How to Create Combination Charts 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 a combination chart, we can plot more than one kind of chart in a single graph. This chart allows the user to present and compare two different data sets that are related to each other (in a single chart). In combination charts, one can have two Y-axis, which allows you to have two different types of data points in the same chart.

Creating a Combination chart for comparison

Suppose we want to compare both the sales in unit and profit margin numbers of the product in the same chart.

 First, we will create a regular chart say a column chart.

Steps to create a column create a column chart

Step 1: Select the data

Step 2: Click on the ‘Insert’ tab and select column chart.

Step 3: A column chart will get created

To create a combination chart from this clustered column chart, follow the below steps,

Step 1: Right-click on any bar and select the ‘change series chart type’ option.

Step 2: In the change chart dialog box, make sure the Combo category is selected.

Step 3: Click the dropdown of the profit field.

Step 4: Select the Line with markers option.

Step 5: Select the secondary axis checkbox.

Step 6: Press Ok.

Output

We can see that there is two y-axes. We can compare both the values (sales and profit) in the same graph simultaneously.