Elegantly Graph Ranks Per Region with Sales Figures

[ninaking]

Hi,

I'm trying to elegantly show all of the rankings for my sales regions in one chart. The only thing I could come up with was a line chart (I know, lame!). Any suggestions?

[TABLE="width: 1024"]
<colgroup><col style="width:48pt" span="16" width="64"> </colgroup><tbody>[TR]
[TD="class: xl64, width: 256, colspan: 4"]Computers[/TD]
[TD="class: xl64, width: 256, colspan: 4"]Industrial[/TD]
[TD="class: xl64, width: 256, colspan: 4"]Vehicles[/TD]
[TD="class: xl64, width: 256, colspan: 4"]Retail[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Origin[/TD]
[TD]Dest[/TD]
[TD]Sales[/TD]
[TD]Rank[/TD]
[TD]Origin[/TD]
[TD]Dest[/TD]
[TD]Sales[/TD]
[TD]Rank[/TD]
[TD]Origin[/TD]
[TD]Dest[/TD]
[TD]Sales[/TD]
[TD]Rank[/TD]
[TD]Origin[/TD]
[TD]Dest[/TD]
[TD]Sales[/TD]
[TD]Rank[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD="class: xl63, align: right"]1,581[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD="class: xl63, align: right"]1,166[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]362[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD="class: xl63, align: right"]1,039[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]890[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]2[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD="class: xl63, align: right"]1,075[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]2[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]276[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]2[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]814[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]2[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD]Region3[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]802[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]3[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]940[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]3[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD]Region3[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]270[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]3[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]622[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]226[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]4[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]751[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]4[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]227[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]4[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD]Region3[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]517[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]4[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Region3[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]204[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]5[/TD]
[TD]Region3[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]740[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]5[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]206[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]5[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]416[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]166[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]6[/TD]
[TD]Region3[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]674[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]6[/TD]
[TD]Region3[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]186[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]6[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD]Region3[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]274[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]160[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]7[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD]Region3[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]449[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]7[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD]Region3[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]183[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]7[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]222[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]7[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Region3[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]153[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]8[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]381[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]8[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]127[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]8[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD]Region3[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]174[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]8[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Region3[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]150[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]9[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD]Region3[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]341[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]9[/TD]
[TD]Region3[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]126[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]9[/TD]
[TD]Region3[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]172[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]9[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD]Region3[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]120[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]10[/TD]
[TD]Region3[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]318[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]10[/TD]
[TD]Region3[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]126[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]10[/TD]
[TD]Region3[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]153[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]10[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]38[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]11[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]123[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]11[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD]Region3[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]104[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]11[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]114[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]11[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]32[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]12[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]104[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]12[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]62[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]12[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]102[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]12[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]28[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]13[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]91[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]13[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]51[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]13[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]100[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]13[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD]Region2[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]21[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]14[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]60[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]14[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]39[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]14[/TD]
[TD]Region3[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]83[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]14[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD]Region3[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]19[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]15[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD]Region3[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]46[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]15[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]32[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]15[/TD]
[TD]Region4[/TD]
[TD]Region1[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]41[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]15[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

 

[Gerald Higgins]

Personally, I think I would use bar charts, one for each category - so one for "Computers", another for "Industrial" and so on.

I don't think I would bother with charting the rankings themselves, just the absolute sales figure.
You could sequence the regions in order of sales, which would allow users to determine the ranking themselves.
And I would guess people are really only interested in the top 3 or 5, few will care about the difference between 13, 14 and 15, so it won't matter too much if it's difficult to tell that a specific region is ranked 14th or 15th.
You could also consider NOT sequencing the regions in order of sales - keep the regions in the same sequence in each chart, so that it is easier to find any one region in all the charts.
Keep all the charts close together, to allow people to compare them with each other.

You could also consider a stacked bar chart, but I think with data like your's that would be too complicated. It might LOOK good, and people might be impressed with your Excel skills, but if you really want people to understand the data, then I would avoid that for a chart like this.

You could also look at various charting websites for inspiration - here's one.
http://peltiertech.com/Excel/Charts/ChartIndex.html