Work around for graphing negative values with a logarithmic scale?

susom

Board Regular
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Messages
55
Office Version
  1. 365
Platform
  1. Windows
Is there a work around for plotting negative and positive growth values in excel in a logarithmic scale format, while preserving the original data values?

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I am plotting EBITDA growth over 2 different periods as a bar graph. In some cases, the growth in one period will be negative, and in others it is positive. One bar goes up off the x-axis, and one bar will go down, which is exactly what I want. However, what I want to highlight is the relative difference in the EBITDA over the two periods. I.e. if EBITDA goes from 100 to 75, the growth is -25%. If EBITDA then goes back to 100, the growth is 33%. I want the graph to display -25% and + 33% as the same sized bars. The way it graphs now, growth looks to be 50% larger than the decline, but reality is that it is exactly the same.


Excel will not display logarithmic scales with negative values properly.
I can take the logarithmic growth of the data, which will produce the right sized bars when plotted. However, I lose the ability to show the data values, and scales in the original values. I.e. the LN() of the growth values in the scenario described above would be -29% and +29%. The bars are now equal size, but neither the data labels, nor the scale would be the actual values, which is what I want to show.

Anyone have any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions for a possible work around that do not involve manually changing the values in the data labels or the scale? This file will be used as a template for many future analyses, and I am trying to automate as much as possible.
 

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There is a "not so perfect, but acceptable" work around that I have discovered. It basically requires that you make a calculation of the growth relative to the decline. I.e. (1+negative growth value)*positive growth, or as in my example (1-25%)x33%=25%.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
The graph then becomes a plot of the negative growth value (i.e. -33%), and the relative positive growth value (i.e. the calculated 25%). From there, you add the data labels to the chart. The next step involves adjusting the data labels for the positive growth values. You do this by clicking on each one individually, and use the formula bar to link to the actual growth value you want to display as the data label. <o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
You could just manually type the correct value into the data label, but that would require you to update the values every time you refresh the graph. FYI, it is at this point, where you could type over the label, that you use the formula bar to link to the value you want to display by typing "=", and then clicking on the correct cell.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
So you don't confuse the end user of your graph, you should delete the y-axis label.
 
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