They say a picture is worth a thousand words… so how many does an animated graph get us?

This morning I was working on a research proposal presentation.

Essentially, the research aims to develop a way to measure, plot and visualize corporations’ strategic agility. 

The conceptualization is influenced by the indifference curve in economics:

An indifference curve represents a series of combinations between two different economic goods, between which an individual would be theoretically indifferent regardless of which combination he received.

I used a graph in Excel to plot a sample “indifference curve of agility:”

While illustrative, this chart takes a bit of explaining. I find it a nuisance when presenters must use a ruler or laser pointer to guide the audience through a slide. Let the slide guide itself.

So, I used a little VBA to make this chart come alive. These two GIFs illusrate two types of movement along indifference curves (along the same curve and across to a new curve).

Download exercise file here

 Learning VBA…

I got into VBA far too late in my career. It intimidated me. I thought it was for “real” developers only.

Then I took Jon Acampora’s VBA Pro Course.

This thing is an Excel tour de force. I had applied his tutorials to my own work before the course ended, automating tasks that once took hours.

Check out the class. Use this link and I receive a portion of the sales from the course.

The post Visualizing Movements Along a Line in Excel first appeared on Stringfest Analytics.

Sizing your graph can also be challenging, especially when you add or delete cells. Snap! Stretch! Your graph changes size with cell adjustments.

Follow these steps to avoid this common nuisance:

Download the exercise file here. 

How it works:

1. Double-click on perimeter of graph.
2. Select “Size & Properties” under “Format Shape”
3. Under “Properties,” select “Move but don’t size with cells.”

Like this tip? Subscribe for more and get your free ebook on “getting hired with Excel.”

The post Excel Tip: Freeze Chart Size from Cell Adjustments first appeared on Stringfest Analytics.

That “Select Data Source” dialogue box is so sensitive that it could drive you crazy!

Select Data Source: a common source of frustration when working with Excel charts.

Turns out there is a way to add data to a chart without using that dialogue box.

In our example, we have graphed data from Q1-Q3 and want to add Q4.

Did you know you can simply copy and paste the data you want graphed into your chart and it will update?

How it works:

1. Select the range of data (including labels) you would like to add to your graph.

2. Ctrl + C to copy range.

3. Click anywhere on chart.

4. Ctrl + V to paste.

5. Your graph is updated! No dialogue box required.

Download the exercise file here. 

h/t to Excel TV’s new course on data visualization for teaching me this trick.

The post Pasting Data into an Excel Chart first appeared on Stringfest Analytics.

But I’ll spare you the dissertation and show you this great trick I learned from a Bill Jelen YouTube seminar.

Excel graphs can often look monochromatic (there’s my Greek training!). Here’s a quick way to enliven a dull graph using the “Vary color by point” option:

The post Excel Tip: Add Some Color to Your Chart! first appeared on Stringfest Analytics.