Do the data points themselves appear? It may be that you are using 0 as the X value, but you need a value of 0.5. If the main series are line chart series, and the Y axis crosses the X axis between categories, that means it crosses at X = 0.5, rather than X = 1.

I really love your solution to have panel chart with different scale (http://peltiertech.com/Excel/ChartsHowTo/PanelUnevenScales.html). It allows the user to analyse better. I tried to follow the steps that you have indicated in your web link unfortunately i didn’t get the desired result as published. When the XY series is placed on the primary axis, the data label will not appear. I am using excel 2007, wondering if that’s the cause for it? Is there another solution for user who are using excel 2007? Appreciate your advice on this.

If you use the methodology in Panel Charts with Different Scales, you don’t need to worry that on series had negative values. The min values in row 9 of the data range will be negative, and the rest of the formulas will adjust accordingly. Your only duty is to somehow provide a line for the X axis in that panel, using an approach like Adding a Line to a Column or Line Chart, or if you’re industrious, you can add a secondary category axis which crosses the secondary value axis at zero, and has the same scale as the primary category axis but has no axis tick marks or tick labels.

I sincerely attempted to do a panel chart in the present case to avoid a dual axis but found it difficult with a negative value. I chose the easier option for separating the value lines from the % lines by choosing the scale mentioned above to make it panel like & ended up being questioned about my knowledge of elementary mathematics
Thanks,
Savithri

But if you can’t avoid it (not just that you’re too laze, but your boss insists or whatever), it’s best if both axes reflect a common baseline. To make the horizontal axis cross both vertical axes at Y=0, you need to adjust the mina nd max of both vertical axes. This is easiest using VBA, as described in Align X Axis to Y=0 on Two Y Axes (VBA).

My son picked up some values between 0 & 15%. He asks me when I would have plotted these values in the 1st quadrant on a graph sheet, why is it I’m doing this in the 4th quadrant in Excel. He is not convinced when I ask him to read the values for the %s on the RHS & ignore the LHS.

He feels that the secondary axis has to mirror primary axis & it is not enough to just align values on primary & secondary axis. For him 0 in primary axis should coincide with 0 in secondary axis whatever be the scales on either sides & whatever be the medium used for plotting them. Is he right?
Savithri

The Straight Dope On the Fahrenheit scale, do 0 and 100 have any special significance?

Nice to pick up a tip or two on formatting and labeling the second axis.

I have read your blog for a while and keep finding great tips and tricks. Glad to see that you are more responsive than the servers. Keep up the great insight.

- Lee