How to Create a Column Chart for Comparing Data in Excel?

Excel is powerful data visualization and data management tool which can be used to store, analyze, and create reports on large data. It can be used to visualize and compare data using a graph plot. In excel we can plot different kinds of graphs like line graphs, bar graphs, etc. to visualize or analyze the trend. In the Column chart, the field value is represented using vertical bars. It is the best way to compare items side-by-side. The column chart and bar chart is almost the same, the only difference is in the column chart bar is represented vertically while it is represented horizontally in a bar graph.

Column Chart for Comparing Data in Excel

We can easily plot a line chart in excel, following the below steps. For the purpose of demonstration, we will use the below-given data (showing sales of a product over different years),

Step 1: Select the cell containing product data.

Step 2: Select the ‘Insert’ Tab from the top ribbon and select the column chart.

Output

Multiple data fields can also be plotted in a single graph for comparison. For example, suppose we have to compare the sale of two products over different years.

 Step 1: Select the cell containing product data.

 Step 2: Select the ‘Insert’ Tab from the top ribbon and select the column chart.

Output