Hmmm...

This is a challenge to put into words, but here goes.

I have to make a simple bar graph showing sales results from our ten clients.

All I want for each client is a bar with what we budgeted their sales would
be for the year, and...one bar next to that one that actually shows two
values - sales year-to-date and then ON TOP of that sales expected by year
end.

So, for example...if client "Alpha" has a sales budget of $100,000 we'd see
a bar showing $100K, and if their sales year-to-date is $80,000 and we expect
$30,000 more in sales the bar next to the "budget" bar would show a bar up to
$80,000 in one color (for sales year to date) and then ON TOP of that bar,
another bar (different color for sales expected) showing an additional
$30,000 for a TOTAL of $110,000.

So as we look at the chart we instantly see what we budgeted, but with the
year-to-date and expected sales combined on a bar next to the budgeted bar,
we see where we'll end up.

I really hope this makes sense.

Thank you very much for your help!

"SRS" wrote:

Hmmm...

This is a challenge to put into words, but here goes.

I have to make a simple bar graph showing sales results from our ten clients.

All I want for each client is a bar with what we budgeted their sales would
be for the year, and...one bar next to that one that actually shows two
values - sales year-to-date and then ON TOP of that sales expected by year
end.

So, for example...if client "Alpha" has a sales budget of $100,000 we'd see
a bar showing $100K, and if their sales year-to-date is $80,000 and we expect
$30,000 more in sales the bar next to the "budget" bar would show a bar up to
$80,000 in one color (for sales year to date) and then ON TOP of that bar,
another bar (different color for sales expected) showing an additional
$30,000 for a TOTAL of $110,000.

So as we look at the chart we instantly see what we budgeted, but with the
year-to-date and expected sales combined on a bar next to the budgeted bar,
we see where we'll end up.

I really hope this makes sense.

Thank you very much for your help!

Sounds like what you actually want to create is a Gantt type chart (although
not as complex). All this means is that you're creating a bar chart, using
2xbars with 100% overlap. (create the two lines as normal, and then format
one of them to be transparent. (so long as you make the data series with zero
colour, but an outline, you can get the label (value) visible too) If you
then use the format data series - options - overlap @100%, that should get
you most of the way). If that doesn't seem to do the trick, let me know,
there's other ways of doing so. Rgds, Rob

Rob:
Thanks for the suggestion...however that merges ALL the bars on the graph.

I want the "budget" bar to be left alone (in this example showing $100K) and
then merge the 'sales year-to-date' bar ($80K) and the 'expected sales' bar
($30K) together to show a total sales bar of $110K NEXT to the 'budget' bar
of $100K.

Am I making sense? Hope so. Any ideas?



"Rob Crawford" wrote:



"SRS" wrote:

Hmmm...

This is a challenge to put into words, but here goes.

I have to make a simple bar graph showing sales results from our ten clients.

All I want for each client is a bar with what we budgeted their sales would
be for the year, and...one bar next to that one that actually shows two
values - sales year-to-date and then ON TOP of that sales expected by year
end.

So, for example...if client "Alpha" has a sales budget of $100,000 we'd see
a bar showing $100K, and if their sales year-to-date is $80,000 and we expect
$30,000 more in sales the bar next to the "budget" bar would show a bar up to
$80,000 in one color (for sales year to date) and then ON TOP of that bar,
another bar (different color for sales expected) showing an additional
$30,000 for a TOTAL of $110,000.

So as we look at the chart we instantly see what we budgeted, but with the
year-to-date and expected sales combined on a bar next to the budgeted bar,
we see where we'll end up.

I really hope this makes sense.

Thank you very much for your help!

Sounds like what you actually want to create is a Gantt type chart (although
not as complex). All this means is that you're creating a bar chart, using
2xbars with 100% overlap. (create the two lines as normal, and then format
one of them to be transparent. (so long as you make the data series with zero
colour, but an outline, you can get the label (value) visible too) If you
then use the format data series - options - overlap @100%, that should get
you most of the way). If that doesn't seem to do the trick, let me know,
there's other ways of doing so. Rgds, Rob