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I'm getting my ass kicked trying to plot simple data into a simple chart in excel (2010 beta).

My data is a very simple one:

Value    Year  
-----    ----
1        1900
5        1902
3        1912

etc. In the chart, I want year to be the X axis and the value to be the Y axis, and have a single line mapping the change in value over years.

When I select my data, Excel wants to map both at the same time, rather than plotting each pair as a point on the graph.

How the heck do you do this?

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4 Answers

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I don't understand quite. What kind of graph do you want ? This ?

To get this, choose your chart as a linear type (xy scatter group). After that go to select data, and select x and y values by hand from series 1. After that, fix up a little your x axis properties, so the year shows every year, and not every two or so ... Might want to fix up the default look of the graph too.

alt text

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That looks like an inverted hockey stick graph ;) Hooray for the end of global warming! – menns Dec 10 '09 at 17:55
i could do with some ... it's -5 at my place ... <freezing> :( – ldigas Dec 10 '09 at 18:04
Actually, I was plotting some long term temperature data.... – Will Dec 21 '09 at 17:02
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In Excel 2003 you can change the source data series in step 2 of the chart wizard on the "Series" tab. Just change all the references from column A to B, and B to A.

You can also modify source data on an existing chart in the same way. Right-click a blank area on the chart and look for "Source Data..." in the context menu.

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Plot only values in the first column. Then add the values in the second column as labels for X axis.

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A little preparation saves a lot of hassle.

If you put the X values in the first column and the Y values in the second column, and create an XY chart, Excel will get it right.

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if you prepare your graph, then put it as a default, then select xy data, then press F11 you can save a lot of time in the long run ... – ldigas Dec 24 '09 at 1:18
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