The data table option in a chart can have some annoyances. Today, a question (and a solution) from the Virginia Tech seminar. Episode 972 shows yet another cool use for the camera tool.
This video is the podcast companion to the book, Learn Excel 97-2007 from MrExcel. Download a new two minute video every workday to learn one of the 377 tips from the book!
This video is the podcast companion to the book, Learn Excel 97-2007 from MrExcel. Download a new two minute video every workday to learn one of the 377 tips from the book!
Transcript of the video:
Hey, welcome back to the MrExcel netcast.
I am Bill Jelen.
Basically, we start out with massive amount of data.
How we're going to analyze as well plus file up a pivot table.
Let’s see if we can solve this problem.
Welcome back to the MrExcel netcast.
I am Bill Jelen.
Today a great question and a solution both from Virginia Tech.
I was down there doing a seminar and someone's that they had this nice chart showing last year and this year by Month and they went into the chart and added the data table.
All right, so Data Table>Show Data Table.
Shows up down there below the chart and that was cool.
But then the manager said Hey well, It'd be really nice if you could add the year total, at the end of this.
And so, unfortunately when they added the year total to the chart, you know now that you are just you know it looks horrible.
Because the year is so large, all of the other numbers become small.
And you know trying to figure out how we're going to solve this well...
This is a case where the camera tool comes back into play.
I'm going to go back to the original chart.
Let's just make the plot area smaller.
So we have room down there for the table, and then we're going to use something called the Camera Tool.
Now, I've added is the Quick Access Toolbar.
You're going to have to either add it to the quick access toolbar or customize the toolbars in 2003, to get to the camera tool.
I'm going to choose this range here that includes the totals.
Click the Camera Tool and then click Inside the chart, and it's going to paste a dynamic picture of that table right in the chart.
I'll resize it.
So it's nice and small.
This actually looks a lot better than the table that that Excel creates.
And what's really cool, will change the number here.
So, from 32 million up to 40 million.
When I press enter, you're going to watch down in the table.
the table automatically updates to show that new number.
So it is a live link.
Great tip!
Want to thank the folks down at Virginia tech for having me down and for passing this cool tip along.
We'll see you next time for another netcast from MrExcel.
I am Bill Jelen.
Basically, we start out with massive amount of data.
How we're going to analyze as well plus file up a pivot table.
Let’s see if we can solve this problem.
Welcome back to the MrExcel netcast.
I am Bill Jelen.
Today a great question and a solution both from Virginia Tech.
I was down there doing a seminar and someone's that they had this nice chart showing last year and this year by Month and they went into the chart and added the data table.
All right, so Data Table>Show Data Table.
Shows up down there below the chart and that was cool.
But then the manager said Hey well, It'd be really nice if you could add the year total, at the end of this.
And so, unfortunately when they added the year total to the chart, you know now that you are just you know it looks horrible.
Because the year is so large, all of the other numbers become small.
And you know trying to figure out how we're going to solve this well...
This is a case where the camera tool comes back into play.
I'm going to go back to the original chart.
Let's just make the plot area smaller.
So we have room down there for the table, and then we're going to use something called the Camera Tool.
Now, I've added is the Quick Access Toolbar.
You're going to have to either add it to the quick access toolbar or customize the toolbars in 2003, to get to the camera tool.
I'm going to choose this range here that includes the totals.
Click the Camera Tool and then click Inside the chart, and it's going to paste a dynamic picture of that table right in the chart.
I'll resize it.
So it's nice and small.
This actually looks a lot better than the table that that Excel creates.
And what's really cool, will change the number here.
So, from 32 million up to 40 million.
When I press enter, you're going to watch down in the table.
the table automatically updates to show that new number.
So it is a live link.
Great tip!
Want to thank the folks down at Virginia tech for having me down and for passing this cool tip along.
We'll see you next time for another netcast from MrExcel.
