How do I make a thermometer chart in Excel?

A thermometer chart is a great way of visually showing the percentage of task that is completed or progress towards a specific goal. View the video demonstration below to learn how to create your own thermometer chart in Excel 2007.

What you will need to do is create a chart that uses a single cell reference as a data series (this will be your percentage).

You will then do a little formatting and tweaking of the Data Series (gap width to zero) and Axis options (minimum zero and maximum 1). Insert a textbox and link it to your percentage value (insert > textbox> (draw box where you want it) > F2 > =(select % value cell).

The rest is just cosmetic and you can play around with Excel's formatting options to suit yourself.

How do I add pictures to my chart in Excel?

Customising your excel charts with pictures is a fun and simple process. You can chose to have a picture background, picture plot area or even picture columns. See the video demonstration eblow or scroll down for a few basic instructions. Example from John Walkenbach's Excel 2007 Bible.

Background or plot area picture: Left click into the chart (or plot area only) to select it and then right click to bring up the menu. Choose Format Chart Area (or Format Plot Area if you are only adding the picture behind the series). Under fill options, select Picture or Texture Fill.

Insert from file to browse for the location of the picture on your computer and select the image you require. You can now make any stretch or transparency adjustments as you see fit. Close. There you have a picture background!

Columns as picture: Left click onto the columns in order to select them and right click to bring up the menu. Choose Format Data Series > Fill > Picture or Texture Fill > Insert From File. Locate the image on your computer and select it.

Several options are available to stretch the image, stack the image or scale it. Adjust these as suits your needs. Close. Now you have picture columns!

How do I add another series into a chart in Excel?

Sometimes you may need to add another data series into a chart you have already created. Below I have created the chart with January and February data when the March figures came in. How do I add this information to the chart too? There are a couple of ways of going about it. Let's take a look.

View the video demonstration below or scroll down for written directions on how this is done in Excel 2007.

Method 1:

If the data you want to include is located next to your other data series, click onto the chart to select it. You will notice that a blue outline will appear around the data series. Simply drag the blue outline to include the new data.

Method 2:

If it is not practical to use mthod 1 (maybe you want a data series not located next to the anothers), click into the chart and right click to bring up the menu. Select data > Add. Enter the relevant information. The optional series name usually will refer to the column heading. You can then choose the series value by highlighting the range of data you want to include.

That's all there is to it.

How do I create a combination chart in Excel?

A combination chart is a single chart that can plot series as different chart types. Sometimes this involves using a secondary axis. I have made one below in order to show you what a typical combination chart might look like.

Watch the video demonstration or scroll down for written instructions on how to create your own combination chart using MS Office Excel 2007. Example from John Walkenbach's Excel 2007 Bible.

Creating a combination requires you to change one or more of the data series to a different chart type. This can be done by selecting the series you want to change and then Chart Tools > Design > Type > Change Chart Type.

From there simply select the type of new chart format you would like for that series. I find that lines and columns work well together but you can play around to find what suits you.

What if your data series have very different ranges? In that case you might want to plot one of the series on a secondary value axis.

A secondary value axis will add a new numbered axis on the other side of your chart. To do this, left-click on one of the data series and right-click to bring up the menu. Choose Format Data Series > Plot Series on Secondary Axis.