Problem with custom line chart, lines with two axes

D

Dora Smith

I created a custom line chart with lines on 2 axes. It was supposed to
show date by months in the x axis, number of records in the first y axis,
and percentage of records in the second y axis. It does show the x and y
axes correctly.

I selected month, and then the three adjacent columns of data to plot in
three separate lines on this plot; number of acceptable records, % of
acceptable records to total, and % of acceptable records to valid.

My legend shows number of acceptable records, % of acceptable records to
total, and % of acceptable records to valid.

The chart graphed all acceptable records and % of acceptable records to
valid (the first and third of the three adjacent columns I selected
together) correctly, but graphed % of acceptable records to total (the
second of the three adjacent columns selected together) as a flat line with
y value of 0.

I actually made two of this graph; one for fiscal year 2004, and the other
for fiscal year 2005, with identical results.

My boss suggested that maybe the names are two similar and had me change
one, and this changed nothing.

% acceptable records to total ranges from 20 to 32 percent, and % of
acceptable records to valid records ranges from 19 to 39 percent, and when
these two are graphed together on a line graph, they show jagged lines that
for the most part run parallel to each other. The data itself does not
present a logical reason why one column of data should flatline at zero on
the graph.

What is the reason why only two of the lines graph correctly on the custom
line chart with two axes? Is it supposed to display correctly only two
lines? And why did it pick the first and third column of data instead of
the first and second line of data to display correctly?

Is tehre a way to get all three columns of data to graph correctly?
 
J

Jon Peltier

Excel assumes that you want to put the lines onto the primary and secondary
Y axes a certain way, and usually it's not the way that you had in mind.

Better than using the built in custom types is to make your own. Plot all
series as a plain vanilla line chart. Double click on a series you want on
the secondary Y axis, and choose Secondary on the Axis tab. Repeat as
necessary.

- Jon
 

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