Comments on: Plot Two Time Series With Different Dates http://peltiertech.com/WordPress/plot-two-time-series-with-different-dates/ Peltier Tech Excel Charts and Programming Blog Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:37:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: Sam http://peltiertech.com/WordPress/plot-two-time-series-with-different-dates/comment-page-1/#comment-180352 Sam Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:18:44 +0000 http://peltiertech.com/WordPress/?p=1434#comment-180352 I was able to get it to work. I didn't have the cell above the date range blank, and after selecting the entire range to make my chart I had to tweak the series and horizontal axis selections that Excel automatically made, because the first three columns in my table were being used as the horizontal axis values. Making sure that my series values, which were imported from Microsoft Access, were in number format was another important adjustment I originally overlooked. Thank you for your help! -Sam I was able to get it to work. I didn’t have the cell above the date range blank, and after selecting the entire range to make my chart I had to tweak the series and horizontal axis selections that Excel automatically made, because the first three columns in my table were being used as the horizontal axis values. Making sure that my series values, which were imported from Microsoft Access, were in number format was another important adjustment I originally overlooked.

Thank you for your help!
-Sam

]]> By: Jon Peltier http://peltiertech.com/WordPress/plot-two-time-series-with-different-dates/comment-page-1/#comment-180022 Jon Peltier Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:00:36 +0000 http://peltiertech.com/WordPress/?p=1434#comment-180022 Sam - This works the same in Excel 2000 through 2010. Your data range may not be properly set up. Look at the example range in the article above. Are all the dates in the first column (column G)? Do all columns with Y values have a series name in the first cell (H1, I1)? Is the cell above the dates blank (G1)? Have you selected the entire range to make your line chart (G1:I27)? Sam -

This works the same in Excel 2000 through 2010. Your data range may not be properly set up.

Look at the example range in the article above. Are all the dates in the first column (column G)? Do all columns with Y values have a series name in the first cell (H1, I1)? Is the cell above the dates blank (G1)? Have you selected the entire range to make your line chart (G1:I27)?

]]> By: Sam http://peltiertech.com/WordPress/plot-two-time-series-with-different-dates/comment-page-1/#comment-180017 Sam Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:05:09 +0000 http://peltiertech.com/WordPress/?p=1434#comment-180017 I am trying to plot multiple series in a line chart with the timescale x-axis, and of course each series has a unique set of dates associated with the data points. I got excited when I found this post, and especially "But there's an easier way." However, I am trying this method of offset series columns in Excel 2010 and I'm noticing that Excel is not sorting the dates automatically. Instead, it is choosing the date range adjacent to one of the series and plotting both series on that range. This of course is exactly what I'm trying not to do. When I try to do this with more than two series (I have 10), Excel chooses the first date from the range adjacent to each series and makes a multi-level category line chart. Do you know if this method works in Excel 2010 at all? Am I just doing it wrong? Thanks! Sam I am trying to plot multiple series in a line chart with the timescale x-axis, and of course each series has a unique set of dates associated with the data points. I got excited when I found this post, and especially “But there’s an easier way.” However, I am trying this method of offset series columns in Excel 2010 and I’m noticing that Excel is not sorting the dates automatically. Instead, it is choosing the date range adjacent to one of the series and plotting both series on that range. This of course is exactly what I’m trying not to do. When I try to do this with more than two series (I have 10), Excel chooses the first date from the range adjacent to each series and makes a multi-level category line chart. Do you know if this method works in Excel 2010 at all? Am I just doing it wrong?

Thanks!
Sam

]]> By: Jon Peltier http://peltiertech.com/WordPress/plot-two-time-series-with-different-dates/comment-page-1/#comment-176232 Jon Peltier Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:00:20 +0000 http://peltiertech.com/WordPress/?p=1434#comment-176232 John - I put your email into another comment, just to keep the discussion in one place. Excel 2007 screwed up Line-XY combination charts, which seems to be the problem you're having. Find "But there’s an easier way" in this post, and set up your data following that example. Make a line chart, and make sure to set plotting of blank cells to interpolating a line across the gap. John -

I put your email into another comment, just to keep the discussion in one place.

Excel 2007 screwed up Line-XY combination charts, which seems to be the problem you’re having.

Find “But there’s an easier way” in this post, and set up your data following that example. Make a line chart, and make sure to set plotting of blank cells to interpolating a line across the gap.

]]> By: John Meudell http://peltiertech.com/WordPress/plot-two-time-series-with-different-dates/comment-page-1/#comment-176231 John Meudell Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:49:22 +0000 http://peltiertech.com/WordPress/?p=1434#comment-176231 Line series originally. I've now changed the chart type to XY but....can no longer use a clear date reference for the axis scaling (although it will still display a set of dates). So I have to frigg around with the scale numbers until I get dates that roughly correspond to the ones I want (end of month, they vary by about two or three days). It's a right pain and looks really untidy. I never had this problem with 2003. Very easy to produce good axis scales and ranges independent of the XY series data. There looks to be a residual capability to set the X axis...but it doesn't appear to work once the series have been specified. Line series originally. I’ve now changed the chart type to XY but….can no longer use a clear date reference for the axis scaling (although it will still display a set of dates). So I have to frigg around with the scale numbers until I get dates that roughly correspond to the ones I want (end of month, they vary by about two or three days). It’s a right pain and looks really untidy.

I never had this problem with 2003. Very easy to produce good axis scales and ranges independent of the XY series data. There looks to be a residual capability to set the X axis…but it doesn’t appear to work once the series have been specified.

]]> By: Jon Peltier http://peltiertech.com/WordPress/plot-two-time-series-with-different-dates/comment-page-1/#comment-176223 Jon Peltier Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:23:49 +0000 http://peltiertech.com/WordPress/?p=1434#comment-176223 John - Are your series plotted as Line series, or as XY series? In either case, the behavior is the same in all versions of Excel. The different appearance of the dialogs and menus/ribbons may mean you're following a different set of procedures, even though it seems the same as before. A Line Chart uses the same X values for all primary line series, and the same X values for all secondary line series; the primary and secondary X values need not be the same. This behavior has not changed since Excel 97 or perhaps earlier. Remember also that any numbers are treated as non-numeric text labels on a line chart's axis. If your series were specified using different X values (by copy and paste special, or by editing the series formulas), even though they're on the same axis, all Excel versions remember these different X values for each series. If you define or redefine the X values for one of the series on a given axis, all Excel versions assign these redefined X values to all series on the affected axis. No series on the other axis are affected. If you subsequently redefine a series' X values by editing the series formula, Excel will again keep the X values of each series separate, even though it still uses just the first series' X values in the chart. John -

Are your series plotted as Line series, or as XY series? In either case, the behavior is the same in all versions of Excel. The different appearance of the dialogs and menus/ribbons may mean you’re following a different set of procedures, even though it seems the same as before.

A Line Chart uses the same X values for all primary line series, and the same X values for all secondary line series; the primary and secondary X values need not be the same. This behavior has not changed since Excel 97 or perhaps earlier.

Remember also that any numbers are treated as non-numeric text labels on a line chart’s axis.

If your series were specified using different X values (by copy and paste special, or by editing the series formulas), even though they’re on the same axis, all Excel versions remember these different X values for each series.

If you define or redefine the X values for one of the series on a given axis, all Excel versions assign these redefined X values to all series on the affected axis. No series on the other axis are affected. If you subsequently redefine a series’ X values by editing the series formula, Excel will again keep the X values of each series separate, even though it still uses just the first series’ X values in the chart.

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