres 831 273 21 180 1,305
San Francisco Giants 823 271 25 241 1,360 San Francisco Giants 823 271 25 241 1,360
Seattle Mariners 766 233 11 199 1,209 Seattle Mariners 766 233 11 199 1,209
St. Louis Cardinals 822 261 22 198 1,303 St. Louis Cardinals 822 261 22 198 1,303
Tampa Bay Rays 790 288 36 222 1,336 Tampa Bay Rays 790 288 36 222 1,336
Texas Rangers 838 225 24 167 1,254 Texas Rangers 838 225 24 167 1,254
Toronto Blue Jays 895 285 13 262 1,455 Toronto Blue Jays 895 285 13 262 1,455
Washington Nationals 914 272 20 182 1,388 Washington Nationals 914 272 20 182 1,388
Chapter 8: Heatmap

FIGURE 8.5
93

Moving Making Setting

 94 Data Visualization in Excel

4. If we want, we can hide the numbers. We can’t delete them entirely

because the shading would disappear, and we can’t change the let-
ter coloring to white to match the background because the numbers
would show through the colors (though there are cases where you
might want to do this). Instead, we can use a small formatting trick to
hide the numbers. Select all of the numbers in the table, right-click (or
use the CTRL+1/CMD+1 keyboard shortcut), and select Format Cells
(Figure 8.6).
Setting
Making
Moving

FIGURE 8.6
 Chapter 8: Heatmap 95

5. Select the Custom option at the bottom of the Category: menu. Type
three semicolons (;;;) in the Type box and press OK (Figure 8.7).

Setting
Making
Moving
FIGURE 8.7

6. This format hides the numbers. They are still in the cells and can be
used or manipulated, but the colors remain. Personally, when possible,
I like to add a few more styling pieces to the heatmap.

a. I sort the data by value rather than alphabetically, unless alphabeti-

cally makes the most sense. In Figure 8.8, I sorted the data by the
total number of hits.
b. I add a border, usually white, to the cells using the standard border
options in the Home tab.
c. I turn off the worksheet gridlines using the Show drop-down menu
in the View tab before exporting the chart (Figure 8.8).
 96 Data Visualization in Excel

Team 1B 2B 3B HR Total
Houston Astros
Toronto Blue Jays
Boston Red Sox
Washington Nationals
Chicago White Sox
San Francisco Giants
Cincinnati Reds
Kansas City Royals
Colorado Rockies
Tampa Bay Rays
Los Angeles Angels
Setting

Los Angeles Dodgers

Minnesota Twins
Atlanta Braves
San Diego Padres
St. Louis Cardinals
Detroit Tigers
Arizona Diamondbacks
Making

Baltimore Orioles
Philadelphia Phillies
Oakland Athletics
Cleveland Indians
New York Yankees
Pittsburgh Pirates
Moving

Chicago Cubs
Texas Rangers
Milwaukee Brewers
Miami Marlins
New York Mets
Seattle Mariners

FIGURE 8.8 Total team hits in 2021

Quick Instructions
1. Select data (either entire data table or each column individually)
2. Home > Conditional Formatting > Color Scales > More Rules
3. Set Minimum and Maximum colors
4. Hide numbers: right-click > Format Cells > Number > Custom > type
three semicolons (;;;) into the Type box
 Chapter 9
Stripe Chart

Stripe Chart
Level: Beginner
Data Type: Categorical
Combine Charts: No
Formulas Used: None

I’m a big fan of stripe charts, which are lines or dots that show individual ele-
ments in the data and are often used to show how data are distributed. Making
a stripe chart in Excel is not that difficult—it just requires smart conditional
formatting and some resizing of the columns or rows.
For this example, we are going to remake the “climate stripes” visualizations
popularized by Ed Hawkins in 2018. The data measure the difference between
the average temperature in each year and the overall average in degrees Celsius,
and can be used to show the average rise in the planet’s temperature. Our data
run from 1850 to 2021, with labels for the years in the first row and the data in
the second row (Figure 9.1).
1. Creating a stripe chart is primarily an exercise in using the Conditional
Formatting menu. For our stripe chart, we are going to arrange the data
horizontally. First, select all of the data in the third row, cells A3:FP3

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-1197
 98 Data Visualization in Excel

FIGURE 9.1

(we can use the CTRL+SHIFT+Right Arrow keyboard combination),

and navigate to Home > Conditional Formatting > Color Scales > More
Rules.
For this particular chart, we want to use a “diverging color palette,”
which will start at dark blue for the coolest temperatures and continue
Setting

to red for the hottest temperatures. We will also add a midpoint of

white for 0° by changing the “Midpoint” option to Number. To imple-
ment the color palette, we need to select the 3-Color Scale option in the
drop-down menu and select our colors (blue, white, red) for each of
the three options. We can change the hues of blue and red by using the
More Colors option, or we can select the built-in colors. Once the colors
are set, press OK (Figure 9.2).
Making
Moving

FIGURE 9.2
 Chapter 9: Stripe Chart 99

2. We are going to make the columns much thinner to make the final
chart, but before we do so, let’s format the year labels along the top
of the chart. Insert a new row below the year labels to add labels for
each decade: 1850, 1860, 1870, and so on. We could use a formula here
to reference the years, but it might be easier to type “1850” in cell A3,
merge it with cells A3 through J3, and then left-align the text. Use the
“Merge & Center” button in the Home tab to merge the cells and the
standard alignment menu (also in the Home tab) to left-align the text
within the merged cells.
With that first-year label set up, we can copy-and-paste the merged
cell across the entire row to fill in the rest. This process is manual,
but it’s not all that tedious. For the last year—which only has two col-
umns of data (2020 and 2021)—follow the same procedure to merge

Setting
and resize these last two data columns with eight blank columns
(Figure 9.3).

Making
FIGURE 9.3

Moving
3. Now we need to set the column width. For this chart that includes
172 years, I use a width of eight pixels on my computer. There are two
ways to adjust column widths. Select all of the columns that we want
to change and either move the cursor over one of the column breaks
to manually make it narrower, or right-click and select the Column
Width option to manually insert the value. We can also make the rows
taller using the same process. Here, I use a row height of 225 pixels, but
you may need a different height (or column width) depending on your
monitor and operating system (Figure 9.4).
4. Finally, if we want to further delineate the years, we can add a left
border to those particular cells (with this much data, I’m not sure
it’s necessary). In either case, we can hide the spreadsheet gridlines
(View > Show) to create a blank white background for the chart
(Figures 9.5 and 9.6).
 100 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 9.4
Making
Moving

FIGURE 9.5

FIGURE 9.6
 Chapter 9: Stripe Chart 101

Quick Instructions
1. Select cells A3:FP3
2. Home > Conditional Formatting > Color Scales > More Rules > Format
Style > 3-Color Scale
3. Set Minimum color to blue and Maximum color to red
4. Change Midpoint value to Number, type zero (0) in the box, and change
color to white
5. Hide numbers: right-click > Format Cells > Number > Custom > type
three semicolons (;;;) into the Type box
6. Select columns A to FP and change column width

Setting
7. Select row number 3 and make it taller
8. To add or adjust year labels, see full tutorial

Making
Moving
 Chapter 10
Waffle Chart

Waffle Chart
Level: Beginner
Data Type: Part-to-whole
Combine Charts: No
Formulas Used: IF, &

Although pie charts are generally the go-to visualization for showing part-to-
whole relationships, a waffle chart can provide a good alternative. I define a
waffle chart as a 10x10 grid with each square representing a single percent-
age point, so the sum of all the squares is 100 percent. The waffle chart can
be extended to create a unit chart, which is a set of shapes that can sum to
any amount or show other data types. For a waffle/unit chart, the plotted data
should consist of whole numbers because each shape represents a value (though
I’m going to cheat a bit in this example and round my data to whole numbers).
Here, we use Vermont’s voting results in the 2020 Presidential election. There
are four categories—the share of people voting for Republicans, the share of
people voting for Democrats, the share of people who voted for another party,
and the share of people who didn’t vote.

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-12103
 104 Data Visualization in Excel

1. First, we need to convert our part-to-whole data to cumulative values.

Here, we have 47% for the first group and 22% for the second group, so
the first cumulative value is 47 (not 47%) and the second cumulative
value is 69. Because we’re working with percentages, the last cumulative
value should equal 100 (Table 10.1).

TABLE 10.1
A B C D
1 Group Share Cumulative
2 1 Democrat 47 47
3 2 Republican 22 69
4 3 Other 3 72
5 4 Did not vote 28 100
Setting

2. We now set up the “map” for the waffle chart, which will be a 10×10 grid
starting from 1 in the bottom-left corner to 100 in the top-right cor-
ner (Table 10.2). I number the header columns and rows (gray-shaded
cells) for my own organizational purposes. Because the waffle chart uses
squares, I’ll set the row and column widths to be the same. Select the
Making

columns by clicking on the column letter and holding the SHIFT key
to select multiple columns. We can right-click and choose the Column
Width option to manually enter the width of the column. Alternatively,
we can click on the right edge of the column, hold it, and slide to the
left to make the column thinner. We can adjust the height of the row or
rows similarly. The “##” symbol appears in the top-right square where
100 should be because the column isn’t wide enough for three digits.
Moving

TABLE 10.2
E F G H I J K L M N O P
2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
3 1 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 ##
4 2 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90
5 3 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80
6 4 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70
7 5 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
8 6 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
9 7 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
10 8 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
11 9 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
12 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
 Chapter 10: Waffle Chart 105

3. In the waffle chart itself, which starts in column R, we are going to ref-
erence the “map” and our cumulative data using an IF formula, which
looks complicated but isn’t really so bad. Here’s the full formula in cell
R12, the bottom-right cell of the chart:

=IF(G12<=$D$2,1,IF(G12<=$D$3,2,IF(G12<=$D$4,3,IF(G1
2<=$D$5,4,0))))

Although the formula looks like a lot, it’s just four-layered IF state-
ments. Let me show it to you again, but with added color:

=IF(G12<=$D$2,1,IF(G12<=$D$3,2,IF(G12<=$D$4,3,IF(G12<
=$D$5,4,0))))

Setting
All we are doing here is comparing the values in each cell of the
“map” to the cumulative shares. The first IF statement says if the value
in the first cell of the waffle chart (1 in the “map”) is less than or equal
to the share of the first group, enter a 1 in the cell. But if that’s not
true, the formula introduces a new IF statement to test against the
cumulative share for the second group, and so on. Using the absolute

Making
references to the raw data ($D$2, $D$3, $D$4, and $D$5) allows us to
simply copy and paste the formula, so it updates correctly (Table 10.3).
TABLE 10.3
Q R S T U V W X Y Z AA
2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
3 1 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Moving
4 2 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
5 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
6 4 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3
7 5 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
8 6 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2
9 7 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
10 8 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
11 9 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
12 10 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

To illustrate, look at the first value in the waffle chart, the bottom-
left cell. The value in the “map” is 1, which is less than the 47 value, so
the IF statement enters a 1 in the cell. Now let’s look at the top row of
the waffle chart, in the top-left cell. Here, the value in the “map” is 91,
 106 Data Visualization in Excel

which is greater than all of the values in our cumulative data except for
100, so the formula enters a 4 in the cell.
4. With the dataset in the waffle chart, we can go to the Home > Conditional
Formatting and set separate colors for each number. In this case,
instead of using the Color Scales option like we did in the heatmap, we
select Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > Equal To, which
brings us to a menu where we should enter a “1” in the box. We can use
the default styling options or, even better, select the Custom Format
option at the bottom of the drop-down menu to change the cell fill,
font color, outline, and more. When we’re done selecting our format-
ting options, press OK, then OK again in the main menu. We repeat the
process for each number in the waffle chart (2, 3, and 4) (Figure 10.1).
Setting
Making

FIGURE 10.1

5. As with the heatmap, I like to add a white border to each cell using
the standard Borders menu in the Home tab. Select the entire table,
then select the downward triangle next to the borders icon in the Font
menu of the Home tab. Toward the bottom of that menu, we can change
Moving

the color of the line. Once that’s done, we automatically exit the menu
and can draw the borders manually with a little pencil. I’m personally
not a fan of trying to do it manually, so I go back to the Border menu
and select the option (e.g., Bottom Border, Top Border, etc.) that I need
(Figure 10.2). Finally, to hide the numbers, we can use our three semi-
colons “;;;” number formatting trick in the Type area of the Number
Formatting menu (right-click on the cells or use the CTRL+1 or CMD+1
keyboard shortcut).
We can handle the labels in a few ways. I usually just type them, but we could
use a simple concatenate formula to make it slightly easier. Here, the formula
for the “Did not vote 28%” label is =B5&“ ”&C5&“%”, which takes the value in
cell B5 (“Did not vote”), puts a space after it (“ ”), adds the value in C5 (“28”),
then adds a percentage sign (“%”). We could also place our labels on the right
side of the waffle chart or align them vertically for each series by merging cells
 Chapter 10: Waffle Chart 107

Setting
Making
Moving

FIGURE 10.2

and changing the vertical alignment in the Alignment section of the Home tab
(Figure 10.3).
In either case, turn off the worksheet gridlines and you have yourself a waffle
chart: a decent alternative to the standard pie chart (Figure 10.4 and 10.5).
 108 Data Visualization in Excel

FIGURE 10.3
Setting
Making

FIGURE 10.4
Moving

FIGURE 10.5
 Chapter 10: Waffle Chart 109

This approach can be extended for multiple waffle charts or to set up a unit
chart. I once created a tile grid map of the US where each state was a waffle
chart showing the distribution of ages. It takes a lot of organization to get this
to work, but in the end, it’s no different than the process we used for this tuto-
rial (Figure 10.6).

Setting
Making
Moving
FIGURE 10.6

Quick Instructions
1. Arrange data and formulas
2. Select cells R3:AA12
3. Home > Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > Equal To
4. Type one (1) in the box and set fill color in the drop-down menu:
Custom Format > Fill
5. Repeat for each number (1, 2, 3, and 4)
6. Hide numbers: right-click > Format Cells > Number > Custom > type
three semicolons (;;;) into the Type box
7. Add borders: Home > Borders (in Font area) > All Borders
 Chapter 11
Gantt Chart

Gantt Chart
Level: Beginner
Data Type: Time
Combine Charts: No
Formulas Used: IF, AND, &

Typically used as a schedule-tracking device, the Gantt chart consists of hori-

zontal lines or bars that show the duration of different values or actions. There
are a couple of ways to create a Gantt chart in Excel. One uses the Conditional
Formatting menu in the spreadsheet itself, and another uses the standard
charting engine.
In this example, we use the top 10 career scoring leaders in the National
Hockey League. At the end of the 2021–2022 season, the Washington Capitals’
Alexander Ovechkin had 780 goals, on his way toward breaking the all-time
record held by the great Wayne Gretzky. These Gantt charts show the time
span of each players’ career.

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-13111
 112 Data Visualization in Excel

Conditional Formatting Approach

First, we will create a Gantt chart by using the Conditional Formatting menu
and making the chart directly in the spreadsheet. This approach allows us to
embed the chart within a table, making it a stripe chart with a few tweaks.
1. To create this chart, we are going to enter a series of 1s and 0s in the
cells to denote when the player was playing and when they were not.
The chart will extend from 1945 to 2021, so there will be a couple of
columns of 0s until Gordie Howe enters the league in 1947. We could
type the numbers, but a formula is a better, more accurate, and more
reproducible approach (Figure 11.1).
Setting
Making

FIGURE 11.1
Moving

In cell F3, we enter this formula:

=IF(AND($D3<=F$2,$E3>=F$2),1,0)
Press Enter, and copy and paste to all of the cells in the table:
F3:CD12.
Our formula is a simple IF statement with three arguments:
a. The first argument is the evaluation, which is wrapped within an
AND statement so we can evaluate two things at once. In this case,
the evaluation is true if the first year ($D3) is less than or equal to
the current year we are looking at (F$2) AND the last year ($E3) is
greater than or equal to the current year (F$2). Notice we strategi-
cally use the absolute reference dollar sign symbol so our formula
will still be correct when we copy and paste to the rest of the table.
b. If the evaluation is true, enter a 1 in the cell.
 Chapter 11: Gantt Chart 113

c. If the evaluation is false, enter a 0 in the cell.

Let’s look at two cells then:
i. In 1947, Wayne Gretzky (row 3) had not yet started playing. His
first year, 1979, is not less than or equal to 1947. As such, the
evaluation in cell H3 is false, and 0 is entered in the cell.
ii. In 1947, Gordie Howe (row 4) had started his career, so his first
year (1947) is equal to 1947 and his last year (1980) is greater
than 1947. Both conditions are true, so a 1 is entered in cell H4.
2. With the cells of 1s and 0s selected, we can use the Home > Conditional
Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > Equal To option to add color, just
like for waffle chart. Use the Custom Format option to format the cells

Setting
and press OK when done (Figure 11.2).

Making
Moving
FIGURE 11.2

3. For the final graph, we are going to make the columns much thinner.
Before we do so, let’s add some year labels to the top of the graph, using
the same strategy as the stripe chart in Chapter 9. Labels for every
10 years should suffice. To do so, make a duplicate of the header row
by inserting a new row then copy and pasting the original row. Next,
merge the cells for every 10 years starting in 1945 and left-align the text.
We can’t delete the original header row because the formula in the table
is tied to that row, so we can just hide it by right-clicking and selecting
Hide in the menu (Figure 11.3).
4. We can hide the numbers in the chart by changing the number format
to three semicolons (;;;) just like we did for the heatmap (select cells >
 114 Data Visualization in Excel

FIGURE 11.3

right-click > Format Cells > Custom > Type). And we can change the
width of the columns to 0.5 (or whatever width works on your com-
Setting

puter) like we did for the waffle chart. Remember to select the columns
here, not just the cells. (See how it all builds?) (Figure 11.4)
Making
Moving

FIGURE 11.4

5. There are a few additional formatting things we can do:

a. Hide the gridlines by going to the View tab and unchecking the box
next to Gridlines.
b. Add a line below the header row in the Border menu. If you want to
add a little space between the header row and the first bar for Wayne
Gretzky, you can add another row and change the height to some-
thing like 7 pixels.
c. Add white borders to the bottom of each row in the chart, which
will help give the bars a bit of breathing room. This work is manual,
and we need to select each row individually to add a bottom or top
border (Figure 11.5).
 Chapter 11: Gantt Chart 115

FIGURE 11.5

d. We can also move the First Year and Last Year columns somewhere
off the table by hiding them or cutting (CTRL+X) and pasting

Setting
(CTRL+V). Don’t delete them—remember, the formulas are tied to
those cells.
e. Finally, if we want to more precisely mark the year labels, we can
add a vertical border to the left side of each column (Figure 11.6).

Making
Moving
FIGURE 11.6

5. By making the chart in the spreadsheet, we can add another data value
by resizing the row height (Figure 11.7). Let’s say we want to adjust
the height of each row to correspond to the number of lifetime goals.
We can decide on a row height for Gretzky—say, 35 pixels—and scale
the other rows to that value. (This process requires a little bit of math.
Divide Gretzky’s lifetime goals by the row height, so 894/35 = 25.5. Now,
divide everyone else’s goals by that number to determine the correct
row height. For Gordie Howe, we get a row height of 801/25.5 = 31, and
for Steve Yzerman, 692/25.5 = 27.) These calculations can be automated
using VBA code, but that is beyond what we are going to cover in this
book.
 116 Data Visualization in Excel

FIGURE 11.7
Setting

Graphing Approach
We can also create a Gantt chart by using the standard Excel graphing engine,
which requires creating a “filler” series and, if preferred, some tweaks to get the
styling in order.
1. We start by creating a Stacked Bar chart with cells A1:C11. (The second
data series, Length, is the difference between each player’s last and first
Making

year in the league.) Select the data and insert a Stacked Bar chart in the
Charts area of the Insert tab (Figure 11.8).
Moving

FIGURE 11.8
 Chapter 11: Gantt Chart 117

2. We’ve created the plot, but Excel puts the last entry (Steve Yzerman) at
the top of the chart and the first entry (Wayne Gretzky) at the bottom.
I don’t know about you, but I want the data in my chart to match how
the data are set up in the worksheet. So we need to make a change. To
do so, format the y-axis (select the axis and right-click or hit CTRL+1),
and in that menu, make two changes:
a. In the Axis Options tab, check the box next to Categories in reverse
order, which will reverse the order of the bars.
b. Change the Horizontal axis crosses option to At maximum cate-
gory, which moves the x-axis labels back to the bottom of the chart
(Figure 11.9).

Setting
Making
Moving

FIGURE 11.9
 118 Data Visualization in Excel

3. If we want to stop here, we can make a few simple changes to the chart
and be done:
a. Hide the First Year series by setting its fill color to none: right-
click > Format Data Series > Fill > No Fill.
b. Change the x-axis to range from 1940 to 2021: right-click on the
axis and in the Format Axis menu set the Minimum and Maximum
bounds to those 2 years.
c. Make the bars a little wider: right-click on the bars > Format Data
Series > Gap Width > change to 100% in the box (Figure 11.10).
Setting
Making

FIGURE 11.10
Moving

4. Let’s take this chart a step further by labeling the first and last year of
each player’s career and adding the total number of goals scored.
First, put the blue color back on the first series. Select the bars for the
First Year series, right-click, and add a blue fill color—it doesn’t matter
what blue we use because we are going to set it to No Fill in just a bit.
Second, add the Last Year data series. Yes, it will extend beyond the
bounds of the chart, but that’s okay because we want to use it for our
labels. We can easily add this series by selecting the chart and extend-
ing the blue-highlighted area in the worksheet one column to the right.
Alternatively, we can right-click on the chart and choose the Select
Data option to manually insert the new series (Right-click > Select
Data > Add). Because we changed the bounds on the x-axis to 1940 and
2021 in the previous step, the last series looks a little weird extending
beyond the bounds of the chart, but don’t worry, we are only going to
use the bars for the labels (Figure 11.11).
 Chapter 11: Gantt Chart 119

Setting
FIGURE 11.11

Making
5. To add the labels, select the blue series, right-click, and select the Add
Data Labels option. Then do the same thing for the gray series. We can
see the labels in the blue series but not in the gray series. That’s because,
by default, Excel places the label in the middle of the bar, which is off
the edge of the graph for the gray bars (Figure 11.12).

Moving

FIGURE 11.12
 120 Data Visualization in Excel

6. Select the labels in the blue bars, right-click, and select Format Data
Labels > Label Position > Inside End. This step moves the label to the
right end of the bars (Figure 11.13).
Setting
Making
Moving

FIGURE 11.13

7. We can do the same thing with the labels on the gray bars. Even though
you can’t see the labels, right-click on the gray bars and select Format
Data Labels > Label Position > Inside Base to place the labels at the left
edge of the bars (Figure 11.14).
8. Let’s do some styling. Set the fill color on the blue and gray bars to No
Fill. If the label for 2021 (for Alexander Ovechkin) overlaps the bar, grab
the right edge of the Plot Area (recall the Chart Parts and Properties
section in Chapter 4) and move it to the left slightly (Figure 11.15).
 Chapter 11: Gantt Chart 121

Setting
FIGURE 11.14

Making
Moving
FIGURE 11.15

9. Finally, we can add the number of lifetime goals in parentheses next

to each name on the y-axis. All we need to do is create new labels and
reference them in the chart. We could just type these, but as you might
suspect by now, a formula will make our chart easier to update and
replicate. In cell F2 for Wayne Gretzky, we can use this formula:

=A2&" ("&E2&")"

This formula pulls the values in cell A2 (the player’s name), then a
space with an open parenthesis (“ (”), then the values in column E (the
 122 Data Visualization in Excel

number of lifetime goals), and finally a closed parenthesis (“)”). Copy

and paste that formula down the column.
We now need to point the chart to these new labels. Select the
chart, right-click, choose Select Data > Horizontal (Category) Axis
Labels: > Edit, and replace the contents of the box with the reference
to the new cells (=F2:F11). You’ll click OK twice (on PCs) to exit the
menus. If the new labels along the y-axis don’t quite fit, select the Plot
Area and move the left edge to the right (Figure 11.16).
Setting
Making

FIGURE 11.16
Moving

Quick Instructions

Method #1: C
 onditional Formatting
1. Arrange data and formulas
2. Select cells F3:CD12
3. Home > Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > Equal To
4. Type one (1) in menu box
5. Set the style (e.g., fill color) for the cells: Custom Format > Fill
6. Hide numbers: right-click > Format Cells > Number > Custom > type
three semicolons (;;;) into the Type box
 Chapter 11: Gantt Chart 123

7. Select columns F to CD and change column width

8. Resize rows to correspond to the number of Lifetime Goals (see cells
CG17:CH27)
9. To add or adjust year labels, see full tutorial

Method #2: Stacked Bar Chart

1. Arrange data and formulas
2. Select cells A1:D11 and insert a Stacked Bar Chart
3. Format vertical axis:
•• Right-click > Format Axis > Axis Options > Categories in reverse

Setting
order
•• Right-click > Format Axis > Axis Options > Horizontal axis
crosses > At maximum category
4. Add labels:
•• Right-click on the First Year series > Add Data Labels

Making
•• Right-click on the Last Year series > Add Data Labels
5. Format labels:
•• Right-click on labels for First Year series > Format Data Labels > Label
Position > Inside End
•• Right-click on labels for Last Year series > Format Data Labels > Label

Moving
Position > Inside Base
6. Edit range of horizontal axis: right-click > Format Axis > Bounds > 1940
for Minimum and 2021 for Maximum
7. Remove fill color of First Year series and Last Year series: right-
click > Format Data Series > Fill > No Fill
8. Delete legend and adjust Plot Area to fit all labels by dragging the right
edge of the Plot Area to the left
 Chapter 12
Comparing
Values with Two
Graph Types

Comparing Values with Two Graph Types

Level: Intermediate
Data Type: Categorical
Combine Charts: Yes
Formulas Used: None

If we want the reader to compare two different data values or metrics for
multiple observations, combining two graph types could be the way to go. In
this example, we are going to use the official poverty rate in the US compared
with an experimental measure created by the US Census Bureau called the
Supplemental Poverty Rate (SPM).
We’ll create our graph in two ways: first using a vertical layout, which is
really easy, and second using a horizontal layout, which requires a bit more
trickery.

Vertical layout
1. Create a Clustered Column chart using the poverty rate data in cells
A1:C11 (Figure 12.1).

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-14125
 126 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 12.1

2. Select the SPM series (the orange bars) and go to Chart Design > Change
Chart Type > Combo to change the chart type for that series to a Line
with Markers. (On Macs, we select the series and use the Change Chart
Type menu to select the Line with Markers series directly.) This change
Making

gives us a marked line on top of the column chart (Figure 12.2).

3. To get rid of the line but keep the markers, select the line, right-click (or
CTRL+1), and Format Data Series > Line > No line. We can also change
the size of the markers (in the Marker tab) to make them stand out
more. I increased them to a size of ten units in Figure 12.3.
Moving

4. For the labels, we can use the legend or we could add a data label to
one or more of the elements. In this case, I think the legend is sufficient
(Figure 12.4). Depending on the size of the graph, we might need to
rotate the x-axis labels to make them easier to read or, if they are really
long, try a horizontal layout.

Horizontal layout
1. Unfortunately, we can’t take the same approach with the horizontal bar
chart version of this data visualization. For a horizontal layout, we com-
bine a bar chart and scatterplot, but we need to do a little extra data
preparation before building the chart. By definition, a scatterplot needs
two dimensions. The values for the Supplemental Poverty Rate (SPM)
will serve as our x-values, but we need to create a new series (Height in
 Chapter 12: Comparing Values with Two Graph Types 127

Setting
Making
FIGURE 12.2

Moving

FIGURE 12.3
 128 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 12.4

TABLE 12.1
A B C D
Making

1 Official Poverty Rate Supplemental Poverty Rate Height

2 Georgia 13.4 12.1 9.5
3 Florida 12.8 14.0 8.5
4 Ohio 12.4 9.3 7.5
5 New York 11.8 13.3 6.5
6 California 11.0 15.4 5.5
Moving

7 Colorado 9.3 11.2 4.5

8 Illinois 9.2 9.5 3.5
9 Virginia 8.8 10.1 2.5
10 Wisconsin 8.3 6.8 1.5
11 Maryland 8.1 10.8 0.5

column D) that will serve as the y-values. This series consists of an arbi-
trary counter that runs from 0.5 in cell D11 to 9.5 in cell D2 (Table 12.1).
2. With the data set up, we’ll start building the chart the same way as
before, but this time creating a Clustered Bar chart with cells A1:C11
(Figure 12.5).

3. As we’ve seen, the order of the data in the chart differs from the order
in the spreadsheet. We want the two to match, especially for this chart,
because the order will matter. Select the y-axis and right-click (or use
 Chapter 12: Comparing Values with Two Graph Types 129

Setting
FIGURE 12.5

the CTRL+1 keyboard shortcut): Format Axis > Axis Options > At max-
imum category and Format Axis > Axis Options > Categories in reverse

Making
order (Figure 12.6).

Moving

FIGURE 12.6

4. Now, we are going to change the SPM (orange) series to a scatterplot.

With the SPM series selected, click Change Chart Type > Combo and
change to a Scatter chart. (Make sure the Official Poverty Rate series is
a Clustered Bar chart.) Click OK. The resulting graph is going to look
very weird because Excel puts the state names (cells A2:A11) in the
x-values box and the SPM values (cells C2:C11) in the y-values box of
the Supplemental Poverty Rate series (Figure 12.7).
 130 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 12.7

5. We need to change both the x- and y-dimensions: right-click on the

chart and choose the Select Data option. Select the SPM series and click
Edit. Reference the actual data for the Series X Values: (cells C2:C11)
and the Height series for the Series Y Values: (cells D2:D11) and press
Making

OK (Figure 12.8). The arbitrary numbers we typed in earlier should

now make a little more sense—when the limits of the right (“second-
ary”) y-axis are set to 0 and 10, the dots line up with the center of the
bars. (If the y-axis range doesn’t automatically change to 0–10, change
it manually using the Format Axis menu options.)
Moving

FIGURE 12.8

Notice how important it was for us to switch the order of the bars. If
we kept the original graph with Wisconsin at the top and California at
the bottom, the two poverty rate estimates would not line up.
 Chapter 12: Comparing Values with Two Graph Types 131

6. From here, we can do a little styling:

a. Make the Dots Bigger: select the dots > Format Data Series >
Marker > Marker Options > Built-In.
b. Widen the Bars: select the bars > Format Data Series > Gap Width
to 100%.
c. Delete the right (secondary) y-axis.
d. Change the Format of the Numbers on the x-Axis to No Decimals:
right-click > Format Axis > Number (Figure 12.9).

Setting
Making
Moving
FIGURE 12.9

7. For labels, we could keep the legend where it is, move it to the top, or
integrate it directly into the chart by labeling the bars and dots. We
could accomplish the latter approach by:

a. Select the bars and click on the top bar (for California) so it’s the
only bar selected. Right-click and add the data label. Right-click the
label, and in the Format Data Label menu, select the check box for
Series Name rather than Value. Change the Label Position to Inside
Base, which will place the label along the vertical baseline. (Excel
will likely add data labels to every bar, so you may need to manually
delete those one at a time.)
 132 Data Visualization in Excel

b. We can do a similar thing for the dots. Select the series and click on
the top dot, right-click, and add data labels. Again, once we change the
label format to the Category Name, Excel will add labels to every dot,
so we’ll need to select and manually delete each one (Figure 12.10).
We could also add an entirely different scatterplot series for just the
labels. In that series, there would be two values for x (1 and 13.4) and
two equal values for y (9.5 and 9.5).
Setting
Making

FIGURE 12.10

Finally, it might be better to sort the data by the values for this graph. Remember
Moving

when we sort the data, we want to make sure the y-values for the scatterplot
line up with the bars—just do a quick check to make sure they are lined up cor-
rectly! Personally, I like to sort on the bars in this graph (by the Official Poverty
Rate series) because they are more visually prominent. This switch makes fit-
ting the Supplemental Poverty Rate label by the dot for Georgia a little difficult,
so I placed the label next to the dot for Florida instead (I don’t think that’s
going to confuse anyone) (Figure 12.11).
 Chapter 12: Comparing Values with Two Graph Types 133

Setting
FIGURE 12.11

Quick Instructions

Making
Vertical Layout
1. Select cells A1:C11 and insert a Clustered Column chart
2. Change the Supplemental Poverty Rate series to a Line with Markers:

a. On PCs: select Supplemental Poverty Rate series Chart

Moving
Design > Change Chart Type > Combo > Supplemental Poverty
Rate > Line with Markers
b. On Macs: select Supplemental Poverty Rate series > Chart
Design > Change Chart Type > Line with Markers

3. Select line for Supplemental Poverty Rate series:

a. Right-click > Format Data Series > Line > No Line

b. Right-click > Format Data Series > Marker > format as needed
 134 Data Visualization in Excel

Horizontal Layout
1. Arrange data and formulas
2. Select cells A1:C11 and insert a Clustered Bar chart
3. Format vertical axis:

a. Right-click > Format Axis > Axis Options > Categories in reverse
order
b. Right-click > Format Axis > Axis Options > Horizontal axis
crosses > At maximum category

4. Change the Supplemental Poverty Rate series to a scatterplot:

Setting

a. On PCs: select Supplemental Poverty Rate series > Chart

Design > Change Chart Type > Combo > Supplemental Poverty
Rate > Scatter
b. On Macs: select Supplemental Poverty Rate series > Chart
Design > Change Chart Type > Scatter
Making

5. Insert the correct cell references for the Supplemental Poverty Rate
series: right-click > Select Data > Supplemental Poverty Rate > Edit > X
Values: C2:C11 and Y Values: D2:D11
6. Delete secondary vertical axis
Moving
 Chapter 13
Broken Stacked
Bar Chart

Broken Stacked Bar Chart

Level: Intermediate
Data Type: Categorical
Combine Charts: No
Formulas Used: MAX

Although stacked bar or column charts can show differences in frequency for
multiple data series, they can make it difficult to compare series that do not lie
on the same y-axis. In the standard stacked bar chart shown in Figure 13.1, it’s
hard to figure out the relative values of the gray series because the bars are not
aligned on the same axis. This tutorial shows how to break up a stacked bar
chart and have each series sit on its own y-axis.
At its core, a broken stacked bar chart is a series of aligned bar charts.
Creating multiple charts and aligning them in Excel can be a challenge, so it’s
better to do it all in a single graph. We are going to use the survey results from
a 2021 Gallup Poll on respondents’ agreement with the following statement:
I have role models in computer science. The data includes four levels of agree-
ment or disagreement (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree,
and strongly disagree) across four areas (large cities, suburbs, small towns, and
rural areas).

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-15135
 136 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 13.1

1. Although the original data are set up as a 4×4 grid with row and col-
umn labels (cells A1:E5), I’ve created a new data table in rows 8–12
Making

that intersperses a “Filler” data series between each column. Each filler
series is equal to 50 minus the neighboring cell. To create these filler
series, I’ve used a formula with an absolute reference to cell A7. The
first value in the Filler1 series (cell C9), for example, is =$A7-B9. I used
the number 50 because it’s larger than the maximum value in the data
(46), which I found using a MAX formula (=MAX(B2:E5)) (Table 13.1).
2. Using the data in cells A8:I12, create a Stacked Bar chart, which is the
Moving

second option in the 2-D Bar area of the Insert Chart menu. We do not
want to include the Total series in column J—that’s just a reminder that
we’ve transformed our data from percentages that sum to 100% to a
new set of values that includes the filler series (Figure 13.2).
3. Notice how the chart groups the series by columns rather than by rows.
To switch the organization of the chart, select the chart and select
Chart Design > Switch Row/Column. The chart is now grouped by rows
instead of columns (Figure 13.3).
4. As we saw in the second Gantt chart tutorial, the order of the bars in
the graph doesn’t match the order of the data in the spreadsheet. To
format the y-axis so they match, we can right-click on the axis (or use
the CTRL+1 keyboard shortcut) and make two changes in the same
menu: Format Axis > Axis Options > At maximum category and Format
Axis > Axis Options > Categories in reverse order (Figure 13.4).
 Chapter 13: Broken Stacked Bar Chart 137

TABLE 13.1

A B C D E F G H I J

Strongly Somewhat Somewhat Strongly

1
Agree Agree Disagree Disagree
2 Large cities 46 26 13 15
3 Suburbs 19 31 22 28
Small
4 14 25 28 33
towns
5 Rural areas 15 21 26 38
6
7 50

8 Strongly Filler Somewhat Filler Somewhat Filler Strongly Filler

Setting
Agree 1 Agree 2 Disagree 3 Disagree 4 Total
9 Large cities 46 4 26 24 13 37 15 35 200
10 Suburbs 19 31 31 19 22 28 28 22 200
Small
11 14 36 25 25 28 22 33 17 200
towns
12 Rural areas 15 35 21 29 26 24 38 12 200
13

Making
14 Scatter X Y
Strongly
15 0 4.0
agree
Somewhat
16 50 4.0
agree
Somewhat
17 100 4.0
disagree
Strongly

Moving
18 150 4.0
disagree

5. We can hide the Filler series by changing the fill color to No Fill in the
Format menu. Excel will remember that we selected No Fill, so we can
easily click back and forth between the bars and the paint can icon
instead of having to reselect each time (Figure 13.5).
6. We need to change the spacing of the vertical gridlines to match the
vertical alignment of the data bars. Select the x-axis and right-click or
CTRL+1 to format. Change the axis to span from 0 (in the Minimum
 138 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 13.2
Making
Moving

FIGURE 13.3

section) to 200 (in the Maximum section), and change the Major Unit
to 50 to match the value used to construct the spacing (Figure 13.6).
If we don’t want the final gridline on the chart, we can cheat a bit and
change the minimum value to 0 and the maximum value of the x-axis to
199.9. (Excel might change the minimum value to something other than
0 to generate an even length, so you may need to change it back.) On
PCs, the button to the right of the input boxes will change from “Auto”
to “Reset,” which is a good indication that the limits have been manually
set. On Macs, a light gray arrow will change to dark gray.
 Chapter 13: Broken Stacked Bar Chart 139

Setting
FIGURE 13.4

Making
Moving

FIGURE 13.5
 140 Data Visualization in Excel

The key for a graph like this one is to make each segment the same
width. Otherwise, it might appear that the bars represent a greater
value than they really do because they take up a greater share of the
space between the gridlines.
Setting
Making

FIGURE 13.6

7. We can also delete the four Filler series labels in the legend by selecting
each entry and deleting it. We can delete the x-axis because the markers
don’t make much sense at this point. And finally, if we want to make
Moving

the bars wider, we can click and adjust using Format Data Series > Gap
Width (Figure 13.7).

Adding Custom Labels above the Bars

You might have noticed that having a legend at the top of the chart does not
necessarily allow us to integrate the graphics and text. In this section of this
tutorial, we are going to add data labels to the top of each bar instead of using a
legend. There are a few ways to do this (aren’t there always?), but my preference
is to add a scatterplot. We’re going to use this “combo chart” technique a lot in
this book, so you’ll see this approach many more times.
1. We need to set up separate data that we can plot as a scatterplot, which
means we need an x-dimension and a y-dimension. Here, the x-values
will sit on our vertical gridlines (0, 50, 100, 150), and the y-values are set
 Chapter 13: Broken Stacked Bar Chart 141

Setting
FIGURE 13.7

arbitrarily just above the bars. I set the y-values to 4.0 to start because
there are four groups along the y-axis (Table 13.2).

Making
TABLE 13.2
A B C
14 Scatter X Y
15 Strongly agree 0 4.0
16 Somewhat agree 50 4.0
17 Somvewhat disagree 100 4.0

Moving
18 Strongly disagree 150 4.0

2. Now, we’ll add these data to the existing broken bar chart and convert
them to a scatterplot, which will end up on the secondary y-axis. On the
original chart, right-click > Select Data > Add. Use cell A14 (“Scatter”)
as the Series Name and cells C15:C18 for the Series values: box. Press
OK twice (Figure 13.8).
3. Notice that our new series does not appear anywhere on the chart! It’s there
but it’s difficult to find because we fixed the horizontal axis dimension to go
from 0 to 200, and our new “Scatter” series is stacked on top of the last series
beyond the maximum horizontal axis value. We can select the new series by
selecting the chart, going to the Format tab, and using the Current Selection
drop-down menu (on the far left of the tab) to select the series. With the series
selected, we can use the Chart Design > Change Chart Type > Combo option
 142 Data Visualization in Excel

FIGURE 13.8

to convert this new series to a Scatter chart (Figure 13.9). (If you’re on a Mac,
Setting

use the same process to select the series but use the Chart Design > Change
Chart Type menus to select the Scatter option directly.) Excel will add a sec-
ondary vertical axis on the right side of the graph, which we can modify like
any other axis.
Making
Moving

FIGURE 13.9

4. Now that the new series has been converted to a scatterplot, we need to assign
x-values to it. Select the chart, right-click > Select Data > Scatter > Edit,
 Chapter 13: Broken Stacked Bar Chart 143

and insert the references for the x-values in cells B15:B18. Press OK
(Figure 13.10). The points will now spread out along the chart, situated on
the left edge of each bar segment for each vertical gridline.

Setting
FIGURE 13.10

5. With the markers on the chart, we can select them and right-click

Making
to add data labels. First, right-click on the Scatter series and select
Add Data Labels. Next, right-click on the labels, select Format Data
Labels > Value from Cells to reference cells A15:A18 as the labels, and
press OK. Be sure to uncheck the Y Value box because we don’t want
them to appear in the label (Figure 13.11).

Moving

FIGURE 13.11
 144 Data Visualization in Excel

6. We need to do a little manipulation here to get the labels situated just right.
Let’s lock the secondary y-axis—right-click on that axis > Format Axis and
change the Minimum value to 0 and the Maximum value to 4. The value
doesn’t really matter, but we must have a range we can use to place the
labels where we want. With a y-value of 4.0, the labels will sit at the very top,
but we can move them down if we want by changing the values for the scat-
terplot series (in cells C15:C18) to a lower value like 3.8 or 3.9 (Figure 13.12).
Setting
Making

FIGURE 13.12

7. With the labels in place, we can style them by changing the font size,
Moving

font color, and alignment. We can also hide the dots using Format Data
Series > Marker > Marker Options > None (Figure 13.13).

FIGURE 13.13
 Chapter 13: Broken Stacked Bar Chart 145

Quick Instructions
1. Select cells A8:I12 and insert a Stacked Bar chart
2. Switch order of the chart: Chart Design > Switch Row/Column
3. Format vertical axis:

a. Right-click > Format Axis > Axis Options > Categories in reverse order
b. Right-click > Format Axis > Axis Options > Horizontal axis
crosses > At maximum category

4. Change color of each Filler series: right-click on each > Format Data
Series > Fill > No Fill

Setting
5. Edit range of horizontal axis: right-click > Format Axis > Bounds > 0 for
Minimum and 200 for Maximum
6. Edit horizontal axis units: right-click > Format Axis > Units > 50 for Major
7. Delete the four Filler series labels in legend: click on legend > click on
each Filler label > delete

Making
8. Delete the horizontal axis

Moving
 Chapter 14
Diverging Bar Chart

Diverging Bar Chart

Level: Intermediate
Data Type: Categorical
Combine Charts: No
Formulas Used: SUM

The diverging bar chart is a great way to show the difference between negative
and positive values, such as a survey that asks respondents to rank their opinion
from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. Because the responses align around
a central (neutral) value, it can be clearer to show these categories diverging
from a single midpoint. To demonstrate, we’ll use the same Gallup Poll data
from the previous chapter.
1. As in the Broken Stacked Bars tutorial, we’re going to make some small
changes to the table structure to get started. We’re going to add two
new empty data series between the two “disagree” and two “agree”
categories, and we’re going to change the values in the two “disagree”
series to negative numbers. To make these changes, we can use a for-
mula to multiply the values by -1 (e.g., B2*-1), or we can type -1 into a
cell, copy it, select the data, and use the Multiply option in the Paste
Special menu. (I show a different way to make this chart at the end

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-16147
 148 Data Visualization in Excel

of the chapter without modifying the data in this way, but I like this
approach better.)
We are going to use these two empty data series because, as you will
see, Excel doesn’t align the bar segments and the labels correctly when
we combine negative and positive numbers (Table 14.1).
TABLE 14.1

A B C D E F

Strongly Somewhat Somewhat Strongly

1
Agree Agree Disagree Disagree
2 Large
46 26 13 15
cities
3 Suburbs 19 31 22 28
Setting

4 Small
14 25 28 33
towns
5 Rural
15 21 26 38
areas
6
7 Somewhat Strongly Somewhat Strongly Somewhat Strongly
Disagree Disagree Disagree Disagree Agree Agree
Making

8 Large
−13 −15 26 46
cities
9 Suburbs −22 −28 31 19
10 Small
−28 −33 25 14
towns
11 Rural
−26 −38 21 15
Moving

areas

2. Now, select cells A7:G11 to create a Stacked Bar chart (Figure 14.1).
3. As in previous chapters, Excel does not plot the data in the direction we
want, so we can select Chart Design > Switch Row/Column to reshape
the chart to our preferred layout (Figure 14.2).
4. Once again, Excel has ordered the bars opposite to how they appear in
the spreadsheet, so we need to fix the alignment by selecting the y-axis,
right-clicking to format, and arranging: Format Axis > Axis Options > At
maximum category and Format Axis > Axis Options > Categories in
reverse order (Figure 14.3).
5. Take a look at the legend in the resulting graph. Notice how the Strongly
disagree bars are in the (correct) far left position of the chart but the
label is to the right of the Somewhat disagree category? It’s backward,
so we need to make some slight changes.
 Chapter 14: Diverging Bar Chart 149

Setting
FIGURE 14.1

Making
Moving
FIGURE 14.2

FIGURE 14.3
 150 Data Visualization in Excel

To align the bars and the legend entries, we are going to edit the
legend directly. We can delete the first two “disagree” series in the
legend—the ones that are tied to actual data. Don’t worry, we can delete
those two entries in the legend but the data will remain in the chart.
Click the legend then click again on the Somewhat disagree label and
delete; repeat for the Strongly disagree label (Figure 14.4).
Setting
Making

FIGURE 14.4

6. With the remaining two “disagree” series—the ones with empty cells
in the table (columns D and E)—we can again click in the legend and
use the Home > Shape Fill menu to select colors that match the bars in
Moving

the chart (Figure 14.5).

7. Now we can do a bit of styling:
a. Move the Legend to the top of the chart (right-click > Format
Legend > Legend Position > Top).
b. The category labels (e.g., Large cities, Suburbs, etc.) are probably best
positioned on the left side of the chart, so right-click on the y-axis
and select Format Axis > Labels > Label Position > Low.
c. We want the zero-axis line to stand out, so with the y-axis labels still
selected, change the color of the line to another color by modifying
the settings in Format Axis > Line (Figure 14.6).
d. If we want to add data labels to each segment, right-click on each
bar and select the Add Data Labels option from the menu and for-
mat as needed.
 Chapter 14: Diverging Bar Chart 151

Setting
Making
FIGURE 14.5

Moving

FIGURE 14.6
 152 Data Visualization in Excel

8. The one thing you may have noticed is that the horizontal axis labels
don’t make much sense—there’s not −13% of people who strongly dis-
agreed with the statement! We used the negative numbers to make the
chart, but now we need to make those negative axis labels look like they
are positive numbers using the Number Formatting menu.
Select the x-axis labels, right-click (or use CTRL+1), select Format
Axis > Number > Custom, and replace whatever is in the Format Code
box (Type on Macs) with the following number format: #, ###;#, ###;0.
Click Add (Figure 14.7).
Setting
Making

FIGURE 14.7

As noted in Chapter 4, this number format styles positive numbers,

negative numbers, and zeros in each position. The “#, ###” code before
the first two semicolons tells Excel to include a comma for numbers
Moving

that are at least 1,000; include no decimals; and show negative numbers
as positive numbers. The zero after the second semicolon tells Excel to
show the zero number.
9. We can also use all positive numbers to create this chart. With this version,
we create a different filler series equal to the sum of the two “disagree”
series: =80-SUM(C8:D8). We use 80 because the original chart extended
from −80 to +80, so we want to repeat that range here. With this new Filler
series, we insert a Stacked Bar Chart, reverse the vertical axis again, and
set the fill color on the Filler series to No Fill. Here, the axis labels go from
0 to 160, which doesn’t make any sense, so we have to delete the axis labels.
If we want to add the dark line to the middle of the chart where the
two “agree” categories are separated from the two “disagree” categories
(labeled 80 on the x-axis), we can format the x-axis to have the y-axis
cross at 80. To make this change, right-click on the x-axis and type
80 into the box in the Vertical axis crosses > Axis value section of the
 Chapter 14: Diverging Bar Chart 153

menu. To place the labels back to the far-left part of the chart, right-
click on the y-axis, set the position of the labels to Low, and change the
color/thickness of the line (Figure 14.8).

Setting
FIGURE 14.8

10. If we want to remove the legend and replace it with direct labels, we can
follow the same process as described in the previous chapter for the

Making
Broken Stacked Bar chart: add a new series, change it to a scatterplot,
label the dots, and adjust the new secondary vertical axis to place the
labels in the right place. In the spreadsheet, the x-values are equal to
the midpoint of each segment and the y-values are set to 4.0. Each of
the labels (e.g., “Strongly agree”) is placed on two lines by inserting a
carriage return between the words, which we can do by clicking in the
cell, placing the cursor between the words, and using the ALT+ENTER

Moving
keyboard combination (Option+RETURN on Macs) (Figure 14.9).

FIGURE 14.9
 154 Data Visualization in Excel

One last point about diverging bar charts. When you have a “neutral” or “no
answer” category, such responses are neither agree nor disagree by definition
and should not be grouped with either category. In other words, don’t place the
neutral category in the middle of the chart along the vertical baseline. Instead,
consider placing it off to the side along its own vertical axis. You can do so by
creating a separate “filler” series that will add a blank space between the seg-
ments on the far right (the Strongly disagree category) and segments for the
“neutral” category.

Quick Instructions
1. Select cells A7:G11 and insert a Stacked Bar chart
Setting

2. Switch order of the chart: Chart Design > Switch Row/Column

3. Format vertical axis:
a. Right-click > Format Axis > Axis Options > Categories in reverse
order
b. Right-click > Format Axis > Axis Options > Horizontal axis crosses >
At maximum category
Making

c. Right-click > Format Axis > Labels > Low

d. Right-click > Format Axis > Line > Solid line
4. Delete the legend entries for the Strongly disagree and Somewhat dis-
agree categories, and change the colors of the other Strongly disagree
and Somewhat disagree categories.
Moving

5. Format x-axis labels: right-click > Format Axis > Number > Custom >
insert #, ###;#, ###;0 into Format Code box
 Chapter 15
Block Shading
(Same Frequency)

Block Shading (Same Frequency)

Level: Beginner
Data Type: Categorical
Combine Charts: Yes
Formulas Used: None

Block Shading charts are typically used to highlight a span of time within a
line or column chart. These charts might be used to add a forecast period,
mark recession dates, or highlight when a specific policy was in place. When
the frequencies of the data match up—for example, when both series are mea-
sured annually—the chart is relatively easy to make. In this case, we’re going
to make a line chart of the monthly US unemployment rate from January 2007
to January 2022 and add shaded bands to show the official recession periods,
also measured in months.
1. We start by inserting a line chart with two series in cells B1:D182. The
unemployment rate data are in column C, and months in which there
was a recession are marked with a 16 in column D. If we include the
“Year” label at the top of column B, Excel will plot that series as data, so
I’ve left it out of the practice file (Figure 15.1).

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-17155
 156 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 15.1

2. Select the Recession series then Chart Design > Change Chart
Making

Type > Combo and change the Recession series to a Clustered Column
chart in the drop-down menu (Figure 15.2).
On Macs, select the Recession series, then select the Clustered Column
chart directly in the Change Chart Type menu. There is no Combo chart
option on Macs, so we have to make the chart type change directly (see
Chapter 4 for a more detailed description).
Moving

3. We originally set the values for the Recession series to 16 because they
are slightly greater than the maximum value in the unemployment
rate series. Notice that with these two series, Excel set the maximum
value of the y-axis to 18 because Excel won’t let us plot data to the
top of the y-axis. We want the bars to extend the entire height of
the chart, so we can format the y-axis by right-clicking or using the
CTRL+1 keyboard shortcut to change the Maximum y-value to 16
(Figures 15.3 and 15.4).
4. Let’s close up the space between the bars. Select the Recession (orange
bars) series and right-click to format. In the Series Options tab, change
the Gap Width to 0% (Figure 15.5).
5. We can style the graph as we like by deleting the legend, changing the
color of the bars (I like gray for these purposes), and altering the num-
ber or appearance of the gridlines. We can also change the frequency of
 Chapter 15: Block Shading (Same Frequency) 157

Setting
Making
FIGURE 15.2

Moving

FIGURE 15.3
 158 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 15.4
Making
Moving

FIGURE 15.5

the x-axis labels within the chart options menu by changing the interval
of the labels (Format Axis > Labels > Interval between labels > Specify
interval unit) to 12 (as in 12 months) (Figure 15.6).
If we want the y-axis labels to have a percentage sign for the top value but
not on the others, we can use Number Formatting to get the labels just right.
 Chapter 15: Block Shading (Same Frequency) 159

Setting
FIGURE 15.6

Select the y-axis labels and under the Custom option of the Number Formatting
menu, type the following:
[=16]#,###"%";#,###_%;0_%

This formula dictates that if the number is equal to 16, add a percentage sign

Making
at the end (“%”), but if the number is positive or zero, add a space after the
number the width of a percentage sign (“_%”) so the labels (kind of) line up.
We can also add a label at the bottom (like the “Shading denotes…” one
above) by adding a text box. Or, better yet, we can select a single point on any
of the series, add a data label, and move it where we want it. I like this approach
better because Excel then treats the chart as a single object rather than a chart
and a text box (Figure 15.7).

Moving

FIGURE 15.7
 160 Data Visualization in Excel

Quick Instructions
1. Select cells B1:D182 and insert a Line chart
2. Change the Recession series to a Clustered Column chart:
a. On PCs: select Recession series > Chart Design > Change Chart Type
> Combo > Recession > Clustered Column
b. On Macs: select Recession series > Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Clustered Column
3. Select Recession series > right-click > Format Data Series > Series
Options > Gap Width to 0%
4. Change vertical axis dimensions: right-click > Format Axis > Axis
Setting

Options > 0 for Minimum and 16 for Maximum

Making
Moving
 Chapter 16
Block Shading
(Different
Frequencies)

Block Shading (Different Frequencies)

Level: Intermediate
Data Type: Categorical
Combine Charts: Yes
Formulas Used: None

Whereas the frequency of the data in the block shading chart we just discussed
lined up, this version does not, which makes it more complicated. In this case,
we’ll plot annual estimates of the unemployment rate with monthly values for
the recessions, so building the chart requires using the secondary axes.
1. Create a line chart using the data in cells A1:B16, which is the annual
unemployment rate from 2007 to 2021 (Figure 16.1).
2. To add the monthly recession data, right-click on the chart and choose
Select Data > Add. Insert the reference to cell E1 for the Series Name
and that series (cells E2:E169) for the Series values. Press OK. This step
will slide the blue series to the far left of the chart area because Excel
now views the chart as a line chart with 168 spaces (corresponding to
the number of observations in the Recession series) (Figure 16.2).

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-18 161

 162 Data Visualization in Excel

FIGURE 16.1
Setting
Making
Moving

FIGURE 16.2

3. Now, select the orange (Recession) series in the chart, right-click, and
select the button for Secondary Axis in the Format Data Series > Series
Options tab (Figure 16.3).
Just like the original vertical axis, Excel arbitrarily sets the mini-
mum and maximum values, and we can style and edit the secondary
axes just like we would the primary axes.
 Chapter 16: Block Shading (Different Frequencies) 163

FIGURE 16.3

4. The chart still looks a little weird, but don’t worry, we’re getting there. As

Setting
we did in the previous chapter, we want to change the Recession series
from a line chart to a Clustered Column chart. On PCs, select the line, then
Chart Design > Change Chart Type > Combo to change the chart type for
the Recession series to a Clustered Column chart in the drop-down menu
(Figure 16.4). On Macs, select the Recession series and change the chart
type to a Clustered Column directly in the Change Chart Type menu.

Making
Moving

FIGURE 16.4
 164 Data Visualization in Excel

5. With a column chart now created—and tagged to the secondary

axis—we need to “turn on” the secondary x-axis. To do so, select the
chart and click Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Axes > Secondary
Horizontal from the top ribbon. The orange column chart flips to
the secondary axis, and the blue line stretches out as it did initially
(Figure 16.5).
Setting
Making
Moving

FIGURE 16.5

6. We’re closer now, but we still want the bars to stretch along the entire
y-axis. Select the secondary vertical axis > Format Axis > Axis Options
and change the Minimum value to 1 and the Maximum value to 2. Think
of this step as extending the bars from infinity above the chart down
to 1 at our new secondary x-axis. (Note that this step works because
the values in the Recession series are set to 1. We can use a different
number, but these minimum/maximum values would also change.)
(Figure 16.6).
7. Remove the space between the columns by formatting the column
chart: right-click > Format Data Series > Series Options > Gap Width to
0%. In that same menu, we can also change the colors of the bars using
the Fill options (Figure 16.7).
 Chapter 16: Block Shading (Different Frequencies) 165

Setting
FIGURE 16.6

Making
Moving
FIGURE 16.7

8. Clean up the graph by hiding the secondary horizontal and vertical

axes. For each axis, right-click and make three changes:
a. Format Axis > Line color > No line
b. Format Axis > Axis Options > Tick Marks > None
c. Format Axis > Axis Options > Labels > None
The chart will sometimes break if we simply select and delete the
axes, so it’s better to turn off everything (Figure 16.8).
 166 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 16.8

9. Finally, to get everything lined up just right, we need to put the line
chart on the tick marks and leave the bars between the tick marks. Select
the primary x-axis (for the line chart), right-click, and select the button
for On tick marks in the Axis position area of the menu (Figure 16.9).
Making
Moving

FIGURE 16.9

10. As always, we can style the text, titles, and other elements. In charts like
this one with just a few data points, I sometimes add data markers to the
line to give it more visual heft. If I think my reader wants to know the
exact values, I might add the data labels inside those markers.
 Chapter 16: Block Shading (Different Frequencies) 167

To add those stylings, right-click on the line and select the Add
Data Labels option. Now select the labels, right-click, and Format Data
Labels > Label Position > Center. Go back to the chart and select the line
again, right-click, and in Format Data Series > Marker Style > Built-in,
increase the size of the markers to be larger than the labels. We can also
change some of the other formatting options—in this example, I added a
white fill and changed the border of the dots to match the color and thick-
ness of the line using the options in the Format Data Series > Marker > Fill
and Format Data Series > Marker > Border menus (Figure 16.10).

Setting
Making
FIGURE 16.10

Moving
Quick Instructions
1. Select cells A1:B16 and insert a Line chart
2. Add Recession data: right click > Select Data > Add > Series Name:
Recession (cell E1) and Y Values: E2:E169
3. Select Recession series > right-click > Format Data Series > Series
Options > Plot Series On > Secondary Axis
4. Change the Recession series to Clustered Column chart:

a. On PCs: select Recession series > Chart Design > Change Chart Type
> Combo > Recession > Clustered Column
b. On Macs: select Recession series > Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Clustered Column
 168 Data Visualization in Excel

5. Turn on secondary horizontal axis: select chart > Chart Design > Add
Chart Element > Axes > Secondary Horizontal
6. Change the dimensions of the secondary vertical axis (on the right):
right-click > Format Axis > Axis Options > 1 for Minimum and 2 for
Maximum
7. Select Recession series > right-click > Format Data Series > Series Options >
Gap Width to 0%
8. Format secondary horizontal and secondary vertical axis:
a. Format Axis > Line color > No line
b. Format Axis > Tick Marks > None
c. Format Axis > Labels > Label Position > None
Setting

9. Adjust Primary Horizontal Axis Tick Marks: right-click > Format

Axis > Axis Options > Axis position > On tick marks
Making
Moving
 Chapter 17
Mark an Event
with a Line

Mark an Event with a Line

Level: Intermediate
Data Type: Time
Combine Charts: Yes
Formulas Used: IF, OR, VALUE, RIGHT

Sometimes, we need to mark an event, a policy change, or add some other

annotation on our chart. This tutorial shows you how to do this by adding a
vertical line that is part of the graph, can be moved to other programs (e.g.,
PowerPoint), and is linked to the data for easier updating and replication. Here,
we’ll plot the total pounds of beef Americans have consumed annually since
1930 and add a line to denote when the first McDonald’s restaurant opened in
April 1955 in San Bernardino, California.
There are two primary ways to make this graph, and I’m not sure which one
I prefer. Both ways have pros and cons, so you can decide which method works
best for you.

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-19169
 170 Data Visualization in Excel

The Dual Line Chart Method

In this first version, we’ll combine two line charts and use the fact that Excel
doesn’t plot values shown as #N/A in the chart to our advantage.
1. We’ll plot a standard line chart with two series: The first is the full data
series (column C) and the second plots only the value in 1955 (column
D) when the first McDonald’s opened. That series will use a simple IF
formula: =IF(B2=1955,100,NA()), which says that if it’s the year 1955,
enter a value of 100 in the cell, and if it’s any other year, place a #N/A
in the cell (NA() is rendered as #N/A in the cell). Excel will ignore the
#N/A symbol when we create the graph (Table 17.1).
TABLE 17.1
A B C D E
Setting

First McDonald’s 1955

1 Beef Restaurant Opens Value
2 1930 1930 33.7 #N/A #N/A
3 1931 33.4 #N/A #N/A
4 1932 32.1 #N/A #N/A
5 1933 35.5 #N/A #N/A
Making

6 1934 43.9 #N/A #N/A

7 1935 36.6 #N/A #N/A
8 1936 41.6 #N/A #N/A
9 1937 38.0 #N/A #N/A
10 1938 37.4 #N/A #N/A
11 1939 37.6 #N/A #N/A
12 1940 1940 37.8 #N/A #N/A
Moving

13 1941 42.6 #N/A #N/A

14 1942 45.9 #N/A #N/A
15 1943 43.0 #N/A #N/A
16 1944 46.6 #N/A #N/A
17 1945 48.0 #N/A #N/A
18 1946 44.2 #N/A #N/A
19 1947 49.2 #N/A #N/A
20 1948 44.2 #N/A #N/A
21 1949 44.7 #N/A #N/A
22 1950 1950 44.6 #N/A #N/A
23 1951 41.2 #N/A #N/A
24 1952 43.9 #N/A #N/A
25 1953 54.5 #N/A #N/A
26 1954 56.0 #N/A #N/A
27 1955 57.2 100 57.2
28 1956 59.5 #N/A #N/A
 Chapter 17: Mark an Event with a Line 171

If we insert a Line with Markers chart using cells B1:D91 (leave col-
umn E alone for now—we’ll come back to it), we can see our lone point
in 1955 near the top of the chart. If you don’t see the orange dot, it’s
probably because you inserted a standard Line chart. For this example,
we want to start with the Line with Markers chart (Figure 17.1).

Setting
Making
FIGURE 17.1

2. We now select the single orange point and add an Error Bar (Chart

Moving
Design > Add Chart Element > Error Bars > More Error Bars Options).
Then, in the error bar formatting menu, we’ll make three changes:
a. Set the Direction to Minus
b. Set the End Style to No Cap
c. Set the Percentage to 100%
Together these three options create a straight line that goes from our
marker down to the x-axis. If you don’t see the More Error Bars Options
button—this option can randomly disappear on some computers—
select any of the other options, like Percentage, and modify the error
bar in the format menu just the same (Figures 17.2 and 17.3).
3. We can now annotate the point by right-clicking and adding a data label.
Because we named the series “First McDonald’s restaurant opens,” we
can use it as the label on the chart. Right-click on the label, select Format
 172 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting
Making

FIGURE 17.2
Moving

FIGURE 17.3
 Chapter 17: Mark an Event with a Line 173

Data Label, select the checkbox next to the Series Name option, and
unselect the checkbox next to the Value option. We can move the label to
the left of the point in the Label Position area at the bottom of the menu.
If we want to left-align the text within the label itself, we can click on it
and use the standard alignment menu in the Home tab (Figure 17.4).

Setting
Making
FIGURE 17.4

4. There are just a few smaller things to finish up this graph:

Moving
1. Set the y-axis to go from 0 to 100—remember, Excel won’t let us plot
the data to the top of the y-axis, so we need to manually set it to 100
(select axis > right-click > Format Axis > Minimum/Maximum).
2. Select the blue series and change the chart type to a regular line
chart, either by using the Combo chart option in the Change Chart
Type menu or by hiding the markers in the Format Data Series
Marker > Marker Options > None menu. (If the right-click menu
says Format Data Point, you have selected a single point. In that
case, click out of the chart and click on the line again.)
3. Hide our orange annotation point: Format Data Point > Marker >
Marker Options > None.
4. We can also manually move the label or add a white fill so the grid-
line doesn’t cut through the label (Figure 17.5). Excel may add a
“leader line”—a line that connects the label to the dot—if we move
the label, but we can turn it off in the Format Data Labels menu.
 174 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 17.5

5. Finally, we can adjust the x-axis labels. The easy way is to select the x-axis
and set the Format Axis > Labels > Interval between labels > Specify
Making

interval unit to the preferred interval (I’ve used 10 years). But by using
10-year increments, we lose the last (2019) label.
As an alternative, we can create an entirely different data series for
the horizontal labels. In column A (Table 17.1), I’ve created those alter-
native labels using a formula:
Moving

=IF(OR(VALUE(RIGHT(B2,1))=0,B2=2019),B2,"")

That’s a complex formula, but let’s break it down. It’s an entire IF

statement, so inside are three arguments:
1. The evaluation: OR(VALUE(RIGHT(B2,1))=0,B2=2019). There are
two statements within this OR statement, which I’ve highlighted
in different colors. The RIGHT(B2,1) formula in blue looks at the
first character in the cell starting at the right—in other words, the
last number of the year. Wrapping that statement inside a VALUE()
­formula means Excel will enter the value as a number in the cell.
That number is evaluated to see whether it is equal to zero. The sec-
ond part of the OR formula in green is to see if the year is 2019.
2. When True: The second argument is the TRUE part of the IF state-
ment. If either piece is true—the last digit of the year is zero or the
year is 2019—the formula will put the year value in the cell.
 Chapter 17: Mark an Event with a Line 175

3. When False: The last argument is the FALSE part of the IF state-
ment. If both are false, the formula will put a space (“”).
As you can see, we end up with a series that has years that end in
zero and 2019 in it, with empty spaces in between.
To use this new series for the x-axis labels, we need to do two things:
1. First, set the x-axis label increments back to every year: select the
x-axis > right-click > Format Axis > Labels > Interval between
labels > Automatic.
2. Now we can reference the new series for the x-axis labels:
select chart > Select Data > Horizontal Category Axis Labels:
> Edit > cells A2:A91. This new set-up gives us the first year of

Setting
each decade and 2019 at the end (Figure 17.6).

Making
Moving

FIGURE 17.6

6. We can extend or change the look of the vertical line using this method
in a few ways. First, we can shorten the line so it stops at the data line.
Instead of using the Percentage option in the error bar menu, select the
Custom option and input the difference between 100 and the data value
(in this case, per capita beef consumption was 57.2 billion pounds in
1955, so the difference from 100 is 42.8) (Figure 17.7).
 176 Data Visualization in Excel

Second, if we want to add a marker to the point where the error bar
meets the data line, we can add yet another line to the chart (column E).
In this case, the values of the line are #N/A except in 1955, where we want
to mark the point. We can style the marker of that single point—say a big
dot with a white fill—to make it clearer to the reader. (Excel does offer
an option to style the end of the error bar with an arrow or a dot—see
the Dot Plot chapter—but the dot sits behind the original line, so that
approach doesn’t quite work here.) (Figures 17.7 and Table 17.2).
Setting
Making

FIGURE 17.7
Moving

TABLE 17.2
A B C D E F
First McDonald’s 1955
1 Beef Restaurant Opens Value Difference
20 1948 44.2 #N/A #N/A
21 1949 44.7 #N/A #N/A
22 1950 1950 44.6 #N/A #N/A
23 1951 41.2 #N/A #N/A
24 1952 43.9 #N/A #N/A
25 1953 54.5 #N/A #N/A
26 1954 56.0 #N/A #N/A
27 1955 57.2 100 57.2 42.8
28 1956 59.5 #N/A #N/A
 Chapter 17: Mark an Event with a Line 177

The Combo Chart Method

The second way to make this graph combines a line chart and a scatterplot.
1. Start by making the Line graph of just the Beef series in cells B1:C91
(Table 17.1 and Figure 17.8).

Setting
Making
FIGURE 17.8

2. We’ll add the vertical line by adding a scatterplot chart and dropping a
vertical error bar from that point. Right-click on the chart and choose
Select Data > Add to add the new series (Figure 17.9).

Moving

FIGURE 17.9
 178 Data Visualization in Excel

3. From there, input the Series name (“First McDonald’s restaurant opens”
in cell H2) and a y-value of 100 into the Series values (cell I4) box. Click
OK (Figure 17.10).
Setting
Making

FIGURE 17.10

4. Two things happen. First, the y-axis moves from a maximum of 100 to
Moving

a maximum of 120—again, Excel will not allow us to put a data series at

the maximum of the chart. Second, no data marker appears. Although
we have just added a line to the chart, a line needs two points to exist.
With only one point present, nothing appears. To see our newly added
point, use the Format > Current selection drop-down menu and select
the new data point (Figure 17.11).
5. To change the new series to a scatterplot chart, select the First
McDonald’s restaurant opens series in the Format > Current Selection
drop-down menu. With it still selected, use the Chart Design > Change
Chart Type > Combo option to change the Scatter series to a Scatter
chart (Figure 17.12).
On Macs, we need to select the Scatter series (using the Format > Current
Selection drop-down menu), and while it’s selected, choose the Change
Chart Type > Chart Design > Scatter option.
 Chapter 17: Mark an Event with a Line 179

FIGURE 17.11

Setting
Making
Moving

FIGURE 17.12
 180 Data Visualization in Excel

6. We’ve now changed the point to a scatterplot but need to assign it an

x-value. Right-click on the chart, choose Select Data > First McDonald’s
restaurant opens > Edit, and input the x-value (cell H4) into the Series X
Values: box (Figure 17.13).
Setting

FIGURE 17.13

The scatterplot point now appears on the chart at the y-value of 100
Making

and an x-value of 26—note that this is the 26th position, not the year
1955. If cell H4 was set to 1955 instead of 26, Excel would set the point
at the 1,955th position on the x-axis, as illustrated in Figure 17.14.
Moving

FIGURE 17.14
 Chapter 17: Mark an Event with a Line 181

7. Time to add the vertical error bar, which mimics how we did it using the
line chart. Select the scatterplot point and navigate to the error bar for-
matting menu by selecting Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Error
Bars > More Error Bars Options. Unlike the line chart where Excel
added a vertical error bar only, Excel adds both horizontal and vertical
error bars for a scatterplot.
Excel automatically brings us to the Vertical Error Bars formatting
menu. If we click out of the chart, we can grab the vertical error bars
directly or by using the Format > Current Selection drop-down menu.
Once the vertical error bars are selected, make three changes:
a. Change the Direction to Minus
b. Change the End Style to No Cap

Setting
c. Select the Percentage option in the Error Amount menu and type 100%
into the box. The vertical error bar will drop to the x-axis (Figure 17.15).

Making
Moving
FIGURE 17.15

8. We still have a horizontal error bar, which we don’t need, so select it

and delete. (Remember, we can also use the Format > Current Selection
drop-down menu to select the error bar.)
9. Let’s add some annotation. Select the orange marker, right-click, and
Add Data Label. As before, we can select and format the label by using
the Format Data Label > Series Name (we already named it the labels
we want to use!). Uncheck the box for Y Value, and position the label
using Label Position > Left (Figure 17.16).
 182 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 17.16
Making

10. Finally, adjust the maximum of the y-axis to 100 by formatting the
axis (right-click or CTRL+1) and changing the Maximum value to
100. To hide the scatterplot marker, right-click and use Format Data
Series > Marker > Marker Options > None (Figure 17.17).
Moving

FIGURE 17.17
 Chapter 17: Mark an Event with a Line 183

As with the line chart method, we can make the line shorter by chang-
ing the value from 100 to the difference between 100 and our data value
(again, 48.2) and using the Custom error bar option rather than setting
the Percentage to 100% (Figure 17.18). We can also mark the point on the
line by adding an “arrow” to the end of the error bar (in the formatting
area of the menu) because there’s an option to use a circle rather than an
arrowhead. This dot, however, cannot be styled the way we did for the
additional series in the line chart version (Figure 17.7).

Setting
Making
FIGURE 17.18

Moving
In either case, extending the technique to add more annotation lines simply
requires adding more data to the series (be it line or scatterplot) and referenc-
ing (and placing) the correct labels.

The PowerPoint Method

There is a third way to make this graph, but I reserve it for special cases. We
can create a basic chart in Excel, paste it into PowerPoint (or a similar tool),
and add the annotations there. Because PowerPoint is a blank canvas, it’s easier
to add and align objects and text boxes. We can also size our slides to be any
dimension we want.
Keep in mind, of course, that when inserting a line or marker manually, it
can be more difficult to identify the specific data value where the line or label
should be placed. I use this manual approach when I need to add more detailed
or custom labels, annotations (e.g., curved arrows), or when I’m confident
 184 Data Visualization in Excel

the graph won’t need to be updated or replicated. Once the graph is built in
PowerPoint, we can export it as an image using the Export option in the File
menu and selecting the file type (e.g., JPEG, PDF, PNG, TIFF, etc.).

Quick Instructions
Method #1
1. Arrange data and formulas
2. Select cells B1:D91 and insert a Line with Markers chart
3. Add an Error Bar to the orange dot (the First McDonald’s restaurant
opens series in column D): select dot > Chart Design > Add Chart
Element > Error Bars > More Error Bars Options
Setting

4. Format Error Bar: select > right-click > Format Error Bars >
a. Set Direction to Minus
b. Set End Style to No Cap
c. Set Error Amount > Percentage > 100%
Making

5. Select Scatterplot Marker: right-click, and Add Data Label

6. Hide Markers for Both Series: right-click on each > Format Data
Series > Marker > Marker Options > None
7. Change Vertical Axis Dimensions: right-click > Format Axis > Axis
Options > 0 for Minimum and 100 for Maximum
8. To add or adjust year labels, see full tutorial
Moving

Method #2
1. Arrange data and formulas
2. Select cells B1:C91 and insert a Line chart
3. Add a New Series: right-click > Select Data > Add > Series Name: First
McDonald’s restaurant opens (cell H2) and Series Values: I4
4. Change the new series to a scatterplot:
a. On PCs: select McDonald’s series (use the Format > Current Selection
menu) Chart Design > Change Chart Type > Combo > McDonald’s
drop-down menu > Scatter
b. On Macs: select McDonald’s series (use the Format > Current
Selection menu) > Chart Design > Change Chart Type > Scatter
 Chapter 17: Mark an Event with a Line 185

5. Assign the x-Value: right-click > Select Data > First McDonald’s restau-
rant opens > Edit > Series X Values: H4
6. Add Error Bars to Scatterplot Point: select dot > Chart Design > Add
Chart Element > Error Bars > More Error Bars Options
7. Format Vertical Error Bar: select > right-click > Format Error Bars >
a. Set Direction to Minus
b. Set End Style to No Cap
c. Set Error Amount > Percentage > 100%
8. Delete horizontal error bars
9. Select Scatterplot Marker: right-click, and Add Data Label

Setting
10. Hide Scatterplot Point: right-click > Format Data Series > Marker >
Marker Options > None
11. Change Vertical Axis Dimensions: right-click > Format Axis > Axis
Options > 0 for Minimum and 100 for Maximum
12. To add or adjust year labels, see full tutorial

Making
Moving
 Chapter 18
Dot Plot

Dot Plot
Level: Intermediate
Data Type: Categorical
Combine Charts: No
Formulas Used: IF, AVERAGE

The dot plot is a nice alternative to a paired or stacked bar chart when you want
to compare values across categories or over time. At its core, a dot plot in Excel
is just a scatterplot with some additional considerations about how and where
to place the data labels. We’ll again use Error Bars to create the final chart, but
instead of stretching them vertically, we will use them to draw horizontal lines.
We’ll use the World Bank’s maternal mortality ratio, defined as the “num-
ber of women who die from pregnancy-related causes while pregnant or within
42 days of pregnancy termination per 100,000 live births.” Globally, the maternal
mortality ratio fell from 342 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000 to 211 deaths
per 100,000 live births in 2017, but more recent estimates (Gates Foundation,
2021) suggest that the ratio increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-20187
 188 Data Visualization in Excel

1. To start, create a Scatter chart from cells A1:C8. The Height variable in
column B represents the height/row of our dots in the dot plot (recall
Chapter 12). When we insert those three columns in the chart, Excel
inserts two series, so we need to adjust them (Figure 18.1).
Setting
Making
Moving

FIGURE 18.1

2. Right-click on the chart and select the Select Data option. We’re going
to make a number of changes here. We want two scatterplot series in
this chart—one with the 2000 series (column C) as the x-values and the
Height values (column B) as the y-values, and the second with 2017 (col-
umn D) as the x-values and the Height values (column B) as the y-values.
First, let’s edit the 2000 series to include the data we want. Select that
series and click the Edit button. We need to change both series here:
change the cell references to cells C2:C8 (the 2000 series) in the Series
X Values: box and change the cell reference to cells B2:B8 (the Height
series) for the Series Y Values: box. Click OK (Figure 18.2).
 Chapter 18: Dot Plot 189

Next, edit the second series. Here, the Series name: should be cell
D1 (2017), the Series X Values: is the data in cells D2:D8, and the Series
Y Values: is the Height series in cells B2:B8 again. Click OK twice.

Setting
FIGURE 18.2

3. With the dot pairs now in the graph, we can use Error Bars to connect
the dots with horizontal lines. First, we need to calculate the value for

Making
the error bars. Because we are creating a horizontal linking line, the
value of the error bars is equal to the value in the 2017 column minus
the value in the 2000 column. For Italy, that would be 2 − 4 = −2. In cell
E2, insert the formula =D2 −C2 and copy that formula down the length
of the column to row 8. To add the error bars onto the chart, select
the 2017 series (the blue series in the earlier image) and navigate to

Moving
the Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Error Bars > More Error Bars
Options menu (Figure 18.3).
4. With scatterplots, Excel adds both vertical and horizontal error bars.
We don’t need the vertical error bars for this chart, so we can select
them and click delete. (Remember, we can also use the Format > Current
Selection drop-down menu to grab them.) (Figure 18.4).
5. Now, select and right-click on the horizontal error bars to format. We’re
going to make three changes in the Format Error Bars menu:
a. Set Direction to Minus.
b. Set End Style to No Cap.
c. Select the button for Custom for the Error Amount and click on the
Specify Value button. In the resulting menu, insert the reference
for the “Error” series we created (cells E2:E8) in the Negative Error
Value box. Click OK.
 190 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting
Making

FIGURE 18.3
Moving

FIGURE 18.4
 Chapter 18: Dot Plot 191

If you find that the error bars are not pointing in the right direc-
tion, you may have selected the wrong series or the wrong Plus/Minus
option in the Direction part of the menu (Figure 18.5).

Setting
Making
FIGURE 18.5

6. We now have the core graph and can do some basic formatting like
deleting the horizontal and vertical axis gridlines, deleting the vertical
axis labels, increasing the marker size, and changing the colors. But we

Moving
also need to add labels, so before we polish this chart, let’s look at three
ways we can add labels.
a. Next to the Left-most Dot. This approach is probably the most
basic, the easiest, and the one I see most often. Select the dots on the
left, right-click, and add data labels. Then, select the data labels and
right-click to format. We’ll make a few changes (Figure 18.6):
i. Check the X Value box.
ii. Uncheck the Y Value box.
iii. Select the Value From Cells option and add the A2:A8 reference
to the menu to add the country names to the labels.
iv. Change the Separator to space (if you want—comma is fine too)
v. Change the Label Position to Left.
 192 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 18.6

We’re basically set here, though the labels for the bottom two series
(Canada and the US) are not lined up correctly. Excel is following our
Making

directions correctly, but the values for 2017 are to the right of the val-
ues for 2020. We can fix this misalignment by selecting each point
and changing the Label Position to Right. Or we can create a separate
scatterplot series to use for the labels only. With this option, we can
specify one series for labels to the left and another to the right.
To place series year labels above the first pair of dots, we need
Moving

to either add data labels to a different series and manually move

them or add another scatterplot series for just those two points, add
labels, align them above the points, and hide the points. I left the
year labels just a bit misaligned in Figure 18.7 so you can see the
potential hazards of manually adding labels this way. Unless you
plan on using this graph as a template over and over, doing a bit of
manual work is not the end of the world.
b. Aligned along the Vertical Axis. If we would rather have the labels
aligned along the y-axis, I prefer to add another scatterplot series
where the x-values are equal to zero and the y-values are equal to
the Height variable. I then add the country labels to the left of those
points. Fill in the YAxisLabels series with zeros and add another
scatterplot series (right-click > Select Data > Add > insert cell refer-
ences G2:G8 for the x-values and cells B2:B8 for the y-values, and
click OK) (Figure 18.8). With those dots added, right-click to add the
labels and right-click on the labels to format, followed by three edits:
 Chapter 18: Dot Plot 193

Setting
FIGURE 18.7

i. Check the box next to Value From Cells and insert the reference
to cells A2:A8.
ii. Uncheck the box next to X Value box
iii. Set the position to the Left. Remember, if the labels do not look

Making
left-aligned, you may need to shrink the width of the Plot Area
by selecting the left edge and sliding it to the right.

Moving

FIGURE 18.8
 194 Data Visualization in Excel

c. Sitting on Top of the Line. Placing labels on top of the error bars
can be a nice touch. Again, one additional scatterplot series will do
the trick. In this case, the y-values stay the same (Height), but the
x-values are calculated as the average of the two data values. In the
Middle Labels series, insert a formula to calculate the average of
the two data series (for Italy: =AVERAGE(C2:D2)) and add it as the
x-series in another scatterplot. Right-click to add the labels, format
to place them Above the dots, reference cells A2:A8 in the Values
From Cells option, hide the marker, and we’re all set (Figure 18.9).
Setting
Making
Moving

FIGURE 18.9

We can also add data labels directly to the points. Remember for
Canada and the US, we’ll need to select those labels individually
and move the label to the other side of the dot (Figure 18.10).
One last thing: Personally, I don’t like it when I can see the grid-
lines cut through my data labels, so I usually add a white fill to the
labels. You can see this clearly in the labels for Belgium and Australia
in Figure 18.10.
7. A final technique you might want to employ with a dot plot—especially
when showing changes over time—is using arrows for the lines. We can
create the graph the same way as above, with the only difference being
the length and formatting of the error bars.
 Chapter 18: Dot Plot 195

Setting
FIGURE 18.10

To make it so the arrowheads are not hidden behind the dots, we need

Making
to shorten the error bars slightly. Because there are two countries for
which the change between 2000 and 2017 goes in the opposite direction
as the other countries, the formula for our new error bar series is more
complicated. In column F (“Error-Arrow”), we can insert this formula:

=IF(E2<0,D2-C2+$F$9,D2-C2-$F$9)

Moving
It’s a basic IF statement that evaluates the first Error series (which
is calculated as the value in 2017 minus the value in 2000). If that dif-
ference is negative, indicating that the mortality rate declined over this
period, the calculation in the second part of the formula takes the dif-
ference plus a fixed value in cell $F$9, which I’ve set to 0.25 and inserted
into that cell. If the difference is positive, indicating that the mortality
rate increased over the period, we subtract that fixed value.
As a result, every country except Canada and the US has new error
bars that are slightly larger (less negative) than the original. For Canada
and the US, they are slightly smaller (less positive).
8. With the value of our error bars adjusted, we can now add horizontal error
bars to the 2000 series by selecting and using the standard steps: Chart
Design > Add Chart Element > Error Bars > More Error Bar Options.
In the horizontal error bar formatting menu (don’t forget to delete the
 196 Data Visualization in Excel

vertical error bars), reference the F2:F8 series in the Custom > Specify
Value > Positive Error Value box and change the End Arrow type and
End Arrow Size to the arrow type and size we prefer. Here, the arrow-
heads are plainly visible but note that if we change the 0.25 value in cell
$F$9 to zero, the arrowheads are hidden behind the dots (Figure 18.11).
Setting
Making

FIGURE 18.11

We can now add some colors to the labels, add some labels to the dots, or
even add a text box (yikes) to provide an important comment or annotation
(Figure 18.12).
Moving

FIGURE 18.12
 Chapter 18: Dot Plot 197

Quick Instructions
1. Select cells A1:C8 and insert a Scatter chart
2. Edit both series:
a. Right-click > Select Data > 2000 > Edit > Series Name: 2017 (cell D1);
X values: D2:D8; and Y values: B2:B8
b. Right-click > Select Data > Height > Edit > Series Name: 2000 (cell
C1); X values: C2:C8; and Y values: B2:B8
3. Add error bars to the 2017 series: select series > Chart Design > Add
Chart Element > Error Bars > More Error Bars Options
4. Format horizontal error bars: select > right-click > Format Error Bars >

Setting
a. Set Direction to Minus
b. Set End Style to No Cap
c. Set Error Amount > Custom > Specify Values > Negative Error
Value > cells E2:E8
5. Delete vertical error bars

Making
6. Add labels or modify lines to arrows, see full tutorial for more details
and options

Moving
 Chapter 19
Slope Chart

Slope Chart
Level: Intermediate
Data Type: Time
Combine Charts: No
Formulas Used: &

The slope chart is another good alternative to a paired bar chart if we want a
user to compare levels and changes within and across groups. The slope chart,
which is created in Excel as a modified line chart, makes that task easier. To
demonstrate, we will use the same data we used for the dot plot: estimates of
maternal mortality in 2000 and 2017 for seven countries.
We can make and add labels to a slope chart in two ways. Both have different
forms of manual work. I find the first method to be more tedious, but it doesn’t
require managing multiple data series.
The chart itself is relatively easy to create—but adding the labels at the start
and end of each line takes longer. With either of these methods, the labels will
be neatly aligned and tagged to the data, which is better than text boxes that
are manually created and aligned (and which will never look quite right).

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-21199
 200 Data Visualization in Excel

Method 1: A
 dding Data Labels
1. Create a Line with Markers chart using the data in cells A2:C9. (We can
ignore columns D:H for now as we’ll use those in Method 2.) (Figure 19.1).
Setting
Making
Moving

FIGURE 19.1

2. Excel will create a line chart along the columns, but we want to flip it.
Click on the chart and select the Chart Design > Switch Row/Column
button (Figure 19.2).
3. We’re already getting pretty close, but we need to add our labels. Select
one of the lines, right-click, and select Add Data Labels in the menu.
This step will add a data label to either end of the line. At both ends, the
data label will be aligned to the right of the point and show the value.
For the point on the right, this placement is perfect, but on the left, we
want the data marker to be to the left of the point and to include the
country name (Figure 19.3).
 Chapter 19: Slope Chart 201

Setting
FIGURE 19.2

Making
Moving

FIGURE 19.3

4. To change the formatting, select the data labels and click on the left
label again so only that label is selected. (The box will change from one
with four circles on the corners to one with eight larger circles.) With
that label selected, right-click and select the Format Data Label option
 202 Data Visualization in Excel

in the menu. Check the box next to Series Name (in addition to the
Value box that is already selected), and select the Left option under the
Label Position section of the menu. We can also change the separator
from a comma to a space if we want (Figure 19.4).
Setting
Making

FIGURE 19.4

5. Now we’ve reached the tedious part: repeat this step for each of the
remaining lines, going one by one. Add the data labels, select them, re-
click on the left label, and change the formatting (Figure 19.5).
Moving

FIGURE 19.5
 Chapter 19: Slope Chart 203

6. Let’s get the graph to use the full horizontal space. Select the x-axis and
format. In the Axis Options menu, select the On tick marks option in
the Axis position area of the menu (Figure 19.6).

Setting
FIGURE 19.6

Making
7. Doing so stretches the Plot Area to the full width of the Chart Area, but
now our labels are sitting on top of the points. We can fix this align-
ment by grabbing the left edge of the Plot Area and pulling it to the
right. The labels will right-align, and we are good to go (Figure 19.7).

Moving

FIGURE 19.7
 204 Data Visualization in Excel

8. The last part is a simple bit of styling: delete the y-axis labels, legend, and
gridlines (select and delete) and format the title as you like. We can also
manually color the labels to match the color of the lines (Figure 19.8).
Setting

FIGURE 19.8

Method 2: U sing a Combo Chart

Making

For the second method, we will combine a line chart and a scatterplot. Although
it requires many different steps, it’s a technique—creating a combination
chart—that we have used already and will use even more in later chapters.
1. Start as we did before and create a Line with Markers chart with cells
A2:C9, then switch the row/column data. We can delete the gridlines,
y-axis labels, and legend (Figure 19.9).
Moving

FIGURE 19.9
 Chapter 19: Slope Chart 205

2. To add the data labels, we will use the new data inserted into columns
D:H.
a. Column D. We want one set of labels aligned with the 2000 tick
mark, which Excel views as the first position (recall Chapter 17), so
type a series of 1s.
b. Column E. We want the data values for 2000, so this column is the
same as column B.
c. Column F. Remember, we want the labels on the left to be the coun-
try name and the data value separated by a space. We can use a
little concatenate function here: =A3&“ ”&B3 to merge the three
elements together.

Setting
d. Column G. We want the other set of labels aligned with the 2017
tick mark in the second position, so this is a series of 2s.
e. Column H. Here, we need the data values for 2017, so this column
is the same as column C (Table 19.1).

TABLE 19.1

Making
A B C D E F G H
1 Left Labels Right Labels
2 2000 2017 X Y Text X Y
3 Italy 4 2 1 4 Italy 4 2 2
4 Finland 6 3 1 6 Finland 6 2 3
5 Belgium 8 5 1 8 Belgium 8 2 5

Moving
6 Australia 7 6 1 7 Australia 7 2 6
7 France 10 8 1 10 France 10 2 8
8 Canada 9 10 1 9 Canada 9 2 10
9 United States 12 19 1 12 United States 12 2 19

3. To add the first scatterplot series, which we’ll use to add labels on the left
side, right-click on the graph and choose the Select Data option. We’ll
add a new series and reference cell D1 (Left Labels) for the name of the
series and cells E3:E9 for the Series values. After you press OK, the data
will render as a line chart, similar to how this tutorial started—again,
Excel assumes we want to plot the data down the column as a time
series (Figure 19.10).
1. Instead of adding these data as a line, we are going to change the series
to a scatterplot. Select the Chart Design > Change Chart Type > Combo
option to change the chart type for the Left Labels series to a Scatter
 206 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 19.10

chart. Now, if Excel has magically changed some of the other series to
bar charts, we will need to change those back to line charts using the
Making

drop-down menus. Remember, Excel is just following built-in defaults,

but we have the ultimate say as to what happens.
(Again, if you’re using a Mac, you will need to use a slightly differ-
ent approach. First, select the series and with that series selected, go to
the Change Chart Type menu in the Chart Design tab. There, select the
Scatter chart option.) (Figure 19.11).
2. Because a scatterplot requires both x- and y-values, we need to return
Moving

to the chart data menu and add in the x-values. Select the chart, right-
click, and choose the Select Data option. Scroll down to the Left Labels
series, select Edit, and a new box appears where we can insert the
x-values. Click inside the box and insert the reference to the x-values in
cells D3:D9 (labeled with a capital X in the spreadsheet) and click OK
(Figure 19.12).
3. We now have dots at the beginning of each line, which is where we
can add our data labels. But first, let’s add markers to the right end of
the lines. Go back to the Select Data menu and add a new series. Now,
Excel prompts us for both x- and y-values. Because we’ve added a scat-
terplot to the graph, Excel (correctly this time!) thinks we want to add
another scatterplot series. In the boxes, reference cell G1 for the series
title, cells G3:G9 for the x-values, and cells H3:H9 for the y-values. Click
OK when done (Figure 19.13).
 Chapter 19: Slope Chart 207

Setting
Making
FIGURE 19.11

Moving

FIGURE 19.12
 208 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 19.13

4. Before we add the labels, let’s format the x-axis to fill up the entire
Making

chart space, as we did earlier. Again, select the x-axis, right-click (or
CTRL+1), and select Format Axis > Axis position > On tick marks. This
step lines up the data markers with the tick marks and uses the whole
chart space (Figure 19.14).
Moving

FIGURE 19.14
 Chapter 19: Slope Chart 209

5. For the data labels on the left side of the graph, we select those dots, right-
click, and select Add Data Labels. To format, select the labels > right-
click > Format Data Labels > Value From Cells > enter cells F3:F9 in the box.
Then, unselect the Y Value checkbox. In the same Data Labels menu, place
the labels to the Left of the point in the Label Position menu (Figure 19.15).

Setting
FIGURE 19.15

Making
6. As before, the Plot Area is too close to the edge of the Chart Area, so the
labels are sitting on top of the dots. Grab the left edge of the Plot Area
and slide it to the right, giving the chart more room and letting the
labels sit to the left of the points (Figure 19.16).

Moving

FIGURE 19.16
 210 Data Visualization in Excel

7. To add the other data labels, select the dots on the right side and Add
Data Labels. In this case, because the default Excel behavior is to add
the y-value to the right of the point, we don’t have any additional for-
matting to do (Figure 19.17).
Setting
Making
Moving

FIGURE 19.17

8. Lastly, we need to do a bit of styling.

a. If we want, we can remove the dots at the end of the lines, but because
the labels are connected to the dots, we can’t just hit delete. Instead,
we can hide the dots using the Marker > Marker Options > None
menu. If we want to keep dots at the end of the lines, we can do so
because there are dots behind the scatterplot points from the Line
Chart with Markers that we inserted at the start.
b. Finally, we can modify the colors of the lines and/or labels to match.
The version in Figure 19.18 uses different colors for each country,
and the version in Figure 19.19 has one color for increases and
another color for decreases.
 Chapter 19: Slope Chart 211

FIGURE 19.18

Setting
Making
Moving
FIGURE 19.19

Quick Instructions

Method #1
1. Select cells A2:C9 and insert a Line with Markers chart
2. Switch order of the chart: Chart Design > Switch Row/Column
3. Select one line, right-click, and Add Data Labels
4. Select left data label only, right-click, select Format Data Label, and
make three changes:
a. Label contains > Series Name and Value
b. Change Separator to Space
c. Change Label Position to Left
 212 Data Visualization in Excel

5. Repeat data labeling and formatting steps (3 and 4) for each series
6. Delete legend, vertical axis, and horizontal gridlines
7. Format horizontal axis: right-click > Format Axis > Axis Options > Axis
position > On tick marks
8. Adjust Plot Area by selecting the left edge and moving it to the right to
fit labels

Method #2
1. Arrange data and formulas
2. Select cells A2:C9 and insert a Line with Markers chart
3. Switch order of the chart: Chart Design > Switch Row/Column
Setting

4. Add scatterplot for left labels: right-click > Select Data > Add > Series
Name: Left Labels (cell D1) and Series values: E3:E9
5. Change the Left Labels series to a scatterplot:
a. On PCs: select Left Labels series > Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Combo > Left Labels > Scatter
Making

b. On Macs: select Left Labels series > Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Scatter
6. Add x-values to Left Labels series: right-click > Select Data > Left
Labels > Edit > X values: D3:D9
7. Add Right Labels series: right-click > Select Data > Add > Series Name:
Right Labels (cell G1); X values: G3:G9; and Y values: H3:H9
Moving

8. Add and format labels for the Left Labels series:

a. Right-click > Add Data Labels
b. Select data labels > right-click > Format Data Labels and make two
changes:
i. Label contains > Value from Cells > F3:F9 (and uncheck the box
next to Y Value)
ii. Change Label Position to Left
9. Add labels to the Right Labels series: right-click > Add Data Labels
10. Format horizontal axis: right-click > Format Axis > Axis Options > Axis
position > On tick marks
11. Adjust Plot Area by selecting the left edge and moving it to the right to
fit labels
12. Delete legend, vertical axis, and horizontal gridlines
 Chapter 20
Overlaid Gridlines

Overlaid Gridlines
Level: Intermediate
Data Type: Categorical
Combine Charts: Yes
Formulas Used: None

The overlaid gridline chart places gridlines on top of a bar chart, which can
allow viewers to absorb the data as segments rather than single bars. Overlaid
gridline charts can also offer a useful way to plot an average or total for all
groups in a way that stands out from the other data. This tutorial will start with
the more complex, though perhaps less interesting strategy of creating these
gridlines. The chapter concludes with the simpler and more interesting version
of showing the average value.
In this version, we’ll combine a bar chart and a scatterplot, then add hori-
zontal error bars to the scatterplot points to mimic the gridlines. We’ll use the
2017 maternal mortality data to make our chart.
1. Create a bar chart with the 2017 data in column B (cells A2:B9). Delete
the existing horizontal gridlines and chart title (Figure 20.1).

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-22213
 214 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting
Making

FIGURE 20.1
Moving

2. To make our gridlines, we are going to add a scatterplot where the

x-values are equal to the midpoint along the x-axis and the y-values
are equal to the gridlines. In this case, we’ll add 10 horizontal grid-
lines corresponding to the original y-axis increments. In column C,
enter the number four in 10 cells, from cell C3 to C12. Why the num-
ber four? Remember Excel views the values on the x-axis as positions,
so four is in the middle of these seven bars. In column D, we’ll add
the 10 y-values corresponding to the horizontal gridlines, starting at
2 and going to 20.
To insert this new series as a scatterplot, right-click on the chart and
choose Select Data > Add. Click cell C1 for the Series name and enter
cells D3:D12 in the Series values: box so they become the y-values of our
scatterplot. Click OK, and a paired column chart with a bunch of extra
bars should appear (Figure 20.2).
 Chapter 20: Overlaid Gridlines 215

Setting
FIGURE 20.2

3. Select the Scatter-Overlaid series in the chart and, as we’ve done before,
change this new series to a scatterplot: Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Combo (Figure 20.3). (If you’re on a Mac, select the orange bars
and navigate to Chart Design > Change Chart Type > Scatter and click.).

Making
Moving

FIGURE 20.3
 216 Data Visualization in Excel

4. We have only assigned y-values to the scatterplot series, so we now

need to assign x-values. Right-click on the chart and choose Select
Data > Scatter-Overlaid > Edit. In the Series X values: box, click on cells
C3:C12, and click OK (Figure 20.4).
Setting
Making

FIGURE 20.4

5. We now have the scatterplot overlaid on the bar chart, so we need to

add the horizontal error bars. Select the dots and navigate to Chart
Design > Add Chart Element > Error Bars > More Error Bars Options. By
default, Excel adds vertical and horizontal error bars. After we right-
click on the error bars and select Format, take note of which menu
Moving

we’re in—the horizontal or vertical error bars menu.

6. We want to style the horizontal error bars. Select those error bars (again,
by right-clicking or using CTRL+1) to go to the Horizontal Error Bar
formatting pane. We’ll make three changes here:
a. Change the End Style to No Cap.
b. In the bottom area, go to Error Amount > Fixed Value. Here, we can
choose how far our error bars extend. If we type in “3,” the error bars
don’t quite extend through the first or the last bar. And if we type in
“4,” the error bars go too far and lengthen the entire graph. But if we
take the difference and use “3.5,” the lines will extend to just the right
length. Why 3.5? Because the error bars refer to the position along
the x-axis, and we want the lines to extend from the scatterplot point
to just beyond the first and last bars, meaning we need to extend the
lines slightly more than three positions to clear the edges of the bars.
 Chapter 20: Overlaid Gridlines 217

(Alternatively, we could use the Custom option and specify the data
in the worksheet, but for this example, we can just type in the num-
bers.) (Figures 20.5–20.7).

Setting
Making
FIGURE 20.5

Moving

FIGURE 20.6
 218 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 20.7

7. Now we can do a little styling:

a. In the Line Color tab of the error bar menu, change the line color to
white, and in the Line Style tab, change the line width to 1.5 point.
Making

b. Adjust the increments on the y-axis to match our new “gridlines”

and change the y-axis limits to match. Right-click on the y-axis to
format and change the Maximum bound to 20 and the Major Units
to 2. In this case, and for demonstration purposes, we’ve placed a
white gridline at increments of two maternal deaths per 100,000 live
births. (In a final version, I’d probably put the gridlines at incre-
Moving

ments of five, only because two seems like too many gridlines.)
c. Hide the markers: select the dots > Format Data Series > Marker >
Marker Options > None (Figure 20.8).
d. Select and delete the vertical error bars.
e. Select the blue bars and adjust the Series Overlap (e.g., to 0%) and Gap
Width (e.g., to 100%) sliders to make the bars wider.
In this next graph, we use the same technique—combine a column chart and a
scatterplot—to show the average value across these seven countries (Figure 20.9).
In this case, instead of selecting the values in cells C3:D12 to add the gridlines,
we create a Scatter chart with a single x-value (4 in cell E3) and a single y-value
in cell F3 (7.6), which is equal to the average across all the values in cells B3:B9,
using the formula =AVERAGE(B3:B9).
 Chapter 20: Overlaid Gridlines 219

FIGURE 20.8

Setting
Making
Moving
FIGURE 20.9

We can make this change easily by right-clicking on the chart, Select

Data > Scatter-Overlaid > Edit, and changing the reference in the Series X val-
ues: box to cell E3 and the reference in the Series Y values: box to cell F3. Click
OK twice and change the color of the error bar to something solid.
After adding the line, I also added a data label (by right-clicking on the point)
and moved it to the right side of the graph so it doesn’t interfere with the label
above the bar for Australia.
Other points worth highlighting here. First, I used a scatterplot rather than a
line chart because the line in the line chart extends only to the middle of the
first and last bars. We could use a secondary-axis approach with a line chart,
but I find it much easier to use the scatterplot approach. Second, we could place
the scatterplot points in other positions and use only positive or negative error
 220 Data Visualization in Excel

bars. I prefer putting them in the middle because I find it easier to control the
length of the lines.

Quick Instructions
1. Select cells A2:B9 and insert a Clustered Column chart
2. Right-click > Select Data > Add > Series Name: Scatter-Overlaid (cell
C1) and Series values: D3:D12
3. Change the Scatter-Overlaid series to a scatterplot:
a. On PCs: select Scatter-Overlaid series > Chart Design > Change
Chart Type > Combo > Scatter-Overlaid > Scatter
Setting

b. On Macs: select Scatter-Overlaid series > Chart Design > Change

Chart Type > Scatter
4. Add x-values to Scatter-Overlaid series: right-click > Select Data >
Scatter-Overlaid > Edit > X values: cells C3:C12
5. Add error bars to the Scatter-Overlaid series: select > Chart Design > Add
Chart Element > Error Bars > More Error Bars Options
Making

6. Format horizontal error bars: select > right-click > Format Error Bars >
a. Set Direction to Both
b. Set End Style to No Cap
c. Set Error Amount > Fixed Value > 3.5
Moving

d. Set color: Line > Solid Line > Color > change to white
7. Delete vertical error bars
8. Delete existing gridlines
9. Hide Scatter-Overlaid markers: right-click > Format Data Series >
Marker > Marker Options > None
10. Edit vertical axis limits: right-click > Format Axis > Axis Options > 0 for
Minimum and 20 for Maximum
11. If keeping the vertical axis, adjust the labels to match new gridlines:
right-click > Format Axis > Bounds > Units > Major > 2
 Chapter 21
Lollipop Chart

Lollipop Chart
Level: Intermediate
Data Type: Categorical
Combine Charts: No
Formulas Used: None

A lollipop chart is basically a bar chart, but the end of the bar is replaced with
a dot (the candy) and the bar itself is replaced with a line (the stick). A lollipop
graph reduces the amount of ink used and helps the reader focus on where the
data are encoded. We’ll use the maternal mortality data again to create our lol-
lipop graph, focusing on the values in 2017.
1. Insert a bar chart with the data in cells A1:B8. Notice that Excel places
the data with the value in the bottom row (for the US) at the top of the
chart rather than at the bottom (Figure 21.1).
2. As we’ve had to do several times, flip the order of the bars by format-
ting the y-axis. Select the axis and right-click or use the CTRL+1 short-
cut to make two changes: Format Axis > Axis Options > At maximum
category and Format Axis > Axis Options > Categories in reverse order
(Figure 21.2).

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-23221
 222 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting
Making

FIGURE 21.1
Moving

FIGURE 21.2
 Chapter 21: Lollipop Chart 223

3. To change this bar chart to the lollipop chart, we’ll use error bars.
Click on the bars and select Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Error
Bars > More Error Bars Options (Figure 21.3).

Setting
Making
FIGURE 21.3

4. Excel automatically adds horizontal error bars in both directions from

Moving
the end of the bar, so we need to make a few changes in the Horizontal
Error Bar menu:
a. Change the Direction to Minus
b. Change the End Style to No Cap
c. Select the Error Amount > Percentage > type 100% in the box. This
step will create a horizontal error bar that extends to the y-axis,
regardless of the length of the bar (Figure 21.4).
5. To add the dots at the ends of the error bars, select the paint can icon
in the Error Bar menu and change the Begin Arrow type to the oval and
increase its size (if you like) in the Begin Arrow size menu (Figure 21.5).
 224 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 21.4
Making
Moving

FIGURE 21.5

6. Finally, we can hide the bars by selecting them and changing the color
to No Fill (Figure 21.6).
 Chapter 21: Lollipop Chart 225

Setting
FIGURE 21.6

7. We can change the color of the error bars in the Line Color area of the
Error Bar formatting menu, though the dots and lines will be the same
color. If we want more control over the size of the dots or if we want to
make the colors of the lines and dots different, we can make this chart

Making
with a simple scatterplot and error bars (see Figure 21.7 and the dot plot
tutorial in Chapter 18).

Moving

FIGURE 21.7
 226 Data Visualization in Excel

Quick Instructions
1. Select cells A1:B8 and insert a Clustered Bar chart
2. Format vertical axis:
a. Format Axis > Axis Options > Categories in reverse order
b. Format Axis > Axis Options > Horizontal axis crosses > At maxi-
mum category
3. Select bars and add error bars: Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Error
Bars > More Error Bars Options
4. Format error bars: select > right-click > Format Error Bars >
a. Set Direction to Minus
Setting

b. Set End Style to No Cap

c. Set Error Amount > Percentage > 100%
5. More error bar formatting (paint can icon):
a. Change Begin Arrow Type to circle
Making

b. Change Begin Arrow Size to the largest size

6. Change color of the bars: right-click > Format Data Series > Fill > No Fill
Moving
 Chapter 22
Bullet Chart

Bullet Chart
Level: Advanced
Data Type: Categorical
Combine Charts: No
Formulas Used: MAX, AVERAGE, MATCH, TEXT, CHAR, &

The standard bullet chart enables us to make many comparisons simultane-

ously as it facilitates more and easier comparisons across multiple values. The
typical bullet chart contains at least five data series: an observed (actual) value,
a target value, and three (or more) ranges (e.g., poor, good, and excellent). I
find bullet charts are often used in the financial services field because they can
enable investors to compare actual returns, targeted returns, and a range of
expected returns, for example.
We’ll use a dataset consisting of receiving yards for the top five receivers in
the history of the National Football League (NFL): Jerry Rice, Larry Fitzgerald,
Terrell Owens, Isaac Bruce, and Randy Moss. For each player, we have the total
number of receiving yards in each year of their careers. In this tutorial, we will
create a vertical bullet chart using a stacked bar chart and secondary axes.

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-24227
 228 Data Visualization in Excel

1. Before we get to the graph itself, let’s talk a bit about getting the data
ready. From the raw data, which are in cells A1:F37, we are going to
do some calculations and place our modified data for the graph in the
shaded cells in A38:F46 (Table 22.1).

TABLE 22.1
A B C D E F
Jerry Larry Terrell Isaac Randy
38 Rice Fitzgerald Owens Bruce Moss
39 0–500 500 500 500 500 500
40 500–1,000 500 500 500 500 500
41 1,000–1,500 500 500 500 500 500
42 1,500–2,000 500 500 500 500 500
Setting

43 Best 1,848 1,431 1,451 1,781 1,632

44 Average 1,145 1,029 1,062 951 1,143
45 Best Year 1995 2008 2000 1995 2003
46 Label 1,848 1,431 1,451 1,781 1,632
(1995) (2008) (2000) (1995) (2003)
Making

•• The first four rows of the data (cells A39:F42) are our ranges: simple
increments of 500 yards. We can type in the number 500 into those
20 cells. These ranges can be anything we like—even quartiles or
quintiles in the data—but for purposes of this graph, increments of
500 yards seem straightforward.
•• The fifth row of the data (Best) is each player’s best individual year.
We can grab this number from the raw data with a simple MAX
Moving

formula. For Jerry Rice, we enter the formula =MAX(B2:B37) in cell

B43, yielding a result of 1,848.
•• The sixth row (Average) is each player’s average number of yards.
Again for Jerry Rice, we can enter the formula =AVERAGE(B2:B37)
in cell B7, yielding a result of 1,145.
•• The seventh row (Best Year) will feed into the eighth row (Label) for
our custom labels. To fill the seventh row, we need to use a formula
we didn’t cover in Chapter 5: the MATCH formula. This formula
looks for a value in a set of cells and generates the position of that
value in the list. For Jerry Rice, we can enter the following formula
in cell B45:
=MATCH(B43,B2:B37,0)+1984
 Chapter 22: Bullet Chart 229

The formula looks for the value in B43, which is Rice’s best year
of 1,848 yards, in cells B2:B37. The zero in the last part of the formula
tells Excel to look for the exact value specified in cell B43. Rice had his
best year in 1995, but the MATCH function just pulls the position of
that value in the series, which is 11. To get the actual year Jerry Rice
recorded his best value, we need to add 1984 (the year before our data
started) to 11 (the position) to get 1995 for the Best Year value.
•• Finally, in the last row of the graphing data, we can create a label
that has the highest number of yards in a single year and the year
in which that occurred. But doing so is not trivial—the formula we
use in cell B9 is:
=TEXT(B43,"#,##0")&CHAR(10)&"("&B8&")"

Setting
Phew, that’s a lot going on! Although this formula is a basic con-
catenation, it has three parts, which are joined by ampersand (&)
symbols. Let’s break it down:
– TEXT(B43,“#, ##0”). For the receiving yards, we want to keep
the basic number formatting of #,##0. But when we join num-
bers in this way, Excel doesn’t keep the commas. We have to use

Making
the TEXT function to turn the number in cell B43 into text, so
we can format it how we want.
– CHAR(10). This little trick adds a character break in the for-
mula so our first value (number of yards) appears on a different
line than the next number (year). Don’t worry if the year doesn’t
wrap on two lines in the cell itself because it will render with a

Moving
break in the chart labels. If we want to test whether the return
worked correctly, select the cell and press the Wrap Text button
in the Alignment section of the Home tab.
– “(”&B8&“)”. Three things are joined here—an open parenthesis,
cell B45 (the year of most yards), and a closed parenthesis.

So yeah, it looks complicated, but in the end, it’s just two num-
bers pulled together with a space between them (Figure 22.1 and
Table 22.2).

Once we’ve entered these four formulas in column B for Jerry Rice, we
can simply to copy and paste across the five columns so the values fill
for each of the receivers.
 230 Data Visualization in Excel

FIGURE 22.1

TABLE 22.2
A B C D E F
Jerry Larry Terrell Isaac Randy
38 Rice Fitzgerald Owens Bruce Moss
39 0–500 500 500 500 500 500
40 500–1,000 500 500 500 500 500
41 1,000–1,500 500 500 500 500 500
42 1,500–2,000 500 500 500 500 500
Setting

43 Best 1,848 1,431 1,451 1,781 1,632

44 Average 1,145 1,029 1,062 951 1,143
45 Best Year 1995 2008 2000 1995 2003
46 Label 1,848 1,431 1,451 1,781 1,632
(1995) (2008) (2000) (1995) (2003)

2. Okay, onto the graph itself. First, we need to create a stacked bar chart
Making

using the data in cells A38:F44 (Figure 22.2).

Moving

FIGURE 22.2
 Chapter 22: Bullet Chart 231

3. We want these series to be stacked for each receiver, so we need to use

the Chart Design > Switch Row/Column button (Figure 22.3).

Setting
Making
FIGURE 22.3

4. We’ll move the Best and Average series to the secondary axis by select-
ing each, right-clicking (or CTRL+1), and selecting the Format Data
Series option at the bottom of the menu (Figure 22.4).

Moving

FIGURE 22.4
 232 Data Visualization in Excel

5. With one of the series selected, click on the Secondary Axis option in
the Format menu (Figure 22.5).
Setting

FIGURE 22.5

6. After we move the first series to the secondary axis, we might not be
able to see the other series to select it. Remember, we can always use
the Format > Current Selection drop-down menu and click Format
Making

Selection (Figure 22.6).

Moving

FIGURE 22.6

7. Once we’ve moved both series to the secondary axis, select those bars
and Format Data Series > Gap Width > 400%. (We’ll only need to do this
step for one of the series.) Basically, we’ve put two series on the second-
ary axis, which puts them on top of the other bars, so we thinned out the
bars on the secondary axis to see the bars behind them (Figure 22.7).
 Chapter 22: Bullet Chart 233

FIGURE 22.7

Setting
8. We’ll now change the Best series (the green bars) to a Scatter chart
to create the marker. Select the bars for the Best series, then Chart
Design > Change Chart Type > Combo (Figure 22.8).

Making
Moving

FIGURE 22.8
 234 Data Visualization in Excel

9. Now that it’s a scatterplot, we can format the dots to look like lines.
There are two ways to do so:
a. We can change the Marker Type by selecting the scatter-
plot, formatting by right-clicking, and under Marker > Marker
Options > Built-In, selecting the dash shape. We can also increase
the size (Figure 22.9).
Setting
Making

FIGURE 22.9

b. Alternatively, we can add a horizontal error bar to the scatterplot

point by selecting the point and using Add Chart Element > Error
Bars > More Error Bars Options. Delete the vertical error bar and
format the horizontal error bars:
Moving

i. Keep the Direction at Both.

ii. Change the End Style to No Cap.
iii. Change the Fixed value to 0.2.
c. We can also change the appearance of the horizontal error bar:
i. In the Line Style menu, change the width.
ii. In the Line Color menu, change the color (Figure 22.10).
Don’t hide the markers just yet—it will be easier to have them there
to add the labels in a minute.
10. Currently, the two vertical axes are not the same because we are using
the secondary y-axis to trick Excel. To correct our axes, let’s change
the range of both vertical axes to 0–2,000 in the Format Axis menu
(Figure 22.11).
 Chapter 22: Bullet Chart 235

Setting
FIGURE 22.10

Making
Moving

FIGURE 22.11

11. There are lots of ways to think about adding labels here. For this chart,
let’s just add labels to the Average series (the thinner bar) and the
Best Year series (the marker/error bar). For the Average series, right-
click, select Add Data Labels, then select the labels to format: right-
click > Format Data Labels > Label Position > Inside End (Figure 22.12).
For the Best Year series, we’re going to use the Labels we created
in row 46 with the concatenation function. Select the dots/error bars,
 236 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 22.12

right-click, and select Add Data Labels. Right-click to format the labels,
change the label reference to Value From Cells, and select the values
in cells B8:F8. As expected, the labels wrap on two lines because of
the CHAR(10) piece of our formula. Be sure to uncheck the box for Y
Value in the Label Options area of the menu. Finally, change the Label
Making

Position to Above (Figure 22.13).

Moving

FIGURE 22.13

12. Now we can clean this up:

a. Let’s hide our markers: select the dots > right-click > Format Data
Series > Marker > Marker Options > None.
b. Make the error bars (in the Format Error Bars menu) a different
color and make them a little thicker (I used 2 points).
 Chapter 22: Bullet Chart 237

c. Delete the legend.

d. Change the y-axis increments to every 500 yards. We can keep or
delete the secondary y-axis here. In this case, I don’t think it looks
so bad, so I’m going to keep it.
e. Change the colors of all the series—I’ll use shades of gray for the
ranges in the background.
f. Update the title—I’ll also add a subtitle that explains what each part
of the chart shows. We can also manually move some of the labels
around if they are too close to the top of the chart. I moved the
labels for Jerry Rice and Isaac Bruce below the marker.
With our final chart, we can see that Jerry Rice had the best individual season

Setting
and the highest average yards of our five receivers. Our graph also clearly shows
that despite having the second-best individual season, Isaac Bruce fell into a
lower range for average receiving yards than the other receivers (Figure 22.14).

Making
Moving
FIGURE 22.14

Quick Instructions
1. Arrange data and formulas
2. Select cells A38:F44 and insert a Stacked Column chart
3. Switch order of the chart: Chart Design > Switch Row/Column
4. Move Best and Average series to the secondary axis: right-click on
each > Format Data Series > Secondary Axis
 238 Data Visualization in Excel

5. Change width of Average series: right-click > Format Data Series > Series
Options > Gap Width to 400%
6. Change the Best series to a scatterplot:
a. On PCs: select Best series > Chart Design > Change Chart Type >
Combo > Best > Scatter
b. On Macs: select Best series > Chart Design > Change Chart Type >
Scatter
7. Format scatterplot point (Best series) to a line:
a. Method 1. Change marker format: right-click > Format Data
Series > Marker > Marker Options > Built-In > select dash shape and
adjust size
Setting

b. Method 2. Add error bar: select dots > Chart Design > Add Chart
Element > Error Bars > More Error Bars Options. Format the hori-
zontal error bars:
i. Set Direction to Both
ii. Set End Style to No Cap
Making

iii. Set Fixed value to 0.2

c. Hide Best marker: right-click > Format Data Series > Marker > Marker
Style > None
d. Delete vertical error bars (may need to use the Format > Current
Selection menu)
Moving

8. Edit ranges of the primary and secondary vertical axis:

a. Right-click > Format Axis > Bounds > 0 for Minimum and 2,000 for
Maximum
b. Right-click > Format Axis > Bounds > Units > Major > 500
 Chapter 23
Tile Grid Map

Tile Grid Map

Level: Advanced
Data Type: Geospatial
Combine Charts: No
Formulas Used: VLOOKUP, MIN, MAX

When plotting geographic data on a standard map, the size of the geographic
unit, say, a state or country, may not necessarily correspond to the impor-
tance of the data value. Take the US. Alaska and Montana are very large states,
accounting for 20% of total land area, but are not very populous, accounting
for <1% of the country’s total population. Tile grid maps try to address that
distortion by using shapes of uniform size—usually a square—and arranging
the tiles to approximate their real-world position. We can construct tile graph
maps fairly easily in Excel once we’ve spent some upfront time with cell for-
matting and formula building.
Conceptually, the biggest issue with this version of the tile grid map is that
it approximates the location of the geographic units. These maps don’t always
work. For example, I created the tile grid map of the world in Figure 23.1, but it
really doesn’t make much sense. On the one hand, it addresses the g­ eographic
distortion of very large countries, allowing us to see all of the countries

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-25239
 240 Data Visualization in Excel

of the world. On the other hand, it forced me to make a lot of arbitrary deci-
sions about where to place certain countries, and in many cases, placing the
tiles in reasonable proximity to each other was virtually impossible.
Setting
Making

FIGURE 23.1

In this section, we are going to build two different tile grid maps—a stan-
dard grid map with a single value and another grid map made up of slope
charts with multiple values. For the first map, we’ll plot the share of people
Moving

who did not vote in the 2020 US Presidential election. In the second map, we’ll
plot the share of people who voted for Democrats and the share who voted for
Republicans in 1976 and 2020.
There are final, formatted versions of both maps in the Excel file avail-
able at https://www.routledge.com/Data-Visualization-in-Excel-A-Guide-for-
Beginners-Intermediates-and-Wonks/Schwabish/p/book/9781032343266, so
you can skip the tedious formatting work. Unlike many of the other tabs in the
file, I have included the formulas and formatting in the worksheet. Following
the tutorial here will enable you to create your own tile grid map of a region,
country, city, or any geography you think might work.
Before we create the tile grid map, let’s create a standard geographic map
using the built-in Excel graph as a comparison. The state names and share of
people who did not vote in 2020 are included in cells A1:B52 of the spreadsheet.
1. Select the data and go to the Maps option in the Insert tab, to the right
of the standard graph area (Figure 23.2).
 Chapter 23: Tile Grid Map 241

Setting
Making
FIGURE 23.2

2. Excel will insert a map of the US with our data values, and by right-
clicking on the chart and entering the Format Data Series menu, we
can change the map projection, how the labels appear, colors, and more
(Figure 23.3).

Moving

FIGURE 23.3
 242 Data Visualization in Excel

Single Value Tile Grid Map

1. To start building the tile grid map, we need to first set up the worksheet
with the same data as above. We’ll place the data in columns P and Q
(we can use a VLOOKUP formula in column Q to pull different data
series from other worksheets) and set up the map in columns B through
L, which is a manual process that involves laying out the cells, pointing
to the correct data, and formatting the labels (Figure 23.4). (The prac-
tice file already has the data filled in, so if you’re not interested in this
part, you can skip to the next section starting in step number 4.)
Setting
Making
Moving

FIGURE 23.4

2. To format the map, we’ll change the size of the rows and columns to
create squares. In this example, I’ve set the column height and row
width to 36 pixels (we can also see these dimensions in inches in the
Page Layout option in the View tab).
3. We need to do two things in each cell of the map: reference the data
value for each state and change the cell format. Take Alaska, for exam-
ple, in cell B6. The formula in that cell is simply “=Q2,” which refers
to the actual data value. Instead of showing the data value, we want
to show the state abbreviation (“AK”). We can right-click > Format
Cells > Number > Custom > type “\AK” in the Type box and click OK
(the backslash tells Excel to display the text in the cell and not the num-
ber; see the Number Formatting section in Chapter 4). This step will
 Chapter 23: Tile Grid Map 243

overwrite the value and show the state abbreviation rather than the
data value. Again, I’ve already completed this step in the practice file,
but you can apply the technique to a tile grid map for a different geog-
raphy (Figure 23.5).

Setting
FIGURE 23.5

Making
Changing from the data values to the state abbreviations is the
tedious part of setting up this tile grid map. We need to click each
state, reference the correct data value, and change the format to manu-
ally insert the state abbreviation. If you want to create your own tile
grid map, you can similarly adjust the rows and columns to create

Moving
squares, reference the correct data values, and change the formatting
in each cell.
4. To create the actual map, we’ll use Conditional Formatting. First, we’ll
create the legend at the top, so we need to assign numbers to the cells
B3:E3.
For the legend, we need to create a linear scale that goes from the
smallest value to the largest value. In cell B4, we can use a MIN (mini-
mum) formula to find the smallest value in our data. Insert this formula
into cell B4: =MIN(Q1:Q51). In cell E4, we use a MAX (maximum) for-
mula to find the largest value: =MAX(Q1:Q51) (Figure 23.6).
To fill in the other two cells (C4 and D4), we need to remember a
bit of sixth-grade math. We want to calculate the slope of a line, which
is equal to the change in y divided by the change in x. In cell C4, we
use the formula =B4+($E$4-$B$4)/3. This formula takes the value in
B4 and adds the difference between the maximum and minimum
 244 Data Visualization in Excel

value (change in y) divided by three (change in x). Because this for-

mula includes absolute references with the dollar signs, we can copy
and paste it to cell D4 to find that value. We now have four values in
this row of cells: 25%, 33%, 41%, and 49%, which if we plotted them in
a line chart, would look like a straight line (Figure 23.6).
Setting
Making

FIGURE 23.6

5. Now we’ll use Conditional Formatting to assign the colors based on

Moving

the data values. Highlight all of the cells (B4:L13)—including the map
and the legend—and select Home > Conditional Formatting > Color
Scales > More Rules (remember the heatmap in Chapter 8). Choose
the colors—a light color for the Lowest Value and a dark color for the
Highest Value—and click OK (Figure 23.7).

6. For the state abbreviations, we can manually change the text color of
the state labels to white when the fill colors are dark or, better yet, use
Conditional Formatting. We’ll set up our formatting, so the abbreviation
for any state in which the value is greater than 40 percent will be white.
Select the same group of cells (B4:L13) and select Home > Conditional
Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > Greater Than. In the menu, type
0.40 in the box.
Next, select Custom Format > Font > Color, and in the drop-down
menu, change the text color to white. Click OK twice (Figure 23.8).
 Chapter 23: Tile Grid Map 245

Setting
FIGURE 23.7

FIGURE 23.8 Making

Moving
7. Finally, if we don’t want to show the numbers in the legend, we can
use our number format trick from Chapter 8: right-click > Format
Cells > Number > Custom and type three semicolons (;;;) into the
Type box. Above the legend, we can re-add the numbers we do want
by typing them in the empty cells or using a reference equation
(Figure 23.9).

8. As a final note, we can also create this kind of map with distinct cat-
egories rather than continuous ones (this version is already completed
in the practice file). If we want to break the data into three groups of
 246 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting
Making

FIGURE 23.9
Moving

voting thresholds—25% to 35%; 35% to 45%; and 45% and over—we

could reset the data we use in the map and change the conditional for-
matting rules.
In Figure 23.10, I moved the voting percentage data over to column
R, and in column Q—which is what the state tiles reference—I inserted
counter values of 1, 2, and 3 to correspond to the three groups. (Of
course, we can do this manually, but I used the approximate match
option in the VLOOKUP formula to look up the shares in columns
U1:V3 to pull the correct number; see Chapter 5 for more details.).
9. We can use Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > Exact
Values again to set the fill and font colors. The legend format changes
a bit here, but it’s nothing we can’t handle by resizing the rows/col-
umns and typing in the labels. If we want to see all the Conditional
Formatting rules in the selected cells, we can go to Home > Conditional
Formatting > Manage Rules (Figure 23.11).
 Chapter 23: Tile Grid Map 247

Setting
FIGURE 23.10

Making
Moving
FIGURE 23.11

Multiple Value Tile Grid Map

If we have multiple values we want to display on a map, we can expand the tile
grid map to include small slope charts in each state. In this case, we are going
to show the share of people who voted for the Democratic candidate and the
share who voted for the Republican candidate in the 1976 and 2020 presiden-
tial elections. (This map is a redesign of a map originally created by Philip
Bump at the Washington Post.) Instead of plotting the map in the spreadsheet
cells, we are going to create a line chart-scatterplot combination. For this map,
most of the work consists of preparing the data, but if you’re not interested in
learning how to prepare the data, you can use the practice file, which has the
data already set up, and skip to the next section starting with step number 5.
 248 Data Visualization in Excel

1. The raw data are shown in columns A through F, with the state names,
abbreviations, and vote shares for each party in 1976 and 2020. (We’ll
come back to columns G, H, and I in a moment.)
2. Similar to how we made the waffle chart in Chapter 10, we will set up a
“key” so we can match the data to the state abbreviations. In columns
K:R, type each state’s two-letter abbreviation. Each state will have four
data points, two for each party in each year. If you imagine rotating
the cells to the right and flipping it, you can envision the US laid out
how it was in the first tile grid map (and how it will ultimately look). In
this layout, we’ll have three states along the bottom “row” of the map
(Florida, Texas, and Hawaii in column H) and two states in the top
“row” (Maine and Alaska in column K).
This manual set-up requires a lot of organization and typing. The
Setting

blank cells between each group of states (e.g., row 6) will be used to add
vertical space between the states (Figure 23.12).
Making
Moving

FIGURE 23.12

3. The next part of the spreadsheet (columns T:AI) assigns the data for
each state in the map layout. Columns T:AA will hold the data for
Democrats and columns AB:AI hold the data for Republicans. Here’s
the VLOOKUP in cell T4, the top cell for Alaska, that brings the raw
data over for graphing:
=VLOOKUP(K4,$B$4:$F$54,2,0)+T$2
There are four arguments in the formula plus an extra number in
cell T2:
a. K4. The state abbreviation we want to search for in the raw data.
 Chapter 23: Tile Grid Map 249

b. $B$4:$F$54. The reference to the raw data in column B:F. Remember

that the VLOOKUP formula needs to have what we are searching
for in the first column of the data table, so column B has the state
abbreviations.
c. 2. A reference to the second column in the raw data callout, which is
the Democrat vote share in 1976. This reference changes in the sec-
ond row of each state (e.g., “row 5”) and for the data for Republicans
(columns AB:AI).
d. 0. A reference to an exact match (see Chapter 5), where Excel looks
for the exact thing in the first argument of the formula (Figure 23.13).

Setting
Making
FIGURE 23.13

Moving
What about the reference to cell T$2? The tile grid map is arranged
in rows and columns. I place the states at the bottom of the map—
Florida, Texas, and Hawaii—in “row 1.” States at the top—Maine and
Alaska—are in “row 8.” Cell T$2 references the row number. In the
Alaska example, we take the actual vote share numbers and add a value
of 7 (cell T2) to place it in the top row. By contrast, the formula in
cell AA4 for Hawaii is =VLOOKUP(R4,$B$4:$F$54,2,0)+AA$2. The
VLOOKUP works in the same way, but the value of cell AA$2 is 0
because that state is on the bottom row.
Because the column reference for the vote shares differs in the raw
data (columns B:F), we need to copy and paste the formula for each
party separately for the 1976 and 2020 values and for the Democrat
and Republican vote shares. In other words, cell T4 can be pasted into
the cells from V4 to AA4, but the formula needs to be tweaked for
cells T5:AA5 and for the Republican vote shares in columns AB:AI.
 250 Data Visualization in Excel

The formulas are already included in the practice file, so you can play
around with it without breaking them!
4. There are two more data series we need for the chart.

a. Column AJ (“Vertical”). We are going to add a separate line chart at

the top of the map and use vertical error bars to add breaks between
the states. The Vertical series is equal to the maximum value in the
chart and placed between the states (e.g., “row 8”).
b. Columns G:I (“State Names”). We are going to add state abbrevia-
tions in the top-left part of each tile in the map using a scatterplot.
Column G (“Row”) is the (manually-entered) row reference for each
state. Column H (“Column”) is the (manually-entered) column ref-
Setting

erence for each state. The label for Alaska will be positioned in the
first “column” of the chart, and the label for “Alabama” will be posi-
tioned in the 19th “column” of the chart. For each state, just count
the number of dots (and spaces!) starting with the first dot on the
left of the map. Finally, column I is going to be the y-position of
the scatterplot. We want this position to be equal to the row posi-
tion minus a fixed value (0.2) shown in cell I2. I chose the value
Making

0.2 because it looked like the right amount of space to add above
the label. If we wanted the label in the middle of the cell, we could
change this value to 0.5 and everything would update automatically.

5. With the core data set up, let’s make the chart! Insert a Line Chart with
Markers with cells T4:AJ35. Already, we are pretty close to having this
chart in shape. (Well, after a ton of work getting the data prepared!)
Moving

(Figure 23.14).

6. Now, we’re going to separate the states by using the Vertical series to
add white vertical lines. Using the same process as in Chapter 17, select
the series and choose Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Error Bars.
In the Vertical Error Bar menu, we will make three changes:

a. Change Direction to Minus

b. Change End Style to No Cap
c. Select the Error Amount > Percentage and type “100%” in the box.
We can also change the color of the error bars to white and increase
the Width to whatever size works (I’ve used 12 point) (Figure 23.15).
 Chapter 23: Tile Grid Map 251

Setting
FIGURE 23.14

Making
Moving

FIGURE 23.15

7. We’ll use a scatterplot in cells H4:I54 to add the state abbreviation

labels. Right-click on the chart and click Select Data > Add to add the
State Names series by inserting cell G1 in the Name box and cells I4:I54
in the Y Values: box. Click OK twice (Figure 23.16).
 252 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 23.16

8. We get a crazy looking graph because we haven’t changed the new

series to a scatterplot and assigned the x-values. Use the standard
method: right-click > Chart Design > Change Chart Type > Combo and
Making

change the State Names series to a Scatter chart. In the graph, Select
Data > State Names > Edit and insert the reference to cells H4:H54 in
the X Values box. After we click OK twice, dots should appear in the
top-left corner of each state’s square (Figure 23.17).
Moving

FIGURE 23.17
 Chapter 23: Tile Grid Map 253

9. We can now add the state abbreviations as labels. Right-click on the

scatterplot points and select Add Data Labels. Right-click on the labels
to format and select Values From Cells. Insert the reference to cells
B4:B54 in the box and click OK. Uncheck the Y Value box and set the
position in Label Position > Center (Figure 23.18).

Setting
Making
FIGURE 23.18

Moving
10. Now we can clean it up:

a. Delete the legend and x-axis labels.

b. Hide the markers for the State Names and Vertical series by right-
clicking on each and selecting Format Data Series > Marker > Marker
Options > None.
c. Change the range on the y-axis to go from 0 to 8 (Format Axis >
Minimum/Maximum) and delete the axis.
d. Finally, the tedious part: select each series and recolor (Format Data
Series). Unfortunately, we have to recolor each line and change the
colors for the Line, Marker fill, and Marker outline, but once we are
done, this tile grid map can be updated with new data with less
effort (Figure 23.19).
 254 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 23.19
Making

Quick Instructions

Map #1: D
 efault Map
1. Select cells A1:B52 and insert Maps in the Insert tab
2. Right-click > Format Data Series to modify colors, projection, labels,
Moving

and more

Map #2: S
 ingle Values with Continuous Legend
1. Arrange data, formulas, and tiles
2. Select cells B4:L13
3. Set tile colors: Home > Conditional Formatting > Color Scales > More
Rules

a. Set Minimum and Maximum colors

4. Set text colors: Home > Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells
Rules > Greater Than > 0.40 > Custom Format > Font > Color > white
 Chapter 23: Tile Grid Map 255

Map #3: S
 ingle Values with Discrete Legend
1. Arrange data, formulas, and tiles
2. Select cells B5:L12
3. Set tile colors for first category: Home > Conditional For-
matting > Highlight Cells Rules > Equal To > 1 > Custom Format >
Fill > Background color

a. Repeat for other categories

4. Set text colors: Home > Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells
Rules > Greater Than > 0.40 > Custom Format > Font > Color > white

Setting
Map #4: Multiple Values
1. Arrange data and formulas
2. Select cells T4:AJ32 and insert a Line with Markers chart
3. Add error bars to the Vertical series (dots along the top): Chart

Making
Design > Add Chart Element > Error Bars > More Error Bars Options
4. Format error bars: select > right-click > Format Error Bars >

a. Set Direction to Minus

b. Set End Style to No Cap
c. Set Error Amount > Percentage > 100%

Moving
d. Set color: Line > Solid Line > white
e. Increase line width: Line > Width

5. Add State Names series for state abbreviation labels: right-click > Select
Data > Add > Series Name: State Names (cell G1) and Series values:
H4:H54
6. Change the State Names series to a scatterplot:

a. On PCs: select State Names series > Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Combo > State Names > Scatter
b. On Macs: select State Names series > Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Scatter
 256 Data Visualization in Excel

7. Insert x-values: right-click > Select Data > State Names > X Values:
H4:H54
8. Add and format data labels:

a. Right-click on the State Names series > Add Data Labels

b. Right-click on labels > Format Data Labels > Value From
Cells > B4:B54 (and uncheck the box next to Y Value)
c. Right-click on labels > Format Data Labels > Label Position > Center

9. Hide scatterplot markers for labels (Vertical and State Names

series): right-click on each > Format Data Series > Marker > Marker
Options > None
Setting

10. Edit range of vertical axis: right-click > Format Axis > Bounds > 0 for
Minimum and 8 for Maximum
11. Delete legend, horizontal axis, and vertical axis
Making
Moving
 Chapter 24
Histogram

Histogram
Level: Advanced
Data Type: Distribution
Combine Charts: No
Formulas Used: COUNTIFS, &

One of the most basic ways to visualize a distribution of data, the histogram
is a type of bar chart that presents the frequency of data across distinct inter-
vals (called bins), which sum to the total distribution. The visualization itself
is simple: each bar shows the number of observations within each interval,
which we can count and plot as columns. We can calculate the bins for a his-
togram in Excel a number of ways, which I detail after the graph tutorial.
Histograms can help show where values are concentrated within a dis-
tribution, where extreme values are, and whether there are gaps or other
unusual values. Histograms do not need to be bar charts—line charts and
area charts are also viable substitutes. With any type of histogram, careful
decisions about color, font, and lines can help the reader better understand
the data.

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-26257
 258 Data Visualization in Excel

For this tutorial, we are using data on the weight of all National Hockey
League (NHL) goalies in the 1980s and 2010s. If you’re not a hockey fan, don’t
worry; this tutorial will clearly show how goalies have gotten bigger (uh, fat-
ter?) over the past several decades.
In newer versions of Excel, the histogram is a built-in graph type, so you
don’t necessarily need to use this tutorial. But if you want some more flexibility
or you want to layer two distributions together, this tutorial will be useful. The
default graph can also calculate the bins for you.
To use the default histogram, we can select the data in cells A1:A177
and insert the Histogram just like any other chart type in the Insert tab
(Figure 24.1).
Setting
Making
Moving

FIGURE 24.1

From here, we can change the number and width of the bins by right-
clicking on the bars in the chart and selecting the Format Data Series option
(Figure 24.2).
No matter what data we choose, Excel assumes the data are from the same
series or distribution. In other words, we can’t create a single graph that com-
pares the two distributions like we want. Instead, we need to do a little more
work to overlay two (or more) histograms.
Before we make our dual histogram, we need to put the raw data into bins.
For this example, we are going to use five-pound increments, starting at 150
 Chapter 24: Histogram 259

Setting
FIGURE 24.2

Making
pounds. I’ve set up the bins starting in cell C2. In column D, we’ll pull data
from the 1980s using the following COUNTIFS formula:
=COUNTIFS(A:A,">"&$C2,A:A,"<="&$C3)

Remember, a COUNTIFS formula lets us make multiple comparisons within

the same formula (see page 61). The first comparison includes two arguments:

Moving
in the first argument (blue), we compare all values in column A (A:A) to any-
thing greater than the value in cell C2 (as indicated by the greater than sign
in quotation marks joined with the cell C2 reference). The second argument
(orange) compares all values in column A (A:A) to values that are less than or
equal to the value in $C3.
Using the dollar sign absolute reference indicator lets us copy and paste the
formula down the 1980s column and into the 2010s column without having to
make any additional changes. The formula in cell E2 for the 2010s series is
=COUNTIFS(B:B,">"&$C2,B:B,"<="&$C3)

Notice the data column moved over to column B (B:B), but the category com-
parison stayed the same ($C2 and $C3).
We now have counts of the number of goalies in each weight bin and are
ready to make the graph. We’ll make two versions: one that uses a pair of area
charts and another that uses pair of column charts.
 260 Data Visualization in Excel

Overlaid Area Charts

1. Select the data in cells C1:E22 and insert an Area Chart. Depending on
how the data line up, only a little bit—or none—of the other series may
show up (Figure 24.3).
Setting
Making

FIGURE 24.3

2. Change the color transparency of both series: right-click > Format

Moving

Data Series > Fill > Solid fill and move the Transparency slider to
a higher percentage. I often find something in the 30%–50% range
works well (Figure 24.4). In cases where we want to emphasize one
distribution over another, we could leave that series with less or no
transparency.

3. We can add a border around the top of the chart in two ways. The
simplest way is to select the series and add a border in the Format Data
Series > Border > Solid line menu. The challenge with this approach is
the border will be added around the entire series—not just the top but
the sides and bottom as well. I’ve made the border extra thick in the
example in Figure 24.5 so you can see that it shows up along the bottom
and the sides of the area chart.
 Chapter 24: Histogram 261

Setting
FIGURE 24.4

Making
Moving

FIGURE 24.5

4. A better way, although it takes a bit more effort, is to add a line chart
equal to the series we used to create the area chart. We don’t need to
create a new data series; we just need to add the same series again.
Right-click on the chart, click on Select Data > Add, and add the same
data series (cells D2:D22 and cells E2:E22). Because these new series
have a solid fill by default, we won’t be able to see the first two series we
started with (Figure 24.6).
 262 Data Visualization in Excel

FIGURE 24.6
Setting

5. Select one of the new series, which are now on top, and use the Chart
Design > Change Chart Type > Combo option (or, on Macs, select that
series and go to the Change Chart Type menu) to change the two new
series to basic Line charts (Figure 24.7).
Making
Moving

FIGURE 24.7
 Chapter 24: Histogram 263

6. We can change the color of these line charts to match the col-
ors of the area charts (here, blue and orange) in the Format Data
Series > Border > Solid Line menu. Make sure to change the color of the
line chart, not the area chart (use the Format > Current Selection drop-
down tab to be sure!) (Figure 24.8).

Setting
Making
FIGURE 24.8

7. Finally, we can use the Format Axis > Axis position > On tick marks
option to get the series to start at the left edge of the x-axis. We can
finalize by formatting the labels, adding a title, and whatever other

Moving
changes we want to make (Figure 24.9).

FIGURE 24.9
 264 Data Visualization in Excel

Overlaid Bar Charts

1. This approach will be largely similar to the area chart version, but we
will add scatterplots to define the border instead of a separate line chart.
To begin, select the data in cells C1:E22 and insert a Clustered Column
Chart (Figure 24.10).
Setting
Making

FIGURE 24.10

2. We want the bars for each bin to abut, so select either series, right-
click, and select the Format Data Series option. In the Series Options
menu, change the Series Overlap to 100% and the Gap Width to 0%
Moving

(Figure 24.11).

FIGURE 24.11
 Chapter 24: Histogram 265

3. As before, change the color transparency of both series: right-

click > Format Data Series > Fill > Solid fill and move the Transparency
slider to a higher percentage. Again, I often find something in the 30%–
50% range works well (Figure 24.12).

Setting
FIGURE 24.12

Making
4. Adding the border is a little more involved with this approach. We
could add a border around the bars again (right-click > Format Data
Series > Border > Solid line), but it looks somewhat cluttered and can be
hard to read. More importantly, it looks like a stacked column chart,
which is not what we want (Figure 24.13).

Moving
5. We can’t add a line here like we did for the area chart either because
each bin requires two points—one for the left corner of the column and
one for the right corner. The line chart needs to “step” from one bar to
the next, which we can’t do even if we added two points for each bin
(Figure 24.14).

6. Adding scatterplots—with vertical and horizontal error bars—keeps

the number of observations in our data the same and enables us to sim-
ulate this step effect. For each series, we are going to create an x- and
y-value pair with the x-values in increments of 0.5 (to hit the corners
of each bar) and the y-values equal to the data value. We will create a
series for the vertical error bars equal to the difference in the values
between each pair of bars (the step). The horizontal error bars will all be
the same width (in this case, one), so we’ll have a horizontal error bar
series for each histogram.
 266 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 24.13
Making
Moving

FIGURE 24.14
 Chapter 24: Histogram 267

We can use the following to add the data in columns F:H:

1. Column F. Type 0.5 in cell F2, and then =F2+1 in cell F3 to get
1.5. Copy and paste down the column. Remember, Excel views the
width of each bar as one, so if we start at 0.5 and add 1, the error bar
extends to the left and right edge of each bar.
2. Column G. Type =D2, the first value in the 1980s series, in cell G2.
Type =D3-D2 in cell G3, which gives us the difference between the
first two rows. Copy and paste this formula down the column to
calculate the differences, which serves as the vertical error bars for
the 1980s series (Figure 24.15 and Table 24.1).
3. Column H. Follow the same process in column H for the 2010s
series. Type =E2 in cell H2 and =E3-E2 in cell H3. Copy and paste

Setting
this formula down the column to create the vertical error bars data
for the 2010s series.

Making
FIGURE 24.15

TABLE 24.1
A B C D E F G H I
1980s- 2010s-
1 1980s 2010s 1980s 2010s X Vertical Vertical Error

Moving
2 149 163 150 5 0 0.5 5 0 1
3 150 166 155 11 0 1.5 6 0 1
4 154 170 160 14 1 2.5 3 1 1
5 154 170 165 19 5 3.5 5 4 1
6 154 170 170 24 7 4.5 5 2 1
7 155 170 175 28 13 5.5 4 6 1
8 155 172 180 27 29 6.5 −1 16 1
9 156 172 185 16 22 7.5 −11 −7 1
10 158 172 190 9 23 8.5 −7 1 1
11 160 175 195 9 22 9.5 0 −1 1
12 160 175 200 6 27 10.5 −3 5 1
13 160 175 205 4 33 11.5 −2 6 1
14 160 175 210 1 16 12.5 −3 −17 1
15 160 176 215 0 15 13.5 −1 −1 1
 268 Data Visualization in Excel

7. These two series for each distribution—equal to the height of the bars
(y-values) and 0.5 to start, then ticking up by 0.5 (x-values)—give us the
inputs for the scatterplot. Right-click on the chart, Select Data > Add
to insert the 1980s series again (cells D2:D22), and press OK. Excel, of
course, will add this new series as a bar chart that will sit on top of the
other series (Figure 24.16).
Setting

FIGURE 24.16
Making

8. Select the new series and change it to a Scatter chart using the Chart
Design > Change Chart Type > Combo option (Figure 24.17).

9. Right-click in the chart, Select Data > 1980s [the new one] > Edit, and
input the x-values (cells F2:F22). In this menu, we can also add the sec-
ond scatterplot series (2010s) for the other distribution—cells F2:F22
Moving

for the x-values and cells E2:E22 for the y-values. Enter the appropriate
data references and click OK twice (Figure 24.18).

10. We now have dots at the top-left corner of every bar. To set borders
along the top and left edge of the bars, we need to add error bars.
Select one of the scatterplot series and go to Chart Design > Add Chart
Element > Error Bars > Error Bar Options. Remember, Excel adds verti-
cal and horizontal error bars to scatterplots, and we will use and format
both.
For the horizontal error bars (check for the correct error bar format-
ting menu!), we make three changes:
a. Change Direction to Plus.
b. Change End Style to No Cap.
 Chapter 24: Histogram 269

Setting
Making
FIGURE 24.17

Moving

FIGURE 24.18
 270 Data Visualization in Excel

c. Select the Error Amount > Fixed Value option and enter a “1” in the
box (because the gap between the x-values is one) (Figure 24.19).
Setting
Making

FIGURE 24.19

We are going to make similar changes for the vertical error bars:
a. Change Direction to Minus.
b. Change End Style to No Cap.
Moving

c. Select the Error Amount > Custom > Specify Value > Negative Error
Value box and enter the appropriate vertical error bar series (cells
G2:G22 for the 1980s series and cells H2:H22 for the 2010s series)
(Figure 24.20).

11. Now, repeat the same set of steps for the 2010s series. Once that’s done,
we can do a bit of styling:

a. Hide the markers: select and right-click > Format Data Series >
Marker > Marker Options > None.
b. Change the color and thickness of the error bars.
c. Style the bars, error lines, and axes (Figure 24.21).
 Chapter 24: Histogram 271

Setting
FIGURE 24.20

Making
Moving
FIGURE 24.21

How Do You Find the Correct

Width of the Bins?
One important caveat to this tutorial is how to determine the widths of the
histogram bins. The statistical background behind choosing an optimal bin
width is beyond the scope of this book, but the built-in Excel histogram offers
one way to define the bins or at least get a sense of what they should be. If you
want to communicate the distribution of your data, you can choose the small-
est number of bins that conveys your message.
 272 Data Visualization in Excel

Once defined, there are (at least) four ways to place your data into the bins.
1. The Old-Fashioned, Manual Way. If you don’t have a lot of data, you
can sort and count the data. For ease, I sort the data (use the Sort but-
ton in the Data tab) and highlight the groups so it’s easier to see. I then
place the counts in a new column.
2. The COUNTIFS Formula (as used above). All we’re doing is counting
the number of observations in each bin, so the COUNTIFS formula is
perfect. The COUNTIFS formula is an extension of the COUNTIF for-
mula that has repeated pairs of arguments: the first is the range, which
is the range of cells you want to apply the criteria against, and the sec-
ond is the criteria, which is the thing you want to count. You can do
this multiple times to count across multiple criteria.
Setting

3. Use the FREQUENCY Array. Arrays have very nice properties in Excel,
but they can be challenging to work with and are too advanced for this
book. To use arrays, you need to enter the formula—which has two argu-
ments, the range and the bin value—and hit CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER.
The array will fill down the column.
4. Use the Analysis ToolPak. This add-in is a hidden feature in Excel, so
Making

you need to activate it first. Go to the Options menu in the File drop-
down menu and in the Add-Ins option on the left side, select “Analysis
ToolPak” and press OK (Figure 24.22).
Moving

FIGURE 24.22

You will now have a Data Analysis button in your Data tab. Select
the button and select the Histogram option. In the new menu, you can
type in your Input Range: (that’s the data), the Bin Range: (those are
bins), and the Output Range: (where you want the results to go). Excel
fills in the Frequency in that column. (You’ll see that the ToolPak offers
lots of other fun functionalities, but I won’t cover those here.)
 Chapter 24: Histogram 273

Quick Instructions
Method #1: Overlaid Area Charts
1. Arrange data and formulas
2. Select cells C1:E22 and insert an Area chart
3. Change the color transparency of both series: right-click > Format Data
Series > Fill > Solid fill > Transparency
4. Add borders (two series):

a. Right-click > Select Data > Add > Series Name: 1980s (cell D1);
Series values: D2:D22 and Series Name: 2010s (cell E1); Series values:
E2:E22

Setting
b. Change series to line charts:

i. On PCs: select each series > Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Combo > drop-down menu for each series > Line
ii. On Macs: select each series > Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Line

Making
Method #2: Overlaid Bar Charts
1. Arrange data and formulas

Moving
2. Select cells C1:E22 and insert a Clustered Column chart
3. Align the bars: right-click on either set > Format Data Series > Series
Options > Series Overlap to 100% and Gap Width to 0%
4. Change the color transparency of both series: right-click > Format Data
Series > Fill > Solid fill > Transparency
5. Add scatterplots for borders: right-click > Select Data > Add > Series
Name: 1980s (cell D1) and Series values: D2:D22
6. Change the new 1980s series to a scatterplot:

a. On PCs: select new 1980s series > Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Combo > 1980s > Scatter
b. On Macs: select new 1980s series > Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Scatter
 274 Data Visualization in Excel

7. Insert x-values: right-click > Select Data > 1980s [the bottom one] > X
Values: F2:F22
8. Add other series: right-click > Select Data > Add > Series Name (cell E1):
2010s; X Values: F2:F22; and Y values: E2:E22
9. Add borders using the scatterplots: select > Chart Design > Add Chart
Element > Error Bars > Error Bar Options
10. Format horizontal error bars: select > right-click > Format Error Bars >

a. Set Direction to Plus

b. Set End Style to No Cap
c. Set Error Amount > Fixed Value > 1
Setting

11. Format vertical error bars: select > right-click > Format Error Bars >

a. Set Direction to Minus

b. Set End Style to No Cap
c. Set Error Amount > Custom > Specify Value > Negative Error
Making

Value > 1980s series: G2:G22 and 2010s series: H2:H22

12. Hide markers for both series: right-click on each > Format Data
Series > Marker > Marker Options > None
Moving
 Chapter 25
Marimekko Chart

Marimekko Chart
Level: Advanced
Data Type: Categorical
Combine Charts: Yes
Formulas Used: IF, INT, VLOOKUP, SUM

The Marimekko chart is a bar chart that encodes two variables: one along the
height of the vertical axis and another along the width of the columns. They
are often used to show a two-way, part-to-whole relationship. I like to think of
Marimekko charts as an alternative to a scatterplot with the data summing to
100% along both axes.
There’s no way to make Excel change the width of individual columns in
a column chart, so this tutorial approaches building a Marimekko chart by
creating a column chart with 100 columns and repeating values as necessary.
We’ll group the data to make it easier to color each series separately instead
of having to select and recolor each of the 100 columns. This process will
require working with a number of formulas, but it will be more flexible in
the end.
The data for this example consists of the share of people living on less than
$30 per day in ten countries around the world, and each individual country’s

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-27275
 276 Data Visualization in Excel

share of the 10 countries’ total population. We’ll put the poverty metric along
the y-axis and the population shares along the x-axis.
The raw data are shown in cells A5:C14, and the rest of the worksheet is
constructed to build the graph, with much of it repeating so we can use mul-
tiple VLOOKUP formulas. I’ve included all of the data and calculations in the
practice file, so if you aren’t interested in setting up the data—and there’s a lot
of it!—skip right to the graph building section. This version of the Marimekko
uses rounded data values, but if your data have decimals, simply multiply
everything by 10 or 100 and use 1,000 or 10,000 columns in the chart (Figure
25.1). (Jorge Camões (2020) has a different solution to building this chart, but I
find the data preparation steps to be more complicated than these.)
Setting
Making

FIGURE 25.1
Moving

Setting Up the Data

Column E. Create a new column for the Population series but change it from a
percentage to an integer. We can copy and paste the original data and change
the format of the new cells (select the cells and right-click or use the CTRL+1
keyboard shortcut), or we can use a formula [E5=C5*100] so the data can be
easily updated (Figure 25.2).
Column F. Create a Count variable that denotes the cumulative count of each
item. We’ll start with 1, which is typed in cell F5. A simple formula [F6=F5+E5,
F7=F6+E6, …] sets the number of cells for each value down the column. The
first item is represented by the 1st through 15th columns, the second item starts
with the 16th column, and so on (Figure 25.3).
Column G. Repeat the Poverty series. Again, the formula [G5=B5] will make
it easier to update if the data change. (We repeat a few series to make it easier
to use the VLOOKUP formulas next.)
 Chapter 25: Marimekko Chart 277

Setting
FIGURE 25.2

Making
Moving

FIGURE 25.3
 278 Data Visualization in Excel

Column I. Repeat the Count variable [I5=F5]. (Note: Column H is left blank
as a visual cue to separate the groups of data.)
Column J. Add a simple Country Number here, counting up from 1 to 10 so
we can label the countries later.
Column L. Repeat the Country Number series [L5=J5]. (Note: Column K is
left blank to separate the groups of data.)
Column M. Repeat the Poverty variable [M5=G5].
Column O. Now, we can set up the columns that start to build the chart
(Figure 25.4). The first column counts from 1 to 100. Each value (row) will
become a bar in the bar chart—the number of bars will sum to 100 (%) and
the value (height) of the bars will correspond to the poverty rate. There’s no
need to type this manually. Instead, type a “1” in cell O4 then add the for-
mula [O5=O4+1] in the cell below and drag it down to row 103.
Setting
Making
Moving

FIGURE 25.4

Column P. This series denotes the number of bars for each country and
corresponds to each country’s assigned number that we created in column J.
We use a VLOOKUP formula to enter the data for the chart. In cell P4, we use
 Chapter 25: Marimekko Chart 279

=VLOOKUP(O4, $I$5:$J$14, 2, 1) and drag it down to row 103. Here’s how this
VLOOKUP formula works:

=VLOOKUP(O4,

This cell is what we want to look up. We are going to match each entry
in this Counter series to another look-up table to pull out the corre-
sponding number for each country.
$I$5:$J$14

Here, we query the data we created earlier, consisting of the Count and
Country Number data in columns I and J. VLOOKUP matches the
first argument in the VLOOKUP formula to the first column in the

Setting
I:J table, which is why we ordered the first few columns the way we did
(Figure 25.3). (The dollar signs ($) are the absolute references that allow
us to copy and paste this formula without changing the cell references.)

This number corresponds to the column number we want to extract, so

Making
it refers to the Country Number data in column J.

This number is the “range_lookup” value and tells Excel we want an

“approximate match” of the value in cell O4 instead of an “exact match.”
This part of the formula is key for this exercise. The approximate

Moving
match compares the specified cell (O4) to the lookup values in column
I. If the value in cell O4 is greater than or equal to the first lookup value
and less than the second lookup value, the formula will pull the first
value from the Counter series (column J) into column P. If the value
of the specified cell is greater than or equal to the second lookup value
and less than the third lookup value, the formula will pull the second
value from the Counter series (column J) into column P. This process
will occur for each value in column O and generate a series of repeated
numbers that correspond to each country number in column J and
matches the population share for each country. Thus, the first 15 values
in column P will equal 1, corresponding to Pakistan. On the 16th entry,
the values will equal 2 for Vietnam. And so on.
In sum, this VLOOKUP queries the Counter series and pulls out
the Country Number from column J to create a designation for each
country in the chart.
 280 Data Visualization in Excel

Column Q. Here, we pull in the data value that will become the height of the
bars in the chart. In cell Q4, we use another VLOOKUP formula and drag it
down to row 103: =VLOOKUP(O4, $F$5:$G$14, 2, 1). This VLOOKUP works
in the same way as the formula in column P and queries column F to extract
the Poverty rate series in column G.
COLUMNS R:AA. We’re going to create ten different data series—one for
each country—so we can add them all to one chart and color each by grabbing
the entire group. The numbers at the top of the series (in row 2) are important
here and correspond to each Country Number. This formula is a little compli-
cated, but once it’s inserted into the first column, we can just drag it horizon-
tally and vertically (Figure 25.5).
Setting
Making

FIGURE 25.5

In cell R4, we have =IF($P4=R$3,VLOOKUP($P4,$L$5:$M$14,2,1), 0)

Let’s break it down again:
Moving

=IF($P4=R$3, VLOOKUP($P4,$L$5:$M$14,2,1), 0)

=IF($P4=R$3,
To start, the IF statement evaluates the first argument, here $P4=R$3.
We’re simply comparing the Country Number entered in the second
row to how many times each item number will repeat in column P.
Notice the strategic use of the absolute/relative reference “$” symbol.
With these references, we can move the formula across the columns
and down the rows without having to make any further edits.

VLOOKUP($P4,$L$5:$M$14,2,1),

If the first argument in the IF formula is True, the VLOOKUP formula

is evaluated and placed in the cell. Here, the first argument ($P4) looks
 Chapter 25: Marimekko Chart 281

up the Country Number from column P in the last set of data placed in
columns L and M ($L$5:$M$14). The third argument in the VLOOKUP
(2) looks in the second column (M). The final piece of the VLOOKUP
(1) specifies an approximate match. The VLOOKUP formula pulls
out the Poverty rate percentage, which we will plot along the vertical
dimension.

0)

If the first argument in the IF formula is False, the formula places a 0

in the cell. For the first country (column R), the first 15 rows fill with
100% and the remainder fills with 0%. For the second country, the first
15 rows are set to 0%, the next seven rows are 98%, and the remaining

Setting
72 rows are 0%.
Dragging this formula across and down will give us blocks of num-
bers that repeat the Population values corresponding to their shares of
the total.

Column AB. In this graph, we’ll place x-axis labels at every 10% increment. To
do so, we’ll create a custom x-axis series to add to the chart. Here’s the formula:

Making
=IF(INT(O5/10)*10=O5,O5/100,"")

This formula uses the INT function to round the number down to the nearest
integer. If we divide the Counter series (in column O) by 10 and round down
to the nearest integer [INT(O5/10)] then multiply by 10, we get whole numbers.
If those whole numbers are equal increments of 10 (which works because we

Moving
divided by 10 in the INT formula), we set the cell value to that percentage. If
not, the formula returns an empty cell, denoted by the “ ” in the IF statement.
If we enter this formula in cell AB4 and drag it down the column, we only see
“10%,” “20%,” “30%,” etc. show up in the cells (Figure 25.6).

Creating the Chart

1. We can create a bar chart using the data in columns R4:AA103. To
close the gaps between the bars, right-click and select Format Data
Series > Series Overlap to 0% and Gap Width to 100% (Figure 25.7).

2. With our data set up, let’s change the color of each country by selecting
it on the chart and using the Format Data Series > Fill > Solid Fill menu
(Figure 25.8).
 282 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting
Making
Moving

FIGURE 25.6

FIGURE 25.7
 Chapter 25: Marimekko Chart 283

FIGURE 25.8

Setting
3. To add the x-axis labels, right-click on the chart, choose Select
Data > Horizontal (Category) Axis Labels: and insert cells AB4:AB103
in the box. Click OK (Figure 25.9).

Making
Moving

FIGURE 25.9

4. Return to the chart and format the x-axis by right-clicking (or CTRL+1).
Change Format Axis > Tick Marks > Interval between marks from 1
to 10. We also need to select Format Axis > Labels > Interval between
labels > Specify interval unit option and set it equal to 1 (though Excel
should have filled in a “1” already) (Figure 25.10).
 284 Data Visualization in Excel

FIGURE 25.10

5. We can add country labels to this chart in a few ways, with or without
Setting

the x-axis labels. Both methods add a scatterplot on top of the bar chart.

a. Place Labels above the Columns. We can place horizontally ori-

ented labels above the bars. The scatterplot data for this approach are
shown in cells A17:C28 where the y-values are equal to the Poverty
estimate minus 0.01, which moves them a little closer to the tops of
Making

the bars. The x-values use a slightly more complicated formula to

convert the percentages to numbers and center them within each
band of bars. The formula in cell B21 for Mexico, for example, is:
=(SUM($C$5:C6)+C7/2)*100
This formula adds the values for the first two countries and half
of the value for Mexico. Because those entries are percentages, I
Moving

multiply by 100 to convert them to integers (Figure 25.11).

FIGURE 25.11
 Chapter 25: Marimekko Chart 285

Once the Scatter chart is added—right click, Select Data > Add,
then Chart Design > Change Chart Type > Combo. Now, we add data
labels to each point (right-click and select Add Data Labels). Select
the labels to format: Format Data Labels > Value From Cells > insert
cells A19:A28 in the box. Position the labels above the dots with
Format Data Labels > Label Position > Above. Finally, hide the mark-
ers in the Format Data Series > Marker > Marker Options > None
menu. I’ve left the markers on in Figure 25.12 so you can see them.

Setting
Making
Moving
FIGURE 25.12

We can adjust the labels manually, either by moving the text

boxes or adjusting the formula slightly.
b. Place Labels in the Columns. We could alternatively place vertically
oriented labels inside the bars. The scatterplot data for this approach
are shown in cells A30:C51 where the y-values are equal to 1%—
placing them just above the x-axis—and the x-values are calculated
the same way as before. The process is the same as above: add the
new data, convert to a scatterplot, add and format data labels, and
hide the markers (Figure 25.13).
 286 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 25.13

Quick Instructions
1. Arrange data and formulas
Making

2. Select cells R4:AA103 and insert a Clustered Column chart

3. Align the bars: right-click > Format Data Series > Series Options > Series
Overlap to 100% and Gap Width to 0%
4. Format the x-axis:
Moving

a. Right-click > Format Axis > Tick Marks > Interval between
marks > 10
b. Right-click > Format Axis > Labels > Interval between labels > 1

5. Edit x-axis labels: right-click > Select Data > Horizontal (Category) axis
labels: > AB4:AB103
6. Edit range of vertical axis: right-click > Format Axis > Bounds > 0 for
Minimum and 1 for Maximum
7. Add data labels with a scatterplot in cells A17:C41, see full tutorial for
details
 Chapter 26
Cycle Plot

Cycle Plot
Level: Advanced
Data Type: Time
Combine Charts: Yes
Formulas Used: IF, AVERAGEIF, TEXT

William Cleveland and Irma Terpenning introduced the cycle plot in a 1982
paper, Graphic Methods for Seasonal Adjustment, in which they proposed a
method to visualize seasonal patterns in data, such as monthly industrial pro-
duction and telephone installations from Bell Labs. At its core, the cycle plot
reshapes a standard line chart. Instead of showing monthly data in a standard
format, a cycle plot shows annual data within each month—that is, data from
the first year to the last year for January, again for February, and so on.
Creating a cycle plot largely entails formatting the data by month-year
instead of the more standard year-month. Typically, cycle plots also include
the monthly average and may have a bit of separation between each month.
These aspects add some complexity to building the chart but also provide more
information and clarity for the reader.
For this tutorial, we will use data on the monthly average extent of sea ice in
the northern hemisphere from 1979 to 2020 (Figure 26.1).

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-28287
 288 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 26.1

1. Arrange the data annually within each month and add three extra years
as placeholders for the white space between each month. Because we
have data from January 1979 through December 2020, we can add rows
for each month in 2021, 2022, and 2023 at the bottom of the dataset.
Sort (Data > Sort) by Month and Year (the data in the Excel sheet is
Making

already sorted) (Figure 26.2).

Moving

FIGURE 26.2

2. We can use an AVERAGEIF formula to create the average for each

month in column D. Because the placeholder rows for 2021, 2022, and
2023 are included in the data but shouldn’t be included in the average,
we need to use an IF statement with the AVERAGEIF formula:
 Chapter 26: Cycle Plot 289

=IF(A3<=2020,AVERAGEIF($B$3:$B$542,B3,$C$3:$C$542),
NA())
Here, the monthly average of the Ice Extent data in column C is only
calculated for years up to and including 2020. For years after 2020, a
#N/A will appear in the cell (Figure 26.3).

Setting
Making
Moving

FIGURE 26.3

3. We also need a data series for the gray background in the chart. We
calculate it in a similar way (column E), using a simpler IF statement:
=IF(A3<=2020, 20, NA()). Here again, if the year is before 2021, the
data value is set to 20; otherwise, it’s set to missing or #N/A. I chose 20
because it’s larger than all of our data values and still provides some
padding for the top of the chart.
 290 Data Visualization in Excel

4. Finally, we need a data series to add the month labels at the bottom
of the chart. We’re going to place these labels in the middle of each
band, which is the year 2000. Another IF statement makes this easy:
=IF(A3=2000, 0, NA()). This formula gives us a zero when the year is
2000 and a #N/A otherwise.
In the neighboring Text series in column G, another IF will give us
the abbreviation for each month: =IF(A3=2000, TEXT(B3*29,“mmm”),
NA()). It’s a bit of a complex formula, so let’s break it down:
•• A3=2000. This argument sets the condition of the IF formula. We
are only going to add month labels in the rows where the year is
2000.
•• TEXT(B3*29,“mmm”). The TEXT function converts numbers to
Setting

text, and in this scenario, we use it to convert a date to a three-letter

month abbreviation. The first part of the formula obtains the date
by multiplying the month number (cell B3) by 29. This multiplica-
tion will sync up with the appropriate month. For January, 1*29 is
the 29th day of the year, January 29th. Easy. For February, 2*29 is
58, indicating the 58th day of the year, February 27th. For June,
6*29 is 174, indicating the 174th day of the year or June 23rd. And
Making

so on. The second part of the formula sets the format for the date
in the first argument: a three-letter abbreviation for the month. For
February, Excel sees the number 58 in the first part of the formula,
evaluates it as a date (February 27), and formats that date as a three-
letter month abbreviation, which it knows as “Feb.”
•• NA(). The last argument says if the value is not the year 2000, put
Moving

an NA() (rendered as #N/A) in the cell, which, as we’ve seen before,

Excel will ignore when we plot it in the chart (Figure 26.4).

5. With these four series, we can insert a standard Line chart using cells
C3:F542, which gets us close to a finished product (Figure 26.5).

6. We can change the Bar series to a Clustered Column chart (the #N/A
values for 2021, 2022, and 2023 end up as blank spaces): select the Bar
series > Chart Design > Change Chart Type > Combo. Select the verti-
cal bars to format: Format Data Series > Gap Width to 0%. Change the
color to a light gray in the Fill > Solid Fill menu (Figure 26.6).

7. We can add the month labels using the Value series in cells G3:G542.
First, select the default x-axis labels and delete. We can’t see the line in
the Value series because the data values are equal to zero, and we’ve
 Chapter 26: Cycle Plot 291

Setting
Making
Moving
FIGURE 26.4

FIGURE 26.5
 292 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 26.6

inserted a line chart with no markers. But we can select the series using
Making

Format > Current Selection > Value before going to the Chart Design
tab to use Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Data Labels > Below to
add the data labels, which we initially see as zeros (Figure 26.7).
Moving

FIGURE 26.7
 Chapter 26: Cycle Plot 293

We can modify the labels by selecting and right-clicking to get to the

Format Data Labels menu. Here, we select the Value from Cells option,
reference the data in column G (cells G3:G542), and click OK. If we
unselect the Value option, we are left with the month abbreviations in
the middle of each gray band of bars (Figures 26.8 and 26.9).

Setting
Making
FIGURE 26.8

Moving

FIGURE 26.9
 294 Data Visualization in Excel

8. Just a little cleanup to do:

•• Delete the legend and edit the title.
•• Change the color and thickness of the lines.
•• As always, Excel doesn’t allow us to plot the data to the top of the
y-axis, so we need to change the dimensions of the y-axis to go from
0 to 20 (right-click > Format Axis > Minimum/Maximum) (Figure
26.10).
Setting
Making

FIGURE 26.10
Moving

Quick Instructions
1. Arrange data and formulas
2. Select cells C2:F542 and insert a Line chart
3. Change the Bar series to a column chart:

a. On PCs: select Bar series > Chart Design > Change Chart Type >
Combo > Bar > Clustered Column
b. On Macs: select Bar series > Chart Design > Change Chart Type >
Clustered Column

4. Select Bar series > Format Data Series > Series Options > Gap Width to
0%
 Chapter 26: Cycle Plot 295

5. Delete horizontal axis

6. Add month labels: select Value series in the Format > Current Selection
menu. Then, Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Data Labels > Below
7. Format month labels: right-click on labels > Format Data Labels > Value
from Cells > cells G3:G542 (and uncheck the Value box)
8. Edit range of vertical axis: right-click > Format Axis > Bounds > 0 for
Minimum and 20 for Maximum

Setting
Making
Moving
 Chapter 27
Strip Chart

Strip Chart

Level: Intermediate
Data Type: Distribution
Combine Charts: No
Formulas Used: None

At a basic level, a strip chart is just a scatterplot with the x-values encoding the
data and the y-values organizing the data in rows. Strip charts are useful when
you want to show the data distribution as actual data points rather than as bars.
For this example, we are going to use the average weekly temperature for
Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC, in 2021.
1. Select cells B2:C54 and insert a Scatter chart. The temperature data
for each city should be in the “X” column while the “Y” column is a
separate integer for each: 1 for Los Angeles, 2 for Chicago, and 3 for
Washington, DC (Figure 27.1).

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-29297
 298 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 27.1

2. Add the data for Chicago and Washington, DC: right-click > Select
Data > Add. For Chicago, the three cell references are: Series Name in
cell D1, X Values: in cells D3:D54, and Y Values: in cells E3:E54. For
Making

Washington, DC, the three cell references are: Series Name in cell F1,
X Values: in cells F3:F54, and Y Values: in cells G3:G54. We can also
change the Series Name for Los Angeles to reference cell B1. To be clear,
we could select all of the data (cells B3:G54) and insert a single scatter-
plot. In that case, Excel would generate five separate scatterplot series
with the first series (cells B3:B54) as the x values for all five series, so we
would still need to do some editing (Figure 27.2).
Moving

FIGURE 27.2
 Chapter 27: Strip Chart 299

3. We’re well on our way. Let’s insert labels for each city along the y-axis
and clean it up. To add the labels, add another scatterplot series: right-
click > Select Data > Add. Insert cell I1 for the Series Name (“Labels”),
cells J2:J4 for the X Values, and cells K2:K4 for the Y Values (Figure 27.3).

Setting
Making
FIGURE 27.3

Moving
4. To add the labels, we will right-click on the Labels series and select Add
Data Labels. Next, right-click on the labels, Format Data Labels > Value
from Cells > insert cells I2:I4, and click OK. Uncheck the Y Value box
and set the Label Position to the Left (Figure 27.4).

5. Let’s clean it up a little bit.

a. Change the y-axis dimensions to center the dots in the space: right-
click on the y-axis > Format Axis > set the Minimum to 0 and the
Maximum to 4. We can style the graph by adjusting the numbers
used for each series and the increments of the gridlines.
b. Remove the y-axis labels: Format Axis > Labels > Label Position >
None.
c. Select the Plot Area and slide the left edge to the right slightly.
 300 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 27.4
Making

d. Hide the markers for the Labels series by right-clicking > Format
Data Series > Marker > Marker Options > None (Figure 27.5).
Moving

FIGURE 27.5
 Chapter 27: Strip Chart 301

6. Let’s style the dots by making them a little bigger and making the fill
color transparent. We need to do this step separately for each series.
a. Select the dots, right-click > Format Data Series > Marker > Marker
Options > Built-In > change the size to 10.
b. Change the fill color: right-click > Format Data Series > Fill > Solid
Fill > set Transparency to 40%.
c. Change the border color: right-click > Format Data Series >
Border > Solid line > set Transparency to 40%.

7. Finally, let’s edit the horizontal axis labels to include the degree symbol.
Right-click on the horizontal axis: Format Axis > Number > Custom and
enter #“°F”;# “°F”;0“°F” in the Format Code box (Type on Macs). This

Setting
code will add the piece in quotation marks (°F) after any number. (You
can find the degree symbol in the Insert > Object menu) (Figure 27.6).

FIGURE 27.6 Making

Moving

Quick Instructions
1. Select cells B2:C54 and insert a Scatter chart
2. Add data for Chicago and Washington, DC: right-click > Select
Data > Add >

a. Series Name: Chicago (cell D1); X values: D3:D54; and Y values:

E3:E54
b. Series Name: Washington, DC (cell F1); X values: F3:F54; and Y val-
ues: G3:G54
 302 Data Visualization in Excel

3. Fix Los Angeles series name label: right-click > Select

Data > Y > Edit > Series Name: Los Angeles (cell B1)
4. Add series for labels: right-click > Select Data > Add > Series Name:
Labels (Cell I1); X values: J2:J4; and Y values: K2:K4
5. Add labels: right-click on Labels series > Add Data Labels
6. Format labels: right-click > Format Data Labels >

a. Value from Cells > I2:I4

b. Uncheck the Y Value box
c. Label Position > Left
Setting

7. Adjust Plot Area to fit labels by selecting the left edge and moving it to
the right
8. Hide markers: right-click on Labels series > Format Data Series >
Marker > Marker Options > None
9. Format the horizontal axis labels: right-click > Format Axis >
Number > Custom > Format Code > #“°F”;# “°F”;0“°F” [for the degree
Making

symbol: Insert > Symbols menu]

10. Delete the vertical axis
Moving
 Chapter 28
Raincloud Plot

Raincloud Plot

Level: Advanced
Data Type: Distribution
Combine Charts: Yes
Formulas Used: WEEKNUM, AVERAGEIF, PERCENTILE, COUNTIF, IF

Visualizing the uncertainty of distributions within a data visualization poses

a big challenge. Many people are not familiar with statistics and distributions,
and the mathematical concept of uncertainty can be difficult to understand.
Visualizing distributions and uncertainty requires more significant annota-
tion to help explain not only how to read the graph, but also what is being
graphed.
We can help people better understand the data distribution by showing them
the data. In this example, we will use the same weekly average temperature
data for Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, DC, from the last chapter,
to create a raincloud plot, which combines a box-and-whisker plot with indi-
vidual data points as circles.

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-30303
 304 Data Visualization in Excel

The raincloud plot consists of three different elements:

1. A stacked column chart for the box,
2. A scatterplot for the whiskers, and
3. A scatterplot for the data points.
As usual, I try to set up my Excel file so this graph can be more easily replicated
with other data later. It takes a little longer to build the initial chart, but this
extra effort pays off through future time saved.
Before we get to the chart, we need to set up the data. I’ve done most of it in
the Excel file already, so you can read the following to understand the method
or skip to the next section (step number 4) to learn how to build the chart.
1. We’ll start with the completely raw data (Figure 28.1). For each city, the
Setting

first two columns are the average temperature for each day in 2021. The
next three columns (headers are highlighted in yellow) organize the
data and consist of three separate formulas:

a. Week Count (Column C). We’re going to narrow the data to average
weekly temperature, so this column uses the built-in WEEKNUM
Excel formula, which returns the week number of a specific date.
Making

When we insert the formula =WEEKNUM(A3,2) in cell C3, we get

“1” for the first week of the year.
b. Week# (Column D). Because we want weekly data, we’re going to
set up a simple counter for the weeks of the year from 1 to 52, which
we type in manually.
Moving

c. Avg (Column E). We want the average temperature for each week,
so we use the AVERAGEIF formula to look in columns C and D.
That formula is:

=AVERAGEIF($C$3:$C$367,D3,$B$3:$B$367)

As we’ve seen before, the first argument ($C$3:$C$367) looks for

the range of cells to average across, in this case the Week Count.
The second argument (D3) defines the criteria for which cells are
averaged, the numbers 1–52. The last argument ($B$3:$B$367)
indicates the series over which we will calculate the average, in
this case Temp. Avg. So, we use the 52 weekly data points in col-
umns E, K, and Q rather than the 365 daily values in columns B,
H, and N.
 Chapter 28: Raincloud Plot 305

FIGURE 28.1

Setting
2. With our weekly data set up, we need to do some calculations for each
of our three cities, which are found in columns S:V (Figure 28.2).

a. Percentiles. We can calculate five percentile points (10th, 25th,

50th, 75th, and 90th) for Los Angeles from the data directly in Excel

Making
with the formula =PERCENTILE($E:$E, $S3) in cell T3. This for-
mula looks in the data column for Los Angeles (column E) for the
10th percentile point specified in cell S3 as 0.10.
b. Bar. In this section, we pull out the percentiles and generate dif-
ferences we need to create the box. The bottom of the box in this
chart will show the 25th percentile, the middle will show the

Moving
median (50th percentile), and the top will show the 75th percen-
tile. The formulas in these cells (T11:V13) reference the cells above
and calculate the differences. The formula in cell T12, for example,
is T5–T4, the difference between the 50th and 25th percentiles.
c. Whiskers. To add the whiskers to the right and left edge of the
boxes, we need to add a scatterplot point at the 50th percentile and
a horizontal error bar that extends to the 10th and 90th percen-
tiles. The scatterplots require x-values, which are pulled from the
Percentiles section above, and y-values, which we set as decimals
to position at the bottom of the bar chart. The values for the error
bars are calculated as differences between the 90th and 50th per-
centiles (PosError) and the 50th and 10th percentiles (NegError).
 306 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 28.2
Making

3. Lastly, we need to ready the actual data points to be plotted as scat-

terplots, done separately for each city. In this section of the worksheet
(columns X:AI), there are four data series for each city (Figure 28.3).
Essentially, we are grouping observations with the same value and set-
ting up a way to stack them in the chart. Let’s go through the data for
Los Angeles as an example.
Moving

a. X-value. In column X, we can paste the original (weekly) average

temperature data as values (not formulas) by copying the data in
column E and using the Paste Special > Paste Values option. After
the data are pasted, sort them from lowest to highest.
b. Y-value. In column Y, we use a formula to identify the first occur-
rence of each data “group” to plot them together along the x-axis. In
other words, we want to identify the first occurrence of 52 degrees,
53 degrees, 54 degrees, and so on. To do so, we use a COUNTIF
formula =COUNTIF($X$3:X3,X3). When copied-and-pasted (or
dragged) down the column, this formula counts the number of
occurrences in each cell from the top of the column (because
$X$3 is locked) to that cell position. I’ve layered on some default
Conditional Formatting to highlight the first occurrences (when
the cell value is equal to one) as well.
 Chapter 28: Raincloud Plot 307

Setting
FIGURE 28.3

Making
c. Y-position. With the ordering done, we need to set up the y-posi-
tion for each point. Again, we want to stack the points, so for any
repeated temperatures, we need to set up different y-values. Take
the formula in cell Z6, the second occurrence of 54 degrees in Los
Angeles as an example:

Moving
=IF(Y6=1,$AA$3,Z5-$AA$4)

It’s an IF statement where the first argument evaluates whether the

value in the neighboring cell Y6 is equal to 1, which would indicate
it is either the first or only occurrence of that value. If the evalua-
tion is true, the second argument of the formula ($AA$3) points to
a specific value, here specified as 0.550 in a bold, red font.
If the value is not equal to one, the formula specifies Z5-$AA$4.
This formula subtracts a fixed number (0.130 in cell AA4) from
the number above that cell (here, 0.550). Thus, the first occur-
rence of the temperature sits at a y-position of 0.550, and the
second occurrence of that same temperature sits below the first
at a y-position of 0.420 (=0.550—0.130). (As in previous tutori-
als, numbers other than 0.130 could work as well, but this value
worked well for this chart.)
 308 Data Visualization in Excel

4. Phew! Okay, now that the data are all set up, let’s go about (finally!)
making the graph. We’ll start with the box-and-whisker plot. Select
cells S10:V13 and insert a Stacked Bar Chart. As before, select the
y-axis to flip and arrange: Format Axis > Axis Options > At maximum
category and Format Axis > Axis Options > Categories in reverse order
(Figure 28.4).
Setting

FIGURE 28.4

5. Select the bottom (blue) segment and change the fill color: Format
Making

Data Series > Fill > No Color. For the other two segments, add a bor-
der (Format Data Series > Border > Solid line), so the median is visible
(Figure 28.5).
Moving

FIGURE 28.5

6. Next, let’s add the whiskers. We need to add our first scatterplot then
horizontal error bars in both directions. Right-click on the chart and
choose Select Data > Add to add a new data series with cells T18:V18 for
Y Values: and cell T15 for the Series Name. Click OK (Figure 28.6).
 Chapter 28: Raincloud Plot 309

Setting
FIGURE 28.6

7. Select the new series and change it to a Scatter chart (Chart

Design > Change Chart Type > Combo). Go back to the chart, right-
click, Select Data > Whiskers > Edit and insert cells T17:V17 in the X
Values: box. Again, click OK twice (Figure 28.7).

Making
Moving

FIGURE 28.7

8. Notice that Excel added a secondary vertical axis to this chart. We need
to edit that axis so it lines up correctly with the primary axis. In this case,
we can extend it from zero to six: select the secondary y-axis > Format
Axis > Axis Options > Minimum/Maximum (Figure 28.8).
 310 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 28.8

9. To align those dots with the bottom of the bar, change the Format Data
Series > Gap Width of the bars to 230%. If we want the bars thicker or
thinner, we can change Gap Width to something else and adjust the
Making

y-position of the Whisker series in the spreadsheet (Figure 28.9).

Moving

FIGURE 28.9

10. Let’s add the whiskers to the dots. Select any of the three dots and
add the error bars in the Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Error
Bars > More Error Bars Options menu (Figure 28.10).
 Chapter 28: Raincloud Plot 311

Setting
FIGURE 28.10

11. Format the horizontal error bars by selecting them, right-clicking

> Error Amount > Custom > Specify Value, and inserting the refer-

Making
ence to cells T19:V19 in the Positive Error box and cells T20:V20 in
the Negative Error box. We can select and delete the vertical error bars
because we don’t need them for this chart (Figure 28.11).

Moving

FIGURE 28.11

12. Now, we need the final element: plotting the dots representing the data.
Basically, we want to create a unit-histogram of the data points and
separate them enough to be visible. We’ve already done the hard work
by preparing the data. Add three new scatterplot series as pairs—cells
 312 Data Visualization in Excel

X3:X54 and Z3:Z54; AB3:AB54 and AD3:AD54; and AF3:AF54 and

AH3:AH54—to the chart one at a time: Select Data > Add > insert cell
references and click OK twice. Be sure to insert the cell reference for the
Series Name in case we need to go back later to edit or to format differ-
ent series. The size and appearance of the dots depends on the size of
the overall chart, so we may need to adjust the size of the chart itself (in
the Marker Options menu area) (Figure 28.12).
Setting
Making

FIGURE 28.12

13. Finally, we can clean the chart up:

a. Delete the secondary y-axis.

Moving

b. Hide the markers for the Whiskers series (Format Data Series >
Markers > Marker Options > None).
c. Delete the legend.
d. Format the x-axis labels—adding a degree symbol would be use-
ful, so right-click on the axis Format Axis > Number > Custom and
enter in the Format Code box (Type on Macs): #“°F”;# “°F”;0“°F”.
This code will add the piece in quotation marks (°F) after any
number. (You can find the degree symbol in the Insert > Object
menu.)
e. We can change the colors of the bars to differentiate each
city by clicking twice and changing each segment manually
(Figure 28.13).
 Chapter 28: Raincloud Plot 313

FIGURE 28.13

Setting
Quick Instructions
1. Arrange data and formulas
2. Select cells S10:V13 and insert a Stacked Bar chart
3. Format vertical axis:

Making
a. Format Axis > Axis Options > Categories in reverse order
b. Format Axis > Axis Options > Horizontal axis crosses > At maxi-
mum category

4. Select the bottom (blue) series: right-click > Format Data Series > Fill > No

Moving
Fill
5. Change bar width: right-click on either set of bars > Format Data
Series > Gap Width to 230%
6. Select the other two series (orange and gray) and add a border: right-
click > Format Data Series > Border > Solid line
7. Add whiskers series: right-click > Select Data > Add > Series Name:
Whiskers (cell T15) and Series values (cells T18:V18)
8. Change the Whiskers series to a scatterplot:

a. On PCs: select Whiskers series > Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Combo > Whiskers > Scatter
b. On Macs: select Whiskers series > Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Scatter
 314 Data Visualization in Excel

9. Insert x-values for the Whiskers series: right-click > Select Data >
Whiskers > Edit > X Values: T17:V17
10. Add the actual whiskers: select any of the three dots > Chart Design > Add
Chart Element > Error Bars > More Error Bars Options
11. Format horizontal error bars: select > right-click > Format Error Bars >

a. Set Direction to Both

b. Set End Style to Cap
c. Set Error Amount > Custom > Specific Value > Positive Error: T19:V19
and Negative Error: T20:V20

12. Delete vertical error bars

Setting

13. Edit secondary vertical axis: right-click on axis > Format Axis > Axis
Options > Bounds > set 0 for Minimum and 6 for Maximum
14. Add three new series for the dots: right-click > Select Data > Add >

a. Series Name: LA-Dots (cell X1); X Values: X3:X54; and Y Values:

Making

Z3:Z54
b. Series Name: Chicago-Dots (cell AB1); X Values: AB3:AB54; and Y
Values: AD3:AD54
c. Series Name: DC-Dots (cell AF1); X Values: AF3:AF54; and Y Values:
AH3:AH54
d. Note: the size and appearance of dots will depend on the size of the
Moving

overall chart

15. Hide markers for the Whiskers series: right-click > Format Data
Series > Marker > Marker Options > None
16. Delete legend and secondary vertical axis
 Chapter 29
Making Better
Tables

We close this part of the book by taking a brief look at tables in Excel. Yes,
tables are a form of data visualization. A table may be a better way to convey
your message than a chart when you need to show your user specific values.
And just like a chart, a table has a lot of parts, each of which we can modify
and style (Figure 29.1).

FIGURE 29.1 Source: Jonathan Schwabish, Better Data Visualizations: A Guide for
Scholars, Researchers, and Wonks.

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-31315
 316 Data Visualization in Excel

Excel is still one of the best tools to create clean, effective tables. We can eas-
ily format the cells with borders, fills, different font styles, and more. Excel has
a built-in table-formatting menu located next to the Conditional Formatting
menu. The advantage of the Excel built-in options is that you can easily cus-
tomize your table with filters and styles like border lines, banded rows or col-
umns, and totals along the rows or columns. These Excel default tables are also
accessible for people with disabilities who may need to use a screen reader to
navigate from cell to cell (Figure 29.2).
Setting

FIGURE 29.2
Making

Generally speaking, there are five guidelines to make better tables in Excel
(I discuss more in Chapter 11 of Better Data Visualizations).
1. Offset Headers and Footers from the Body. Too many people make
the text or numbers in their headers and footers the same weight and
style as the numbers in the body of the table. To make the table easier to
Moving

read and to help direct a reader’s attention, consider offsetting headers

and footers from the body of the table. We can offset headers and foot-
ers by making the text boldface or using the Borders area of the Home
tab to add an underline.
In Table 29.1, all of the text is the same weight, so the table looks like
a jumble of numbers. In Table 29.2, the boldface text and lines create a
visual hierarchy to the table that directs a reader’s eyes. The title is also
larger and bolded.
2. Reduce Digits and Align Numbers and Text. We can make our data
tables easier to read by reducing the number of digits and aligning the
text and numbers. There is no “correct” number of digits, but for our
table, we don’t need the exact number of people in each country or the
per capita gross domestic product (GDP) number to the pennies. When
we reduce the number of digits—such as by showing country popula-
tions in millions—we can add a label in the column title or in the table
subtitle if there is a single unit for the whole table.
 Chapter 29: Making Better Tables 317

TABLE 29.1 Health and Income of Nations in 2019

GDP per capita
Country Population (Current US$) Life Expectancy
Bangladesh 145924795 $1,855.74 72.59 years
Brazil 193886505 $8,897.55 75.88 years
China 1331260000 $10,143.84 76.91 years
Egypt 81134789 $3,019.09 71.99 years
Ethiopia 85233923 $855.76 66.6 years
India 1217726217 $2,100.75 69.66 years
Indonesia 238620554 $4,135.20 71.72 years
Japan 128047000 $40,777.61 84.36 years
Mexico 112463886 $9,950.45 75.05 years
Nigeria 154324939 $2,229.86 54.69 years

Setting
Pakistan 175525610 $1,288.56 67.27 years
Philippines 92414161 $3,485.34 71.23 years
Russia 142785349 $11,685.42 73.08 years
United States 306771529 $65,279.53 78.79 years
Vietnam 87092250 $2,715.28 75.4 years
Global Average 314251079 $17,114.17 72.62 years

Making
TABLE 29.2 Health and Income of Nations in 2019
GDP per Capita
Country Population (Current US$) Life Expectancy
Bangladesh 145924795 $1,855.74 72.59 years

Moving
Brazil 193886505 $8,897.55 75.88 years
China 1331260000 $10,143.84 76.91 years
Egypt 81134789 $3,019.09 71.99 years
Ethiopia 85233923 $855.76 66.6 years
India 1217726217 $2,100.75 69.66 years
Indonesia 238620554 $4,135.20 71.72 years
Japan 128047000 $40,777.61 84.36 years
Mexico 112463886 $9,950.45 75.05 years
Nigeria 154324939 $2,229.86 54.69 years
Pakistan 175525610 $1,288.56 67.27 years
Philippines 92414161 $3,485.34 71.23 years
Russia 142785349 $11,685.42 73.08 years
United States 306771529 $65,279.53 78.79 years
Vietnam 87092250 $2,715.28 75.4 years
Global Average 314251079 $17,114.17 72.62 years
 318 Data Visualization in Excel

When it comes to alignment, English speakers are accustomed to

reading text left-to-right, so creating a left-aligned grid makes the text
easier to read. But for numbers, it’s more important to right-align along
the decimal or comma. We might need to add some trailing zeros to
get the alignment just right, but it makes comparing values that much
easier. See how much faster and easier it is to pick out the highest
and lowest per capita GDP numbers when they are right-aligned in
Table 29.3 rather than centered as in the version in Table 29.2.

TABLE 29.3 Health and Income of Nations in 2019

Population GDP per capita

Country (Millions) (Current US$) Life Expectancy
Setting

Bangladesh 146 $1,856 72.6 years

Brazil 194 $8,898 75.9 years
China 1331 $10,144 76.9 years
Egypt 81 $3,019 72.0 years
Ethiopia 85 $856 66.6 years
India 1218 $2,101 69.7 years
Making

Indonesia 239 $4,135 71.7 years

Japan 128 $40,778 84.4 years
Mexico 112 $9,950 75.1 years
Nigeria 154 $2,230 54.7 years
Pakistan 176 $1,289 67.3 years
Philippines 92 $3,485 71.2 years
Russia 143 $11,685 73.1 years
Moving

United States 307 $65,280 78.8 years

Vietnam 87 $2,715 75.4 years
Global Average 314 $17,114 72.6 years

In some cases, we may want to center the numbers in the cell. Maybe
the table looks better with the numbers centered and with centered col-
umn headers. Or maybe, as in the case with Table 29.4, the cells are
shaded to add highlights, but the table looks strange with more space
on the left side than the right side of the number. In Table 29.5, we can
use the Indent button in the Home tab to push the numbers toward
the center of the cell and still maintain the right-alignment along the
comma.
 Chapter 29: Making Better Tables 319

TABLE 29.4 Health and Income of Nations in 2019

Population GDP per capita

Country (Millions) (Current US$) Life Expectancy
Bangladesh 146 $1,856 72.6 years
Brazil 194 $8,898 75.9 years
China 1331 $10,144 76.9 years
Egypt 81 $3,019 72.0 years
Ethiopia 85 $856 66.6 years
India 1218 $2,101 69.7 years
Indonesia 239 $4,135 71.7 years
Japan 128 $40,778 84.4 years
Mexico 112 $9,950 75.1 years

Setting
Nigeria 154 $2,230 54.7 years
Pakistan 176 $1,289 67.3 years
Philippines 92 $3,485 71.2 years
Russia 143 $11,685 73.1 years
United States 307 $65,280 78.8 years
Vietnam 87 $2,715 75.4 years
Global Average 314 $17,114 72.6 years

Making
TABLE 29.5 Health and Income of Nations in 2019

Population GDP per capita

Country (Millions) (Current US$) Life Expectancy
Bangladesh 146 $1,856 72.6 years

Moving
Brazil 194 $8,898 75.9 years
China 1331 $10,144 76.9 years
Egypt 81 $3,019 72.0 years
Ethiopia 85 $856 66.6 years
India 1218 $2,101 69.7 years
Indonesia 239 $4,135 71.7 years
Japan 128 $40,778 84.4 years
Mexico 112 $9,950 75.1 years
Nigeria 154 $2,230 54.7 years
Pakistan 176 $1,289 67.3 years
Philippines 92 $3,485 71.2 years
Russia 143 $11,685 73.1 years
United States 307 $65,280 78.8 years
Vietnam 87 $2,715 75.4 years
Global Average 314 $17,114 72.6 years
 320 Data Visualization in Excel

3. Resize Columns and Rows. We can double right-click on the col-

umn and row separators in Excel to automatically resize the columns
according to the maximum width or height in that column or row. In
Table 29.6, Excel has stretched out the first column because the title of
the chart is in cell A1. But we can resize the columns to tighten up the
table, let the column headers wrap on two lines, and place the numbers
closer to the country labels in the first column as in Table 29.7. There
is no perfect column width or row height—my strategy is to find the
maximum width that makes the column with the longest cell contents
look good and match the others to that value.

TABLE 29.6 Health and Income of Nations in 2019

Setting

GDP per capita

Country Population (Millions) (Current US$) Life Expectancy
Bangladesh 146 $1,856 72.6 years
Brazil 194 $8,898 75.9 years
China 1331 $10,144 76.9 years
Egypt 81 $3,019 72.0 years
Making

Ethiopia 85 $856 66.6 years

India 1218 $2,101 69.7 years
Indonesia 239 $4,135 71.7 years
Japan 128 $40,778 84.4 years
Mexico 112 $9,950 75.1 years
Nigeria 154 $2,230 54.7 years
Pakistan 176 $1,289 67.3 years
Moving

Philippines 92 $3,485 71.2 years

Russia 143 $11,685 73.1 years
United States 307 $65,280 78.8 years
Vietnam 87 $2,715 75.4 years
Global Average 314 $17,114 72.6 years

4. Remove Unit Repetition. Our table is coming along nicely now. Lastly,
we want to remove repeated units throughout the table. We’ve kept the
dollar sign in the GDP per capita column in this example, but it’s clear
these are in dollars from the column subtitle. I would remove the dollar
signs from the values here, but in other cases, I might leave the symbol
in the first and last rows. Repeating the word “years” in the final col-
umn is also unnecessary and clutters the table. Instead, we can add a
subtitle or label in the column header (Table 29.8).
 Chapter 29: Making Better Tables 321

TABLE 29.7 Health and Income of Nations in 2019

Population GDP per capita

Country (Millions) (Current US$) Life Expectancy
Bangladesh 146 $1,856 72.6 years
Brazil 194 $8,898 75.9 years
China 1331 $10,144 76.9 years
Egypt 81 $3,019 72.0 years
Ethiopia 85 $856 66.6 years
India 1218 $2,101 69.7 years
Indonesia 239 $4,135 71.7 years
Japan 128 $40,778 84.4 years
Mexico 112 $9,950 75.1 years

Setting
Nigeria 154 $2,230 54.7 years
Pakistan 176 $1,289 67.3 years
Philippines 92 $3,485 71.2 years
Russia 143 $11,685 73.1 years
United States 307 $65,280 78.8 years
Vietnam 87 $2,715 75.4 years
Global Average 314 $17,114 72.6 years

Making
TABLE 29.8 Health and Income of Nations in 2019

Population GDP per capita Life Expectancy

Country (Millions) (Current US$) (Years)
Bangladesh 146 1,856 72.6

Moving
Brazil 194 8,898 75.9
China 1331 10,144 76.9
Egypt 81 3,019 72.0
Ethiopia 85 856 66.6
India 1218 2,101 69.7
Indonesia 239 4,135 71.7
Japan 128 40,778 84.4
Mexico 112 9,950 75.1
Nigeria 154 2,230 54.7
Pakistan 176 1,289 67.3
Philippines 92 3,485 71.2
Russia 143 11,685 73.1
United States 307 65,280 78.8
Vietnam 87 2,715 75.4
Global Average 314 17,114 72.6
 322 Data Visualization in Excel

5. Add Visuals When Appropriate. In general, tables are intended to

enable exploration of the detailed data values. But in some case, we
may want to make our tables more visual and draw attention to certain
numbers, values, or outliers. It’s relatively easy to add visuals to our
tables in Excel by using the Conditional Formatting menu options. The
table in Figure 29.3 is not necessarily one I would use, but it demon-
strates the visual elements that we can add in Excel.

a. Create a bar chart in the Home > Conditional Formatting > Data
Bars menu.
b. Add icons by using the Wingdings 3 font and color the values
using the Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > Equal To
option.
Setting

c. Highlight the top five values using the Conditional Formatting > Top/
Bottom Rules > Top 10 Items option.
Making
Moving

FIGURE 29.3

Many who publish data tables fail to recognize that people read them like they
read graphs, charts, and diagrams. The use of color, font size, thickness, align-
ment, and other aspects can help or hinder a reader’s ability to process and
absorb the information. Just like you would in your graphs, consider how you
can use these strategies to make a reader’s experience better.
 Part 3

Moving Visuals
Out of Excel
 Chapter 30
Exporting Graphs
from Excel

Excel does not have a built-in image-exporting feature, so preparing a high-res-

olution Excel chart for sharing as an image file or posting to the web requires
a separate process. In my experience, many people export their graphs using
screenshots, which often ends up looking blurry and pixelated, especially com-
pared with the surrounding text. Screenshots are less consistent because the
quality depends on the monitor (Figure 30.1).

FIGURE 30.1 Source: Figure 3 in Fredriksson, Anders. “One Stop Shops for Public
Services: Evidence from Citizen Service Centers in Brazil.” Journal of Policy Analysis and
Management 39.4 (2020): 1133–1165.

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-33325
 326 Data Visualization in Excel

There are better ways to obtain high-quality images of our Excel graphs. I’ve
identified five common ways to convert an Excel graph to an image below.
1. Use PowerPoint. We can copy the graph from Excel and paste it into
PowerPoint as an Excel object (not an image). In PowerPoint, we can
size the slides to specific dimensions and export the modified image
directly. On PCs, we can get the slide/image out of PowerPoint in two
ways. One, use the standard Save As command in the File menu. Two,
right-click on the graph and select the Save As a Picture option. I find
that this second method creates higher-quality images. For Macs, only
the first method works.
2. Use VBA Code. It’s possible to build an exporting engine in Excel
using VBA code. I’ve tested that approach, but the quality of the final
Setting

images isn’t that high, likely because the image resolution depends on
the quality of the screen.
3. Save As a PDF. If we want to stay in Excel, we can save the graph as
a PDF file (through the Save As menu), then crop the image in Adobe
and export it to your preferred format (JPEG, PNG, or TIFF). I tested a
few options here, but image quality wasn’t high enough to warrant the
Making

lengthy process.
4. Use Preview (Macs only). On Macs, we can copy the graph from
Excel (CMD+C), open the Preview tool, and create a new document
(CMD+N). This process will load the copied graph from Excel directly
into Preview. In Preview, we can select Save and change the file format
to PNG. In the save window, we can change the dots per linear inch
(DPI) to whatever we want (300 pixels works well). Of all the methods I
Moving

tested, this one provided the highest quality image and is what I use in
my daily work.
5. Take a Screenshot. Probably the option of last resort is to take a screen-
shot of the graph. Screenshots on Macs are better than those on PCs
because Mac screens have higher resolutions. But the image size may
vary depending on where the user places their cursor. Third-party
tools like Snagit or Screencast-o-matic can help create high-resolution
images without relying on your computer’s built-in screenshot capabili-
ties, but consistent image sizes are an issue if you need to select the area
of the screen to capture.
For testing, I used a graph on my Macbook Pro and my Asus (PC) laptop, both
of which run Office 365. In addition to my subjective grading of the image
quality, I documented the image size and dimensions (in pixels), which can
give a more objective measure of quality (Table 30.1).
TABLE 30.1

Operating File Image Width Height Area

System Method Format Size (KB) (Pixels) (Pixels) (Pixels) Reason to Use or Reject
Mac Export as GIF from PPT GIF 48 1,000 797 797,000 Lower resolution
Mac Right-click and Save As Picture GIF 20 587 468 274,716 OK resolution; Mac only
PC Save As GIF from PPT GIF 25 705 589 415,245 Lower resolution
PC Copy from Excel to PPT; right-click in PPT and GIF 21 704 588 413,952 Lower resolution
Save As GIF
Mac Screenshot JPG 280 1,782 1,382 2,462,724 Lower resolution
Mac Save As JPEG from PPT JPG 116 1,000 797 797,000 Lower resolution
Mac Right-click and Save As Picture JPG 56 587 468 274,716 OK resolution; Mac only
PC Save As PDF and export as JPEG JPG 79 734 613 449,942 Too many steps
PC Save As JPEG from PPT JPG 77 705 589 415,245 Lower resolution
PC Copy from Excel to PPT; right-click in PPT and JPG 158 1,102 919 1,012,738 About the same as PNG
Save As JPEG
PC Save as PDF PDF 63 N/A N/A N/A Does not work on websites
Mac Copy from Excel and Paste in Preview; Save As PNG 303 2,445 1,950 4,767,750 Recommended Mac approach
PNG
Mac Create PNG from PPT PNG 123 1,000 797 797,000 Lower resolution
Mac Right-click and Save As Picture PNG 50 587 468 274,716 OK resolution; Mac only
PC Save As PDF and export as PNG PNG 33 1,468 1,226 1,799,768 Too many steps
PC Save As PNG from PPT PNG 42 705 589 415,245 Lower resolution
PC Copy from Excel to PPT; right-click in PPT and PNG 85 1,101 919 1,011,819 Recommended PC approach
Save As PNG
PC Screenshot (WIN+Shift+S) PNG 56 865 726 627,990 Lower resolution
Mac Save As TIF from PPT TIF 2400 1,000 797 797,000 File too large
PC Save As TIF from PPT TIF 69 705 589 415,245 Lower resolution
PC Copy from Excel to PPT; right-click in PPT and TIF 185 1,101 919 1,011,819 Same as PNG, but larger file size
Chapter 30: Exporting Graphs from Excel

Save As TIF
327

Moving Making Setting

 328 Data Visualization in Excel

Of course, size matters here. If you only need thumbnail images, the loss of
resolution in any of these methods probably won’t matter. But if you want a
large image, the method may have a big impact on the image resolution. If you
look carefully, you can see the differences in clarity between these two images
(especially the Source line) in Figures 30.2 and 30.3.
Setting
Making

FIGURE 30.2
Moving

FIGURE 30.3 Top image uses the Excel-to-Preview method on a Mac, and the bottom
image is a standard screenshot on a PC.

Zooming into the titles of these images and taking a screenshot make the
comparison even clearer (Figure 30.4).
 Chapter 30: Exporting Graphs from Excel 329

FIGURE 30.4

For reports—in many cases, created by writing text in Microsoft Word and
pasting in graphs from Excel—the same procedures work, but you don’t need
to worry about creating a standalone image. In these cases, you can paste the

Setting
Excel graph into Word (or PowerPoint) directly. It often carries the entire work-
book with it, which I dislike because it can increase the file size and may con-
tain all of your underlying data, causing potentially security issues (see Paradi,
2014). You could also paste the graph as a picture (in the Paste Special menu). I
recommend the Enhanced Metafile option for PC users and the PDF option for
Mac users. But if you make any changes to the graph in Excel, you will need to

Making
re-import the image to the other program (Figure 30.5).

Moving

FIGURE 30.5
 330 Data Visualization in Excel

To create standalone images (without using a separate third-party tool), I

recommend different solutions for PC and Mac users:
•• PC Users. Copy the graph in Excel (CTRL+C) and paste into PowerPoint
as a Microsoft Excel object. (The PowerPoint slide size should be set to
match the size of the graph using the Slide Size option in the Chart
Design tab.) From there, right-click on the slide, select “Save As Picture,”
and use the PNG file format option.
•• Mac Users. Copy the graph in Excel (CMD+C), open a new file in
Preview (CMD+N), and save as a PNG image (changing the resolu-
tion to 300 DPI). This process ensures consistent image size and image
quality.
These approaches have three major advantages:
Setting

1. The images are high quality and the same file type (PNG).
2. The images are the same size.
3. The steps are relatively simple.
Creating high-quality images of Excel graphs outside Excel is admittedly a
Making

challenge. But we can overcome it by understanding what the computer can

and cannot do. The options listed here offer a viable path for creating high-
resolution Excel graphs.
Moving
 Chapter 31
Redesigns and
Examples

By this point, your Excel skills have hopefully advanced at least one rung, if
not several, on the Excel skills ladder. You’ve learned numerous graphs using a
variety of methods, formulas, and formatting options. As you further develop
your abilities in Excel, you’ll find more places where you can improve your
productivity and use the tool to create even better data visualizations.
In this chapter, we’ll cover a variety of ways to build on the basic graphs
from the tutorials by remaking or redesigning graphs people have made in
other tools. I won’t explain step-by-step how to make these graphs. Instead, I
want to demonstrate how the basic strategies we’ve learned can be extended
and modified to make more data visualizations.
The changes here are not the only ways to create these graphs or even the
best ways to visualize the data, but each example uses tools and techniques you
have learned throughout the book.

How Did America Vote?

In early 2022, data visualization creator Erin Davis posted a tile grid map of
the US on Twitter that garnered nearly 40,000 likes in less than a week. In her
original map, each state tile was an area chart with three series showing how
many people were born in that state, in another state, or outside of the US from
1850 to 2020. Later, Erin wrote a blog post about how to create the map in the
R programming language, but this time used voting results data in presidential
elections from 1976 to 2020 (Figure 31.1).

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-34331
 332 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting
Making
Moving

FIGURE 31.1 Source: Erin Davis, Twitter, February 2, 2022.

I thought Erin’s examples provided a good opportunity to expand upon the

slope chart tile grid map we created in Chapter 23. Instead of 2 years in each
state, how could we extend it to include 12 observations and change the graph
from a slope chart (line chart) to an area chart (Figure 31.2)?
The process of creating this graph turned out to be more of an organiza-
tional challenge than a data visualization challenge. Just like the tile grid map
we created in Chapter 23, this map consists of a series of area charts that stretch
across the country. Scatterplots with error bars break the area charts and gen-
erate the vertical dividing lines. Another scatterplot adds the state abbreviation
labels.
 Chapter 31: Redesigns and Examples 333

Setting
FIGURE 31.2

Making
The resulting spreadsheet is large, to put it mildly. With four data series for
each state, plus a series to serve as the horizontal breaks, multiplied by 12 years
of data, plus another row to serve as the vertical break, we end up with a data
table that is 40 columns wide and 143 rows long or 5,720 cells. And that’s just
for the map (Figure 31.3)!

Moving

FIGURE 31.3
 334 Data Visualization in Excel

Decline in Auto Fatalities in the US

In spring 2021, Nicholas Kristof and Bill Marsh of the New York Times wrote
an opinion article about reducing gun violence and gun control laws in the
US. They compared the legislative efforts around gun control with the battles
around automobile safety over the last several decades. The resulting chart was
not particularly complex. It included 71 years of data arranged as a vertical bar
chart, with the first and last bars in red and the bars in the middle in shades of
tan alternating by decade. Additionally, ten specific years had annotations with
numbers and some text (Figure 31.4).
Setting
Making

FIGURE 31.4 Source: Bill March, © 2021 The New York Times Company.
Moving

Could this graph be created in Excel without drawing a bunch of lines and
adding text boxes? Turns out, the answer is yes—with some thoughtfully com-
bined bar charts and scatterplots (Figure 31.5).
Although the graph itself is relatively simple, incorporating all the annota-
tions and labels with data is more difficult. We have three bar charts for the
main graph—one for the two red bars, one for the light-tan-colored decades,
and another for the dark-tan-colored decades. We can layer on a series of scat-
terplots to add specially positioned y-axis labels (the red squares at the bottom);
white gridlines on top of the bars (the black squares on the left); placeholders
for the text labels (the blue boxes); and years (the green labels). Some special
character breaks make the labels (see the two cells under the “Label Text” cell
in the bottom-right of Figure 31.6) wrap on multiple lines rather than fitting
them manually by playing around with the label boxes.
 Chapter 31: Redesigns and Examples 335

Setting
FIGURE 31.5

Making
Moving
FIGURE 31.6

Distribution of Poverty
Across the Country
In Chapter 24, we walked through several ways to layer two distributions
together on the same graph. But what about the distribution of geographic
data? For many people, creating a map is the standard approach to plotting
geographic data, but if you are not trying to tell an inherently geographic story,
a map may not be the best visualization.
 336 Data Visualization in Excel

If we focus on the distribution of data, we could create a histogram or a

similar kind of graph. Take the 2020 state-level poverty rate. We could create a
standard histogram with a series of six bars, which gives us a general sense of
the data. But maybe we could give readers a bit more detail (Figure 31.7)?
Setting
Making

FIGURE 31.7

Here, we replace the abstract bar shapes with the name of each state, colored
by region of the country. This version combines a histogram and a map, in that
it enables us to see the distribution of the data and the geographic patterns
(Figure 31.8).
Moving

FIGURE 31.8
 Chapter 31: Redesigns and Examples 337

Again, to create this visualization we combine a bar chart—which helps

align the stacks of labels and the x-axis labels—and scatterplots. It requires a
bit of clever organizing and IF statements to create separate series for each of
the four regions (with “NAs” so as to not over-plot the chart). We also use a few
scatterplots to add the column headers and the legend (Figure 31.9).

Setting
Making
FIGURE 31.9

When Do Public Schools

Start in the Morning?
In this example, our data show the average start time of public schools for

Moving
every US state during the 2017–2018 school year. Like the state-level poverty
data, these data may not be best represented by a map. Instead, why don’t we
use a clock? In Figure 31.10, we can see that, on average, public schools in
North Carolina and South Carolina start at 8:00 am (blue labels at the top of
the image) and public schools in Washington, DC, and Alaska start at 8:30 am
(blue labels at the very bottom of the image).
Let’s remember the philosophy of creating effective visualizations in Excel:
we need lines, bars, or circles plotted in an X-Y space. Well, at its core, a clock-
face is just that—a series of dots or markers around the circumference of a
circle, which we can create with a bit of trigonometry (prepare to do some
Googling!). Once we figure out how to place the 60 markers around the circle
to mark minutes and hours, finishing the graph is a matter of making slightly
larger circles to place the labels for each state abbreviation. I find a little color-
coding in my worksheets helps organize the data for when I need to update
later (Figure 31.11).
 338 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting
Making

FIGURE 31.10 Source: Jonathan Schwabish. “The Practice of Visual Data Communication:
What Works.” Psychological Science in the Public Interest 22.3 (2021a): 97–109.
Moving

FIGURE 31.11
 Chapter 31: Redesigns and Examples 339

How Many Different Ways Can

You Label a Dot Plot?
We created dot plots in Chapter 18, but we didn’t focus too much on the differ-
ent ways we can label the dots and lines in the chart. In the fall of 2021, Will
Chase, a data journalist at Axios, published a dot plot that showed the time it
took for seven major social media platforms to go from launch to one billion
active users (Figure 31.12).

Setting
Making
Moving

FIGURE 31.12 Source: Will Chase, Twitter, September 28, 2021.

Will’s approach raises the question: how can we create this dot plot in Excel
and what are the various ways we can add the labels in our dot plots? The pro-
cess for creating the dot plot in Excel is still the same—use scatterplots to place
the data, then use additional scatterplot series to position the labels. As always,
the placement of the labels depends on the content and the overall shape of the
data. In this case, the labels can go next to, above, or to the left of the dots. If we
had more data, the best approach might be clearer (Figures 31.13–31.16).
 340 Data Visualization in Excel
Setting

FIGURE 31.13
Making
Moving

FIGURE 31.14
 Chapter 31: Redesigns and Examples 341

Setting
FIGURE 31.15

Making
Moving

FIGURE 31.16
 342 Data Visualization in Excel

Juvenile Arrests in Pittsburgh

In late 2020, a research team at the University of Pittsburgh, the American Civil
Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, and Gwen’s Girls, Inc. (a Pittsburgh-based
organization that strives to empower girls and young women) reached out to
me about helping with data visualizations for their final report. Their research
centered on juvenile justice reforms in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, and
the over-referral of Black youth to juvenile justice.
In one of their graphs, the team looked at the breakdown of youth arrests
across race (Black and white), gender (boys and girls), and police department
(City Police and Pittsburgh Public Schools Police). The text that surrounded
the image told a striking story, but not so much the graph (Figure 31.17).
Setting
Making
Moving

FIGURE 31.17

Although I’m not a data practitioner who refuses to use pie charts, these
charts are difficult to read and ask the reader to compare not just the two slices
but also the size of the circles, which makes comprehension difficult.
Instead, I thought a mosaic chart might work better. A mosaic chart is like a
stacked bar chart where the lengths of the bars represent one variable and the
widths represent another variable. They are similar to the Marimekko chart we
created in Chapter 25, but both the vertical and horizontal dimensions sum to
a total (Figure 31.18).
 Chapter 31: Redesigns and Examples 343

Setting
FIGURE 31.18

I created my version in Excel by aligning the four data points into eight dif-
ferent series (one for each gender-race group) and inserted them into a stacked
bar chart. I added three separate scatterplots to help with the labels along the

Making
top edge, bottom edge, and left edge. I incorporated a final scatterplot series to
add the number labels in the middle of each rectangle (Figure 31.19).

Moving

FIGURE 31.19
 344 Data Visualization in Excel

Although this graph got the team closer to what they wanted, they went back
to their design team to incorporate additional explanatory text and annotation,
some better fonts, and some nice-looking arrows. Building the chart in Excel
was a useful exercise to demonstrate what could be built, but additional tools
were required to pull together the final visualization (Figure 31.20).
Setting
Making

FIGURE 31.20 Source: Elliott, Kathy, Sara Goodkind, Ghadah Makoshi, and Jeff Shook.
2020. “Understanding and addressing institutionalized inequity: Disrupting pathways to juve-
nile justice for Black youth in Allegheny County.”
Moving
 Chapter 32
Conclusion

It’s possible you never opened Excel before reading this book. Or maybe you’ve
made countless graphs, charts, and tables in the tool. Wherever you fall in
that spectrum of experience and expertise, I hope you have learned ways to
improve how you create data visualizations in Excel. Whether it’s using basic
formulas like IF, COUNT, and VLOOKUP to format your data, combining
different chart types, or inserting and aligning labels and markers, I hope you
feel you have moved up a level in your Excel knowledge.
Of course, this book doesn’t cover everything about using Microsoft Excel.
We didn’t talk about formula arrays or table names, the Visual Basic for
Applications (VBA) programming language, PowerQuery, or data analysis
tools. There are numerous other books, blog posts, and courses that you can
use to learn more about these, and I have listed some of my personal favorites
in Appendix 3.
You might also be inspired by this book to try other data visualization tools.
Maybe you’d like to try dashboarding tools like Tableau or PowerBI, program-
ming languages like D3 or R, or browser-based tools like Datawrapper or
Flourish. The point of this book is not to argue that Excel is any better than
any of those tools, rather it’s a tool with features you might love and features
you might hate. But in the end, it’s just a tool.

DOI: 10.1201/9781003321552-35345
 346 Data Visualization in Excel

As you go forward with your data visualization creation process, seek inspi-
ration from freelancers, media organizations, and others. When you find a
visual that inspires you, consider if it consists of lines, bars, or circles and if it
lives in an X-Y space. If so, you might find that Excel—with a little tweaking
and tricking—can be the right tool for you.
Setting
Making
Moving
 Appendix 1
Color Tools

This list compiles some of the online color tools that can be used to build
color palettes and test for accessibility. I maintain a longer list on my website
at https://policyviz.com/resources/color-tools/.
Adobe Color. Color is a service of Adobe Creative Cloud that allows you
to generate themes to directly pipe into design tools like Photoshop and
Illustrator. It’s the all-around color palette generator with essentially
unlimited options. Adobe has a relatively new tool called Leonardo that
goes even deeper into color codes, accessibility design, and more.
Color Brewer. Designed primarily for making maps, Color Brewer has a
finite set of color palettes available but enables the user to filter by num-
ber of data series, data type, and other attributes.
Color Contrast Checker. Developed by Mari Johannessen, this contrast
checker (https://marijohannessen.github.io/color-contrast-checker/)
works similarly to the WebAIM tool below—simply type in your color
HEX codes, and it gives you a color contrast score based the Web
Content Accessibility Guidelines international standards.
Color Oracle. Color Oracle is a free program that simulates color vision
deficiencies directly on your computer. It’s a lightweight tool that runs
on PC and Mac computers.
Coolors. Create, save, and share color palettes, or use the Coolors
library to choose another palette. The color palette generator is a bit

347
348 Appendix 1

less robust than the Adobe Color tool, which makes it easier to use for
non-designers.
Paletton. A growing source of information about color theory, color per-
ception, color vision, and color combinations. Users can create custom
color palettes and check them against an example, as well as use their
color vision deficiency tool.
Sim Daltonism. Another program that simulates colors as they are per-
ceived with various types of color vision deficiencies. This program is
available on Macs only and can be downloaded through the App Store.
WebAIM Color Contrast Checker. I use this tool for all my color con-
trast checking needs. Insert the HEX color codes of the foreground
and background colors and the site will tell you whether the combina-
tion passes contrast ratios as defined by the Web Content Accessibility
Guidelines international standards.
 Appendix 2
Data Visualization
Tools

Although this book focuses exclusively on Excel, there are a myriad of data
visualization tools that can enable you to make different kinds of visuals. I’ve
listed the ones that I see as the most popular tools and that I regularly use in
my work. Just like Excel, these are all tools, so you should pick one that best
meets your needs.

Dashboarding Tools
We can define a dashboard in many ways, but I prefer the definition from The
Big Book of Dashboards by Steve Wexler, Jeffrey Shaffer, and Andy Cotgreave:
“A dashboard is a visual display of data used to monitor conditions and/or
facilitate understanding.” By that definition, a dashboard does not need to be
interactive nor does it need to have multiple views of the data, although they
tend to have both. You can create some level of interactivity and align different
charts in Excel, but you’re probably better off using one of the other tools cur-
rently on the market.
•• Google Data Studio. One of the more underused dashboarding tools
available, Google Data Studio integrates directly into the Google eco-
system, including Google Sheets, Google Analytics, Google Ads, and
more. There are many other data connections available for the tool,
and its data visualization library is growing. It’s free to use (unless you

349
350 Appendix 2

need a larger enterprise solution), but the data you plug into it will live
online, which might be a problem if you have secure or private data.
•• PowerBI. PowerBI’s usage has grown recently, likely for two reasons.
First, it’s directly connected to the Microsoft Office suite, which means
it’s easy for many people to drop right into their existing workflow.
Second, it’s cheap compared with many other tools, especially because
most people and organizations already have the Microsoft Office suite.
At the time of this writing, the basic PowerBI Pro package is $9.99 per
user per month but comes free with Microsoft Office 365 (although
it’s not currently available on Macs). That being said, I don’t think the
PowerBI visualizations look as glossy as those created in Tableau, but if
you want to use it to create a collaborative data workspace, maybe that
doesn’t matter.
•• Tableau. Probably the most popular dashboarding tool in the data
visualization field is Tableau. Tableau includes many good features,
such as the ability to quickly change between visualizations and a
growing suite of data cleaning and reshaping tools. As an introductory
user, I personally find the claim from users that you just “drop in your
data and make a bunch of visualizations” not so true—your data need
to be in the right format to make your visualizations. Pricing prob-
ably prevents more Tableau usage—licenses for the desktop version are
$70 per user per month.

Browser-Based Tools
Some of the most interesting movement in the area of data visualization tools
has occurred over the past several years with browser-based tools. Creating rel-
atively easy-to-use, drag-and-drop-type tools in the cloud enables more shar-
ing and collaboration capabilities, as well as the ability to create interactive
visualizations that can be embedded on any website. But these tools are dif-
ficult to expand past what’s in the existing menus. It’s also true that your data
are loaded into the cloud instead of sitting on your desktop, which introduces
all sorts of considerations around data privacy and security.
There are three browser-based tools that I particularly like:
•• Datawrapper. Now a team of around 20 people based mostly in
Germany, Datawrapper was originally founded by Mirko Lorenz,
Gregor Aisch, and David Kokkelink. The beta version launched in 2012
 Appendix 2 351

and quickly hit 10 million chart views about a year later. Since then,
Datawrapper has become immensely popular among people creating
interactive data visualizations, especially in smaller newsrooms. They
have a somewhat limited set of visualizations in the library and focus
on the more standard visualization types, but their table templates are
probably the best you’ll find among this set of tools. The pricing model
is basically free to any individual but jumps up to $599/month for
teams or if you want to include custom branding and specific export-
ing options.
•• Flourish. Launched in 2018, Flourish is an online data visualization
tool that enables users to create highly stylized, interactive visualiza-
tions, often with animation, without needing to know any code. I like
that Flourish seems to keep up with the data visualization field and
incorporates new visualization types and methods quickly. They have a
wide range of visualizations available, including some not-so-standard
charts and maps. In early 2022, Flourish announced its acquisition
by the online design tool Canva. Soon after, it became free for most
individual use cases (including working privately, which previously
required a subscription). Business and enterprise versions are available
with extra features such as custom branding, team administration, and
more.
•• RAWGraphs. RAWGraphs started in 2013 as an open-source project
from a team based in Milan, Italy. The first iteration of RAWGraphs
focused on some standard graphs plus some harder to make ones, like
streamgraphs and Sankey diagrams. For a while, the tool sat there with-
out much enhancement, but recently, a group of developers started add-
ing a larger set of graphs. It’s also completely free, and you can download
the code from the site to run an instance of RAWGraphs directly on your
own machine, which makes it somewhat more flexible (i.e., hackable)
than Datawrapper and Flourish. Of course, you need coding knowledge
to make your desired hacks.

Programming Languages
Some people argue that everyone should learn to code. I think that’s a worthy
idea—there are lots of things to learn just from understanding how to think
through code—but I also think that not everyone has the time or inclination
to code. That being said, conducting data analysis and data visualization with
code has a lot of advantages, namely that it is more reproducible and often
more accurate than point-and-click-type tools.
352 Appendix 2

There are three primary coding languages used for data visualizations:
•• D3. D3 is an open source JavaScript library for manipulating objects
based on data and was developed by Mike Bostock along with Jeff Heer
and Vadim Ogievetsky at Stanford University in the early 2010s. Most of
the interactive data visualizations we currently see on the web are run on
D3. Bostock opened his new company Observable in 2016, which fosters
collaboration through code. Unlike D3, Observable has a pricing model
for teams and organizations, but it enables more and better collaboration,
code sharing, and transparent design than standard coding languages.
Observable can also be used with any tool or coding language.
•• R. For data visualization, R is especially useful because it can be com-
bined with R’s existing statistical analysis capabilities. The data visual-
ization engine in R, ggplot, was developed by Hadley Wickham and is
based on the Grammar of Graphics, which was originally conceptual-
ized by Leland Wilkinson (2013). To my mind, the biggest advantage
of this approach is that you can easily layer graph encodings together,
making the coding process easier and more replicable.
•• Python. I’ve never coded in Python, so I can’t say much about its ease of
use or effectiveness. A lot of people like Python, especially for its ability
to facilitate web scraping. The biggest benefit I hear from Python users
is the language offers the ability to easily build notebooks, specifically in
Jupyter, which is a web-based application that can show code and text.

Design Tools
As mentioned, I do a lot of my data visualization work in Excel, but there are
times when I need to add more customization, pull multiple (static) graphs
together in a single view, or make a custom slide deck or infographic. Over the
past few years, a growing number of browser-based graphic design tools have
helped democratize the graphic design space (which can be good and bad).
Although having more accessible tools probably bugs a lot of graphic design-
ers, I’m all for tools that make it easier for me to create and lay out different
graphic objects. That being said, if I’m creating a really polished-looking visu-
alization—especially if it’s for a print project—I’m more likely to reach out to a
professional graphic designer.
There are four tools in particular worth knowing about: Adobe Illustrator,
Canva, Figma, and PowerPoint.
•• Adobe Creative Suite. The best infographics and graphic design
work will likely be made in a custom graphic design tool like Adobe
 Appendix 2 353

Illustrator. But Illustrator is not easy to use and requires a lot of prac-
tice. The data visualization tool in Illustrator is pretty terrible—as a
novice user, I could never understand why I needed to delink the graph
from the data to properly style and format it. Pricing is also a consider-
ation, though it’s more affordable now in the subscription model than
it was a few years ago. The entire Adobe Creative Suite goes for $52.99/
month, and Illustrator on its own goes for $20.99/month.
•• Canva. Of all the browser-based graphic design tools (and there are
many), I like Canva the best. It has a really nice user interface, a good
library of photographs (though the icon library is just okay), and the
ability to create and save styles and formats. Canva also allows users
to easily create social media posts for different platforms with the click
of a “resize” button. The free version of Canva is good but limited in
the various libraries. The Pro version is $12.99/month for five different
users. If you are an educator (with a.edu email address), you can get
a large discount as well. As noted above, Canva acquired Flourish in
early 2022, so it will be interesting to see how both tools evolve over
time.
•• Figma. With the increased power and speed of internet browsers,
Figma facilitates a level of online collaboration between designers and
teams that was previously difficult to achieve. At its core, Figma helps
people create website wireframes and test user experiences, but people
are using the tool for all kinds of graphic design tasks. As an admittedly
novice Adobe Illustrator user, I find Figma easier to use—but again, I’m
not a professional designer, so I’m probably not the best judge. Figma
has three pricing levels: a free version, a $12 per person per month
option, and an up to $45 per person per month option for larger teams.
•• PowerPoint. It won’t surprise you that I use Microsoft PowerPoint for a
lot of my design work. PowerPoint syncs directly with Excel and almost
everybody has it. A PowerPoint slide is a blank template, which I can
modify and edit to the needed size and shape. Sure, it has some weird
things that I don’t like—bad defaults and ugly templates—but I can
override them. For many of my audiences, what I can do in PowerPoint
is largely sufficient.
 Appendix 3
Additional Excel
Resources

This book is not going to teach you everything you need to know about Excel.
We didn’t cover coding in the VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) language,
Pivot Tables, Power Query, dashboards, or more advanced formulas. But there
are a lot of different websites, videos, books, and other training materials
available. Here are some of my favorite sites:
•• Chandoo.org. Includes a variety of Excel lessons, especially for formu-
las, Excel dashboards, and PowerBI.
•• Contextures.com. An all-around Excel site with a long, alphabetical
list of Excel tutorials that includes videos, workbooks, and step-by-step
instructions.
•• ExcelCampus.com. One of the better sites to learn VBA—the video
courses are fantastic and walk you through the process of creating your
own Excel macros.
•• ExcelJet.net. A large resource of free and paid video courses including
formulas, conditional formatting, and much more. It also has a great
Excel keyboard shortcut reference sheet that I regularly recommend.
•• Mr. Excel (mrexcel.com). Classic, incredible site to learn all about
Excel. Mr. Excel features a whole range of learning materials from blogs
to books to videos.

355
356 Appendix 3

•• MyOnlineTrainingHub.com. Terrific collection of courses and webi-

nars on learning a whole suite of Excel skills including Power Query,
Pivot Tables, and PowerBI.
•• PeltierTech.com. A great blog with (free!) step-by-step instructions on
how to create data visualizations in Excel and additional content on
macros and VBA.
•• Xelplus.com. A great site to learn more about Excel spreadsheets and
formulas, and it features one of the better YouTube Excel playlists out
there.
•• Wisevis.com. A helpful site to learn more about data visualization in
Excel and is maintained by the author of the book Data at Work: Best
Practices for Creating Effective Charts and Information Graphics in
Microsoft Excel (Camões, 2016).
 Appendix 4
Quick Instructions
List

These Quick Instructions are provided as an abbreviated set instruction to

build each graph in this book. These instructions don’t always exactly line up
with the numbered steps in the full tutorials and use more shorthand than the
full descriptions. If you just need a quick refresher or reminder for a certain
graph, these instructions may be what you need.

Sparklines
1. Insert > Sparklines > Line
2. Enter the data range (H3:AA12) in the top box and the placement range
(F3:F12) in the bottom box

Heatmap
1. Select data (either entire data table or each column individually)
2. Home > Conditional Formatting > Color Scales > More Rules
3. Set Minimum and Maximum colors
4. Hide numbers: right-click > Format Cells > Number > Custom > type
three semicolons (;;;) into the Type box

357
358 Appendix 4

Stripe Chart
1. Select cells A3:FP3
2. Home > Conditional Formatting > Color Scales > More Rules > Format
Style > 3-Color Scale
3. Set Minimum color to blue and Maximum color to red
4. Change Midpoint value to Number, type zero (0) in the box, and change
color to white
5. Hide numbers: right-click > Format Cells > Number > Custom > type
three semicolons (;;;) into the Type box
6. Select columns A to FP and change column width
7. Select row number three and make it taller
8. To add or adjust year labels, see full tutorial

Waffle Chart
1. Arrange data and formulas
2. Select cells R3:AA12
3. Home > Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > Equal To
4. Type one (1) in the box and set fill color in the drop-down menu:
Custom Format > Fill
5. Repeat for each number (1, 2, 3, and 4)
6. Hide numbers: right-click > Format Cells > Number > Custom > type
three semicolons (;;;) into the Type box
7. Add borders: Home > Borders (in Font area) > All Borders

Gantt Chart

Method #1: Conditional Formatting

1. Arrange data and formulas
2. Select cells F3:CD12
3. Home > Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > Equal To
 Appendix 4 359

4. Type one (1) in menu box

5. Set the style (e.g., fill color) for the cells: Custom Format > Fill
6. Hide numbers: right-click > Format Cells > Number > Custom > type
three semicolons (;;;) into the Type box
7. Select columns F to CD and change column width
8. Resize rows to correspond to number of Lifetime Goals (see cells
CG17:CH27)
9. To add or adjust year labels, see full tutorial

Method #2: Stacked Bar Chart

1. Arrange data and formulas
2. Select cells A1:D11 and insert a Stacked Bar Chart
3. Format vertical axis:
•• Right-click > Format Axis > Axis Options > Categories in reverse
order
•• Right-click > Format Axis > Axis Options > Horizontal axis crosses >
At maximum category

4. Add labels:
•• Right-click on the First Year series > Add Data Labels
•• Right-click on the Last Year series > Add Data Labels

5. Format labels:
•• Right-click on labels for First Year series > Format Data Labels >
Label Position > Inside End
•• Right-click on labels for Last Year series > Format Data Labels >
Label Position > Inside Base

6. Edit range of horizontal axis: right-click > Format Axis > Bounds > 1940
for Minimum and 2021 for Maximum
7. Remove fill color of First Year series and Last Year series: right-
click > Format Data Series > Fill > No Fill
8. Delete legend and adjust Plot Area to fit all labels by dragging the right
edge of the Plot Area to the left
360 Appendix 4

Comparing Values with Two

Graph Types

Vertical Layout
1. Select cells A1:C11 and insert a Clustered Column chart
2. Change the Supplemental Poverty Rate series to a Line with Markers:

a. On PCs: select Supplemental Poverty Rate series Chart

Design > Change Chart Type > Combo > Supplemental Poverty
Rate > Line with Markers
b. On Macs: select Supplemental Poverty Rate series > Chart
Design > Change Chart Type > Line with Markers

3. Select line for Supplemental Poverty Rate series:

a. Right-click > Format Data Series > Line > No Line

b. Right-click > Format Data Series > Marker > format as needed

Horizontal Layout
1. Arrange data and formulas
2. Select cells A1:C11 and insert a Clustered Bar chart
3. Format vertical axis:

a. Right-click > Format Axis > Axis Options > Categories in reverse
order
b. Right-click > Format Axis > Axis Options > Horizontal axis crosses >
At maximum category

4. Change the Supplemental Poverty Rate series to a scatterplot:

a. On PCs: select Supplemental Poverty Rate series Chart

Design > Change Chart Type > Combo > Supplemental Poverty
Rate > Scatter
b. On Macs: select Supplemental Poverty Rate series > Chart
Design > Change Chart Type > Scatter
 Appendix 4 361

5. Insert the correct cell references for the Supplemental Poverty Rate
series: right-click > Select Data > Supplemental Poverty Rate > Edit > X
Values: C2:C11 and Y Values: D2:D11
6. Delete secondary vertical axis

Broken Stacked Bars

1. Select cells A8:I12 and insert a Stacked Bar chart
2. Switch order of the chart: Chart Design > Switch Row/Column
3. Format vertical axis:

a. Right-click > Format Axis > Axis Options > Categories in reverse
order
b. Right-click > Format Axis > Axis Options > Horizontal axis crosses >
At maximum category

4. Change color of each Filler series: right-click on each > Format Data
Series > Fill > No Fill
5. Edit range of horizontal axis: right-click > Format Axis > Bounds > 0
for Minimum and 200 for Maximum
6. Edit horizontal axis units: right-click > Format Axis > Units > 50 for
Major
7. Delete the four Filler series labels in legend: click on legend > click on
each Filler label > delete
8. Delete the horizontal axis

Diverging Bar Chart

1. Select cells A7:G11 and insert a Stacked Bar chart
2. Switch order of the chart: Chart Design > Switch Row/Column
3. Format vertical axis:

a. Right-click > Format Axis > Axis Options > Categories in reverse
order
362 Appendix 4

b. Right-click > Format Axis > Axis Options > Horizontal axis crosses >
At maximum category
c. Right-click > Format Axis > Labels > Low
d. Right-click > Format Axis > Line > Solid line

4. Delete the legend entries for the Strongly disagree and Somewhat dis-
agree categories, and change the colors of the other Strongly disagree
and Somewhat disagree categories.
Format x-axis labels: right-click > Format Axis > Number > Custom >
insert #,###;#,###;0 into Format Code box.

Block Shading (same frequency)

1. Select cells B1:D182 and insert a Line chart
2. Change the Recession series to a Clustered Column chart:

a. On PCs: select Recession series > Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Combo > Recession > Clustered Column
b. On Macs: select Recession series > Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Clustered Column

3. Select Recession series > right-click > Format Data Series > Series
Options > Gap Width to 0%
4. Change vertical axis dimensions: right-click > Format Axis > Axis
Options > 0 for Minimum and 16 for Maximum

Block Shading
(different frequencies)
1. Select cells A1:B16 and insert a Line chart
2. Add Recession data: right-click > Select Data > Add > Series Name:
Recession (cell E1) and Y Values: E2:E169
3. Select Recession series > right-click > Format Data Series > Series
Options > Plot Series On > Secondary Axis
4. Change the Recession series to Clustered Column chart:
 Appendix 4 363

a. On PCs: select Recession series > Chart Design > Change Chart Type >
Combo > Recession > Clustered Column
b. On Macs: select Recession series > Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Clustered Column

5. Turn on secondary horizontal axis: select chart > Chart Design > Add
Chart Element > Axes > Secondary Horizontal
6. Change the dimensions of the secondary vertical axis (on the right):
right-click > Format Axis > Axis Options > 1 for Minimum and 2 for
Maximum
7. Select Recession series > right-click > Format Data Series > Series
Options > Gap Width to 0%
8. Format secondary horizontal and secondary vertical axis:

a. Format Axis > Line color > No line

b. Format Axis > Tick Marks > None
c. Format Axis > Labels > Label Position > None

9. Adjust primary horizontal axis tick marks: right-click > Format

Axis > Axis Options > Axis position > On tick marks

Mark an Event with a Line

Method #1
1. Arrange data and formulas
2. Select cells B1:D91 and insert a Line with Markers chart
3. Add an Error Bar to the orange dot (the First McDonald's restaurant
opens series in column D): select dot > Chart Design > Add Chart
Element > Error Bars > More Error Bars Options
4. Format error bar: select > right-click > Format Error Bars >

a. Set Direction to Minus

b. Set End Style to No Cap
c. Set Error Amount > Percentage > 100%
364 Appendix 4

5. Select scatterplot marker, right-click, and Add Data Label

6. Hide markers for both series: right-click on each > Format Data
Series > Marker > Marker Options > None
7. Change vertical axis dimensions: right-click > Format Axis > Axis
Options > 0 for Minimum and 100 for Maximum
8. To add or adjust year labels, see full tutorial

Method #2
1. Arrange data and formulas
2. Select cells B1:C91 and insert a Line chart
3. Add a new series: right-click > Select Data > Add > Series Name: First
McDonald's restaurant opens (cell H2) and Series Values: I4
4. Change the new series to a scatterplot:

a. On PCs: select McDonald’s series (use the Format > Current

Selection menu) Chart Design > Change Chart Type > Combo >
McDonald's > Scatter
b. On Macs: select McDonald’s series (use the Format > Current
Selection menu) > Chart Design > Change Chart Type > Scatter

5. Assign the x-value: right-click > Select Data > First McDonald's restau-
rant opens > Edit > Series X Values: H4
6. Add error bars to scatterplot point: select dot > Chart Design > Add
Chart Element > Error Bars > More Error Bars Options
7. Format vertical error bar: select > right-click > Format Error Bars >

a. Set Direction to Minus

b. Set End Style to No Cap
c. Set Error Amount > Percentage > 100%

8. Delete horizontal error bars

9. Select scatterplot marker, right-click, and Add Data Label
10. Hide scatterplot point: right-click > Format Data Series > Marker >
Marker Options > None
 Appendix 4 365

11. Change vertical axis dimensions: right-click > Format Axis > Axis
Options > 0 for Minimum and 100 for Maximum
12. To add or adjust year labels, see full tutorial

Dot Plot
1. Select cells A1:C8 and insert a Scatter chart
2. Edit both series:

a. Right-click > Select Data > 2000 > Edit > Series Name: 2017 (cell
D1); X values: D2:D8; and Y values: B2:B8
b. Right-click > Select Data > Height > Edit > Series Name: 2000 (cell
C1); X values: C2:C8; and Y values: B2:B8

3. Add error bars to the 2017 series: select series > Chart Design > Add
Chart Element > Error Bars > More Error Bars Options
4. Format horizontal error bars: select > right-click > Format Error Bars >

a. Set Direction to Minus

b. Set End Style to No Cap
c. Set Error Amount > Custom > Specify Values > Negative Error
Value > cells E2:E8

5. Delete vertical error bars

6. Add labels or modify lines to arrows, see full tutorial for more details
and options

Slope Chart

Method #1
1. Select cells A2:C9 and insert a Line with Markers chart
2. Switch order of the chart: Chart Design > Switch Row/Column
3. Select one line, right-click, and Add Data Labels
366 Appendix 4

4. Select left data label only, right-click, select Format Data Label, and
make three changes:

a. Label contains > Series Name and Value

b. Change Separator to Space
c. Change Label Position to Left

5. Repeat data labeling and formatting steps (3 and 4) for each series
6. Delete legend, vertical axis, and horizontal gridlines
7. Format horizontal axis: right-click > Format Axis > Axis Options > Axis
position > On tick marks
8. Adjust Plot Area by selecting the left edge and moving it to the right to
fit labels

Method #2
1. Arrange data and formulas
2. Select cells A2:C9 and insert a Line with Markers chart
3. Switch order of the chart: Chart Design > Switch Row/Column
4. Add scatterplot for left labels: right-click > Select Data > Add > Series
Name: Left Labels (cell D1) and Series values: E3:E9
5. Change the Left Labels series to a scatterplot:

a. On PCs: select Left Labels series > Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Combo > Left Labels > Scatter
b. On Macs: select Left Labels series > Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Scatter

6. Add x-values to Left Labels series: right-click > Select Data > Left
Labels > Edit > X values: D3:D9
7. Add Right Labels series: right-click > Select Data > Add > Series Name:
Right Labels (cell G1); X values: G3:G9; and Y values: H3:H9
8. Add and format labels to the Left Labels series:

a. Right-click > Add Data Labels

 Appendix 4 367

b. Select data labels > right-click > Format Data Labels and make two
changes:
Label contains > Value from Cells > F3:F9 (and uncheck the box
i. 
next to Y Value)
ii. Change Label Position to Left
9. Add labels to the Right Labels series: right-click > Add Data Labels
10. Format horizontal axis: right-click > Format Axis > Axis Options > Axis
position > On tick marks
11. Adjust Plot Area by selecting the left edge and moving it to the right to
fit labels
12. Delete legend, vertical axis, and horizontal gridlines

Overlaid Gridlines
1. Select cells A2:B9 and insert a Clustered Column chart
2. Right-click > Select Data > Add > Series Name: Scatter-Overlaid (cell
C1) and Series values: D3:D12
3. Change the Scatter-Overlaid series to a scatterplot:

a. On PCs: select Scatter-Overlaid series > Chart Design > Change

Chart Type > Combo > Scatter-Overlaid > Scatter
b. On Macs: select Scatter-Overlaid series > Chart Design > Change
Chart Type > Scatter

4. Add x-values to Scatter-Overlaid series: right-click > Select

Data > Scatter-Overlaid > Edit > X values: cells C3:C12
5. Add error bars to the Scatter-Overlaid series: select > Chart
Design > Add Chart Element > Error Bars > More Error Bars Options
6. Format horizontal error bars: select > right-click > Format Error Bars >

a. Set Direction to Both

b. Set End Style to No Cap
c. Set Error Amount > Fixed Value > 3.5
d. Set color: Line > Solid Line > Color > change to white
368 Appendix 4

7. Delete vertical error bars

8. Delete existing gridlines
9. Hide Scatter-Overlaid markers: right-click > Format Data Series >
Marker > Marker Options > None
10. Edit vertical axis limits: right-click > Format Axis > Axis Options > 0
for Minimum and 20 for Maximum
11. If keeping the vertical axis, adjust the labels to match new gridlines:
right-click > Format Axis > Bounds > Units > Major > 2

Lollipop
1. Select cells A1:B8 and insert a Clustered Bar chart
2. Format vertical axis:

a. Format Axis > Axis Options > Categories in reverse order

b. Format Axis > Axis Options > Horizontal axis crosses > At maxi-
mum category

3. Select bars and add error bars: Chart Design > Add Chart
Element > Error Bars > More Error Bars Options
4. Format error bars: select > right-click > Format Error Bars >

a. Set Direction to Minus

b. Set End Style to No Cap
c. Set Error Amount > Percentage > 100%

5. More error bar formatting (paint can icon):

a. Change Begin Arrow Type to circle

b. Change Begin Arrow Size to the largest size

6. Change color of the bars: right-click > Format Data Series > Fill > No
Fill
 Appendix 4 369

Bullet Chart
1. Arrange data and formulas
2. Select cells A38:F44 and insert a Stacked Column chart
3. Switch order of the chart: Chart Design > Switch Row/Column
4. Move Best and Average series to the secondary axis: right-click on
each > Format Data Series > Secondary Axis
5. Change width of Average series: right-click > Format Data Series > Series
Options > Gap Width to 400%
6. Change the Best series to a scatterplot:

a. On PCs: select Best series > Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Combo > Best > Scatter
b. On Macs: select Best series > Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Scatter

7. Format scatterplot point (Best series) to a line:

a. Method #1. Change marker format: right-click > Format Data

Series > Marker > Marker Options > Built-In > select dash shape
and adjust size
b. Method #2. Add error bar: select dots > Chart Design > Add Chart
Element > Error Bars > More Error Bars Options. Format the hori-
zontal error bars:
Set Direction to Both
Set End Style to No Cap
Set Fixed value to 0.2
c. Hide Best marker: right-click > Format Data Series > Marker >
Marker Style > None
d. Delete vertical error bars (may need to use the Format > Current
Selection menu)

8. Edit ranges of both the primary and secondary vertical axis:

a. Right-click > Format Axis > Bounds > 0 for Minimum and 2,000
for Maximum
b. Right-click > Format Axis > Bounds > Units > Major > 500
370 Appendix 4

Tile Grid Map

Map #1: Default Map

1. Select cells A1:B52 and insert Maps in the Insert tab
2. Right-click > Format Data Series to modify colors, projection, labels,
and more

Map #2: Single Values with Continuous Legend

1. Arrange data, formulas, and tiles
2. Select cells B4:L13
3. Set tile colors: Home > Conditional Formatting > Color Scales > More
Rules
4. Set Minimum and Maximum colors
5. Set text colors: Home > Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells
Rules > Greater Than > 0.40 > Custom Format > Font > Color > white

Map #3: Single Values with Discrete Legend

1. Arrange data, formulas, and tiles
2. Select cells B5:L12
3. Set tile colors for first category: Home > Conditional
Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > Equal To > 1 > Custom
Format > Fill > Background color
4. Repeat for other categories
5. Set text colors: Home > Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells
Rules > Greater Than > 0.40 > Custom Format > Font > Color > white

Map #4: Multiple Values

1. Arrange data and formulas
2. Select cells T4:AJ32 and insert a Line with Markers chart
 Appendix 4 371

3. Add error bars to the Vertical series (dots along the top): Chart
Design > Add Chart Element > Error Bars > More Error Bars Options
4. Format error bars: select > right-click > Format Error Bars >

a. Set Direction to Minus

b. Set End Style to No Cap
c. Set Error Amount > Percentage > 100%
d. Set color: Line > Solid Line > white
e. Increase line width: Line > Width

5. Add State Names series for state abbreviation labels: right-click > Select
Data > Add > Series Name: State Names (cell G1) and Series values:
H4:H54
6. Change the State Names series to a scatterplot:

a. On PCs: select State Names series > Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Combo > State Names > Scatter
b. On Macs: select State Names series > Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Scatter

7. Insert x-values: right-click > Select Data > State Names > X Values:
H4:H54
8. Add and format data labels:

a. Right-click on the State Names series > Add Data Labels

b. Right-click on labels > Format Data Labels > Value From
Cells > B4:B54 (and uncheck the box next to Y Value)
c. Right-click on labels > Format Data Labels > Label Position > Center

9. Hide scatterplot markers for labels (Vertical and State Names

series): right-click on each > Format Data Series > Marker > Marker
Options > None
10. Edit range of vertical axis: right-click > Format Axis > Bounds > 0 for
Minimum and 8 for Maximum
11. Delete legend, horizontal axis, and vertical axis
372 Appendix 4

Histogram

Method #1: Overlaid Area Charts

1. Arrange data and formulas
2. Select cells C1:E22 and insert an Area chart
3. Change the color transparency of both series: right-click > Format Data
Series > Fill > Solid fill > Transparency
4. Add borders (two series):

a. Right-click > Select Data > Add > Series Name: 1980s (cell D1);
Series values: D2:D22 and Series Name: 2010s (cell E1); Series val-
ues: E2:E22
b. Change series to line charts:
On PCs: select each series > Chart Design > Change Chart Type > Combo > drop-
down menu for each series > Line
On Macs: select each series > Chart Design > Change Chart Type > Line

Method #2: Overlaid Bar Charts

1. Arrange data and formulas
2. Select cells C1:E22 and insert a Clustered Column chart
3. Align the bars: right-click on either set > Format Data Series > Series
Options > Series Overlap to 100% and Gap Width to 0%
4. Change the color transparency of both series: right-click > Format Data
Series > Fill > Solid fill > Transparency
5. Add scatterplots for borders: right-click > Select Data > Add > Series
Name: 1980s (cell D1) and Series values: D2:D22
6. Change the new 1980s series to a scatterplot:

a. On PCs: select new 1980s series > Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Combo > 1980s > Scatter
b. On Macs: select new 1980s series > Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Scatter
 Appendix 4 373

7. Insert x-values: right-click > Select Data > 1980s [the bottom one] > X
Values: F2:F22
8. Add other series: right-click > Select Data > Add > Series Name (cell
E1): 2010s; X Values: F2:F22; and Y values: E2:E22
9. Add borders using the scatterplots: select > Chart Design > Add Chart
Element > Error Bars > Error Bar Options
10. Format horizontal error bars: select > right-click > Format Error Bars >

a. Set Direction to Plus

b. Set End Style to No Cap
c. Set Error Amount > Fixed Value > 1

11. Format vertical error bars: select > right-click > Format Error Bars >

a. Set Direction to Minus

b. Set End Style to No Cap
c. Set Error Amount > Custom > Specify Value > Negative Error
Value > 1980s series: G2:G22 and 2010s series: H2:H22

12. Hide markers for both series: right-click on each > Format Data
Series > Marker > Marker Options > None

Marimekko
1. Arrange data and formulas
2. Select cells R4:AA103 and insert a Clustered Column chart
3. Align the bars: right-click > Format Data Series > Series Options > Series
Overlap to 100% and Gap Width to 0%
4. Format the x-axis:
5. Right-click > Format Axis > Tick Marks > Interval between marks > 10
6. Right-click > Format Axis > Labels > Interval between labels > 1
7. Edit x-axis labels: right-click > Select Data > Horizontal (Category) axis
labels: > AB4:AB103
374 Appendix 4

8. Edit range of vertical axis: right-click > Format Axis > Bounds > 0 for
Minimum and 1 for Maximum
9. Add data labels with a scatterplot in cells A17:C41, see full tutorial for
details

Cycle Plot
1. Arrange data and formulas
2. Select cells C2:F542 and insert a Line chart
3. Change the Bar series to a column chart:

a. On PCs: select Bar series > Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Combo > Bar > Clustered Column
b. On Macs: select Bar series > Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Clustered Column

4. Select Bar series > Format Data Series > Series Options > Gap Width to 0%
5. Delete horizontal axis
6. Add month labels: select Value series in the Format > Current Selection
menu. Then, Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Data Labels > Below
7. Format month labels: right-click on labels > Format Data Labels > Value
from Cells > cells G3:G542 (and uncheck the Value box)
8. Edit range of vertical axis: right-click > Format Axis > Bounds > 0 for
Minimum and 20 for Maximum

Strip Chart
1. Select cells B2:C54 and insert a Scatter chart
2. Add data for Chicago and Washington, DC: right-click > Select
Data > Add >

a. Series Name: Chicago (cell D1); X values: D3:D54; and Y values:

E3:E54
b. Series Name: Washington, DC (cell F1); X values: F3:F54; and Y val-
ues: G3:G54
 Appendix 4 375

3. Fix Los Angeles series name label: right-click > Select

Data > Y > Edit > Series Name: Los Angeles (cell B1)
4. Add series for labels: right-click > Select Data > Add > Series Name:
Labels (Cell I1); X values: J2:J4; and Y values: K2:K4
5. Add labels: right-click on Labels series > Add Data Labels
6. Format labels: right-click > Format Data Labels >

a. Value from Cells > I2:I4

b. Uncheck the Y Value box
c. Label Position > Left

7. Adjust Plot Area by selecting the left edge and moving it to the right to
fit labels
8. Hide markers: right-click on Labels series > Format Data
Series > Marker > Marker Options > None
9. Format the horizontal axis labels: right-click > Format
Axis > Number > Custom > Format Code > #“°F”;# “°F”;0“°F” [for the
degree symbol: Insert > Symbols menu]
10. Delete the vertical axis

Raincloud Plot
1. Arrange data and formulas
2. Select cells S10:V13 and insert a Stacked Bar chart
3. Format vertical axis:

a. Format Axis > Axis Options > Categories in reverse order

b. Format Axis > Axis Options > Horizontal axis crosses > At maxi-
mum category

4. Select the bottom (blue) series: right-click > Format Data

Series > Fill > No Fill
5. Change bar width: right-click on either set of bars > Format Data
Series > Gap Width to 230%
6. Select the other two series (orange and gray) and add a border: right-
click > Format Data Series > Border > Solid line
376 Appendix 4

7. Add whiskers series: right-click > Select Data > Add > Series Name:
Whiskers (cell T15) and Series values (cells T18:V18)
8. Change the Whiskers series to a scatterplot:

a. On PCs: select Whiskers series > Chart Design > Change Chart Type
> Combo > Whiskers > Scatter
b. On Macs: select Whiskers series > Chart Design > Change Chart
Type > Scatter

9. Insert x-values for the Whiskers series: right-click > Select

Data > Whiskers > Edit > X Values: T17:V17
10. Add the actual whiskers: select any of the three dots > Chart
Design > Add Chart Element > Error Bars > More Error Bars Options
11. Format horizontal error bars: select > right-click > Format Error Bars >

a. Set Direction to Both

b. Set End Style to Cap
c. Set Error Amount > Custom > Specific Value > Positive Error:
T19:V19 and Negative Error: T20:V20

12. Delete vertical error bars

13. Edit secondary vertical axis: right-click on axis > Format Axis > Axis
Options > Bounds > set 0 for Minimum and 6 for Maximum
14. Add three new series for the dots: right-click > Select Data > Add >

a. Series Name: LA-Dots (cell X1); X Values: X3:X54; and Y Values:

Z3:Z54
b. Series Name: Chicago-Dots (cell AB1); X Values: AB3:AB54; and Y
Values: AD3:AD54
c. Series Name: DC-Dots (cell AF1); X Values: AF3:AF54; and Y Values:
AH3:AH54
d. Note: the size and appearance of dots will depend on the size of the
overall chart

15. Hide markers for the Whiskers series: right-click > Format Data
Series > Marker > Marker Options > None
16. Delete legend and secondary vertical axis
 References

For references to specific data used in this book, please see the Excel files avail­able
at https://policyviz.com/pv_books/data-visualization-in-excel-a-guide-for-
beginners-intermediates-and-wonks/ and https://www.routledge.com/Data-
Visualization-in-Excel-A-Guide-for-Beginners-Intermediates-and-Wonks/
Schwabish/p/book/9781032343266.

Bruns, Dave. “Excel custom number formats.” ExcelJet (blog), https://exceljet.net/custom-

number-formats.
Bump, Philip. 2021. “The two halves of the pandemic.” Washington Post, December 1, 2021,
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/12/01/two-halves-pandemic/.
Camões, Jorge. 2016. Data at work: Best practices for creating effective charts and informa-
tion graphics in Microsoft Excel. New Riders.
Camões, Jorge. 2020. “How to make Marimekko charts in excel.” Blog post, Flowing Data.
https://flowingdata.com/2020/11/12/how-to-make-marimekko-charts-in-excel/.
Cesal, Amy. 2020. “Writing alt text for data visualization.” Nightingale blog. https://medium.
com/nightingale/writing-alt-text-for-data-visualization-2a218ef43f81.
Cleveland, William S., and Irma J. Terpenning. 1982. “Graphical methods for seasonal adjust-
ment.” Journal of the American Statistical Association 77(377): 52–62.
Elliott, Kathy, Sara Goodkind, Ghadah Makoshi, and Jeff Shook. 2020. Understanding and
Addressing Institutionalized Inequity: Disrupting Pathways to Juvenile Justice for Black Youth
in Allegheny County. Pittsburgh, PA: Black Girls Equity Alliance. https://www.gwensgirls.
org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/20-011-BGEA_JuvenileJustice-BlackYouth_v4.pdf.
Fredriksson, Anders. 2020. “One stop shops for public services: Evidence from Citizen Service
Centers in Brazil.” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 39(4): 1133–1165.

377
378 References

Gates Foundation. 2021. “Maternal mortality,” The Goalkeepers. https://www.gatesfoundation.

org/goalkeepers/report/2021-report/progress-indicators/maternal-mortality/.
Haveman, Robert and Jonathan Schwabish. March 1999. “Macroeconomic performance and
the poverty rate: A return to normalcy?” IRP Discussion Paper No. 1187–99.
Hawkins, Ed. 2018. ShowYourStripes.com. https://showyourstripes.info/.
Paradi, Dave. 2014. “2 Big mistakes professionals make using excel data in PowerPoint.” Slideshare.
https://www.slideshare.net/thinkoutsidetheslide/2-big-mistakes-professionals-
make-using-excel-data-in-powerpoint.
Schwabish, Jonathan A. 2021a. “The practice of visual data communication: What works.”
Psychological Science in the Public Interest 22(3): 97–109.
Schwabish, Jonathan A. 2021b. Better Data Visualizations: A Guide for Scholars, Researchers,
and Wonks. New York City: Columbia University Press.
Schwabish, Jonathan A., Alice Feng, and Susan Popkin. 2022. Accessibility. Urban Institute
report.
Smeeding, Timothy M. 2002. “Globalisation, inequality and the rich countries of the
G-20: Evidence from the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS).” Presentation given at the
Reserve Bank of Australia Conference. https://www.rba.gov.au/publications/confs/
2002/smeeding.html.
Stone, Maureen. 2006. “Choosing colors for data visualization.” Business Intelligence Network.
Wann, James. 2020. “Microsoft excel versus apple’s numbers: Who prevails?” Excel with
Business (blog), August 13, 2020. https://excelwithbusiness.com/blogs/news/microsoft-
excel-versus-apple-s-numbers-who-prevails.
Wexler, Steve, Jeffrey Shaffer, and Andy Cotgreave. 2017. The Big Book of Dashboards:
Visualizing Your Data Using Real-World Business Scenarios. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley
& Sons.
Wilkinson, Leland. 2013. The Grammar of Graphics. Berlin Heidelberg: Springer Science &
Business Media.
World Wide Web Consortium. 2019. “Accessibility requirements for people with low vision.”
https://www.w3.org/TR/low-vision-needs/.
 Index

Note: Bold page numbers refer to tables.

“#, ###” code 152 Begin Arrow type 223, 224

“;;;” 47, 95 bins 257
block shading
absolute reference 54–56, 68, 69 different frequencies 161–168, 362–363
accent colors 77 same frequency 155–160, 362
Add Chart Element 29, 30, 37, 234 “Blue Warm” palette 76, 76–77
Add Data Labels 19, 49, 119, 143, 150, 167, 181, Border 44, 106, 114, 316
200, 209, 210, 235, 236, 253, 299 broken stacked bars 135–145, 361
Add-In 272 browser-based tools 350–351
Adobe Color 347 bullet chart 227–238, 369
Adobe Creative Suite 352–353
Alignment 107 Canva 353
alternative text (alt text) 75 categorical data types 13
AND 57, 112 Categories in reverse order 117, 117
approximate match 68, 246, 279 cell alignment 44
Area Chart 260 Change Chart Type 32, 33, 126, 127, 156, 163, 173,
AVERAGE 218, 228 206, 233, 233, 262
AVERAGEIF 61, 288, 289, 304 on Macs 34
AVERAGEIFS 61 on PCs 33
Axis Options 117, 117, 203 CHAR 229
Axis position 166, 203 chart 29; see also specific charts
block shading 155–168, 362–363
bar 21, 37, 41, 42, 305 broken stacked bars 135–145
bar chart 6, 7, 37, 41 bullet 227–238, 369
diverging 147–154, 361–362 combine 13
overlaid 264–271, 273–274, 372–373 diverging bar 147–154, 361–362
stacked 116, 123, 136, 152, 359 Gantt 111–123, 136, 358–359
Begin Arrow size 223, 224 lollipop 221–226, 368

379
380 Index

chart (cont.) D3 4–5, 352

Marimekko 275–286 dashboarding tools
overlaid area 260–263, 273 Google Data Studio 349–350
overlaid bar 264–271, 273–274 PowerBI 350
overlaid gridlines 213–220 Tableau 350
parts and properties 36–39 Data tab 44
pie 103 data distribution 335–337
slope 199–212, 365–367 data sorting 44–45, 45
stacked bar 116, 123, 359 data visualization, philosophy 17–23
strip 297–302, 374–375 Datawrapper 5, 18, 345, 350–351
stripe 97–101, 358 defaults, recognition
waffle 103–109, 358 adjusting vertical axis range and units 39, 39
Chart Area 37, 203, 209 bars and gap width 41, 42
Chart Design 29, 31, 32, 37, 206, 292, 310 color transparency 40, 41
Chart Options 42 graph creation 40, 41
Chart title 35, 50 length of error bars 40, 40
Clustered Bar 128 primary and secondary axes 42, 42
Clustered Column 33, 33, 47, 125, 126, 156, 163, design tools 352–353
264, 290 distribution data type 13
clutter 8 diverging bar chart 147–154, 361–362
Color Brewer 347 diverging color palette 98
Color Contrast Checker 347 Do No Harm Guide 75
Color Oracle 347 dot plot 187–197, 339–341, 365
color palette 73 dots per linear inch (DPI) 326
creating own colors 75–79, 76–79 dual line chart method 170–176
diverging 98
primer on choosing colors 73–75, 74 Edit Series 130, 130, 189
sequential 91 End Arrow Size 196
XML file 80, 80–82, 81 End Arrow type 196
COLORRRS website 82 Enhanced Metafile 329
Color Scales 106 Error Amount 181
color tools 347–348 Error Bars 171, 187, 189, 216, 223, 225, 234
color transparency 40, 41 ExcelJet website 47
columns 27, 320, 320, 321 Excel resources 355–356
Column Width 99, 104 export, graphs 184, 325–330
combo chart 13, 33, 140, 177–183
CONCAT 64–65, 106 Figma 353
CONCATENATE 64–65 Filler series 136, 140, 152
Conditional Formatting 89, 90, 97, 106, 111, Filter button 45
112, 122–123, 243, 244, 246, 306, Fixed Value 40
316, 322 Flourish 5, 18, 345, 351
Coolors 347–348 Format 35, 37, 141, 216
copying and pasting 43, 43 Format Axis 37, 37, 39, 118, 130, 144, 234
COUNT 345 Format Cells 45, 94, 94
COUNTIF 61, 62, 306 Format Chart Area 38, 38
COUNTIFS 61, 62, 259, 272 Format Code 46, 152, 312
Currency 48, 49 Format Data Label 120, 120, 131, 171–173, 201, 293
Current Selection 35, 141 Format Data Series 37, 40, 41, 47, 167, 231, 241,
Custom option 45, 95, 159, 175 258, 264, 281, 308
Custom Format 106, 113 Format Error Bars 172, 189
Customize Colors 77 Format Selection 232, 232
Customize the Ribbon 26 formatting
custom labels 140–144 text 43–44
cycle plot 287–295, 374 worksheet 42–47
 Index 381

formula bar 26, 53 hexadecimal (HEX) code 77, 81, 82

formulas 53–72 histogram 257–274, 336, 372–373
AND 57, 112 correct width of bins 271–272
AVERAGE 218, 228 overlaid area charts 260–263, 273
AVERAGEIF 61, 288, 289, 304 overlaid bar charts 264–271, 273–274
AVERAGEIFS 61 HLOOKUP 65, 66
CHAR 229 Home tab 42, 45, 95, 106, 173, 316, 318
CONCAT 64–65, 106 Horizontal axis crosses 117, 117
CONCATENATE 64–65 horizontal error bar 181, 216, 223, 265, 268, 311
COUNT 345 horizontal (X) space 21
COUNTIF 61, 62, 306
COUNTIFS 61, 62, 259, 272 IF 56–63, 105, 174, 195, 281, 288, 289, 307, 337, 345
HLOOKUP 65, 66 Indent button 318
IF 56–63, 105, 174, 195, 281, 288, 289, 307, INDEX 71
337, 345 Insert tab 29, 47, 85, 116, 136, 240, 258
INDEX 71 INT 281
INT 281
MATCH 71, 228, 229 keyboard shortcuts 27, 28
MAX 63, 228, 243
MIN 63, 243 Label 69
number formats 45 Legend Options 49
OR 57, 174 Line Color 218, 225, 234
SUMIF 57–60 Line Style 218, 234
SUMIFS 60–61 Line with Markers 126, 171, 200, 204, 250
TEXT 229, 290 lollipop 221–226, 368
VALUE() 174 LOOKUP functions
VLOOKUP 65–69, 71, 242, 246, 248, 249, HLOOKUP 65, 66
276–281, 345 VLOOKUP 65–69, 71
WEEKNUM 304 XLOOKUP 65, 66, 70, 71

Gantt chart 111–123, 136, 358–359 Major Unit 138, 218

conditional formatting 112–116, 122–123 Marimekko chart 275–286, 373–374
graphing 116–122 creation 281–286
stacked bar chart 123 data setting 276–281
Gap Width 41, 47, 156, 218, 264, 281, 310 mark an event with line 363–365
geospatial data type 13 combo chart method 177–183
ggplot2 system 4 dual line chart method 170–176
Google Data Studio 5, 349–350 PowerPoint method 183–184
Google Sheets 18, 349 Marker Options 312
graph Marker Type 234
creation 40, 41 MATCH 71, 228, 229
export 184, 325–330 MAX 63, 228, 243
Gantt chart 116–122 Merge & Center 44, 99
3D 21, 22 Microsoft Colors 80
2D 22, 22 Microsoft Office 350
graphics and textual integration 9–10 MIN 63, 243
Gridlines 114 More Colors 98
grid map 239–256 multiple value tile grid map 247–256
default map 254
multiple value tile 247–256 No Fill 118, 120, 137, 152, 224
single value tile 242–247, 254–255 Number Formatting 45–47, 46, 47, 106, 152, 159

headers and footers 316, 317 Office 365 36, 350

heatmap 89–96, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94–95, 96, 113, 357 On tick marks 166, 203
382 Index

OR 57, 174 slope chart 199–212, 365–367

overlaid area charts 260–263, 273, 372 adding data labels 200–204, 211–212
overlaid bar charts 264–271, 273–274, 372–373 combo chart 204–212
overlaid gridlines 213–220, 367–368 Snagit 326
Sort 44
Page Layout 75, 76, 242 Sparkline Color 87
paint can icon 37 sparklines 85–88, 86, 87, 357
Paletton 348 specific data value 183
part-to-whole data type 13 stacked bar chart 116, 123, 136, 152, 359
Paste Special 147, 329 strip chart 297–302, 374–375
PDF file 326 stripe chart 97–101, 113, 358
pentagon icon 37 SUMIF 57–60
Percentage 171, 175 SUMIFS 60–61
percentiles 305 Switch Row/Column 30, 31
pie chart 103
Pivot table 26, 355 table_array 66
Plot Area 37, 120, 193, 203, 209, 299 Tableau 4, 345, 350
PowerBI 5, 345, 350 tables
PowerPoint 36, 77, 183–184, 326 offset headers and footers from body
PowerQuery 345, 355 316, 317
Preview tool 326 reducing number of digits 316–319
primary and secondary axes 42, 42 resize columns and rows 320, 320, 321
programming languages 351–352 text and numbers alignment 316–319,
Python 352 318, 319
unit repetition removal 320–321, 321
Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) 26, 27 visual elements 322
TEXT 229, 290
R language 4, 18, 331, 352 text and numbers alignment 316–319, 318, 319
raincloud plot 303–314, 375–376 text formatting 43–44
RAWGraphs 5, 351 Themes 75
redesigns 331–344 3D graphs 21, 22
Red Green Blue (RGB) code 77, 82 tile grid map 239, 370–371
Redo button 26 time data type 13
relative reference 54–56 transparency 40, 260, 265
ribbon 26, 42 2-D Column 47
rows 27, 320, 320, 321 2D graphs 22, 22
Type 45–46, 106, 242
Save 26, 27, 78
Scatter chart 142, 188, 218, 233, 285 uncertainty 303
Scatter-Overlaid series 215 Undo button 26
Screencast-o-matic 326 unit chart 103
screenshots 325, 326 unit repetition 320–321, 321
Secondary Axis 162, 232
Select Data 30, 31, 40, 118, 130, 188, 205, 206 VALUE() 174
sequential color palette 91 value comparison
Series Options 156, 264 horizontal layout 126–134, 360–361
Series Overlap 41, 47, 218, 264 vertical layout 125–126, 133, 360
Shape Fill 35 Values From Cells 194, 236, 253, 293
Shape Outline 35 VBA see Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)
Sim Daltonism 348 Vertical axis crosses 152
single value tile grid map 242–247, 254–255 vertical error bar 181, 216, 265, 311
Slide Size 330 View 95, 114
 Index 383

“Viridis” color palette 81 worksheet 27

Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) 72, 115, cell alignment 44
326, 345, 355 copy and paste 43, 43
VLOOKUP 65–69, 71, 242, 246, 248, 249, data sorting 44–45, 45
276–281, 345 formatting 42–47
number formats 45–47, 46, 47
waffle chart 103–109, 358 text formatting 43–44
WebAIM Color Contrast Checker 348 World Wide Web Consortium (2019) 75
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Wrap Text 44, 229
(WCAG) 75
WEEKNUM 304 XLOOKUP 65, 66, 70, 71
whiskers 305 XML file 80, 80–82, 81
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