Three weeks ago I announced my first commercial utility, the PTS Waterfall Chart Utility (blog entry). If you want to download a trial version, or purchase the professional version, go to PTS Waterfall Chart Utility. To review the documentation, go to PTS Waterfall Chart Utility Documentation.

Today I’ve released an updated version. This version includes the requisite bug fixes (if Microsoft can fix bugs, so can I). It also includes the ability to access the Waterfall Chart routine from your own code, in the event you want to automate report generation. This capability is described in the documentation.

This is a good time to address a few questions I’ve received about this utility.

Mac versions

The Mac uses VBA 5, which was introduced in Excel 97. We poor boring PC guys received a VBA update with Office 2000, which contains a reasonable number of added commands. The PTS Waterfall Chart Utility was written in VBA 6. Because of the amount of code which will fail in VBA 5, the minuscule number of surviving Excel 97 users, and the relatively small number of Mac Excel users, I have decided not to chase a Waterfall Chart version for VBA 5.

If you run Windows emulation software on your Mac, I cannot claim to support it, but I see no reason why you couldn’t run the Waterfall Chart Utility on a Windows version of Excel (2000+) within the emulator.

Intermediate totals

A waterfall chart typically consists of a full bar at the start and end of the data, with floating bars in between. Sometimes it is desirable to insert a full bar at some intermediate point. This is readily done using the PTS Waterfall Chart Utility, as shown in the documentation.

Formatting

In an upcoming version, I will add the capability for users to define their own default formatting for a waterfall chart. In any case, the utility produces a regular Excel chart, which is fully editable by the user. This also means it’s fully breakable by the user, just like any Excel chart!

One Week Left

The introductory price of $25US for the PTS Waterfall Utility is valid for another week, through September 30. After that time, it will be priced at $40. To take advantage of this early-bird offer, go to the Download and Purchase page. Any regular updates will be available to those who have already purchased the utility, so don’t wait for more features.

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