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=> GENERAL DISCUSSION => Topic started by: Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer on March 11, 2004, 12:26:00 pm

Title: MS Excel question
Post by: Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer on March 11, 2004, 12:26:00 pm: Ok, so maybe I'll get a better response to my post on the mrexcel chatboard (hey, another place for GGW to stalk me!), but what the hell...any of you nerds here have any idea?

I have a graph with monthly data points that automatically connects the monthly data points.

The problem occurs when the data is quarterly (on some of the data). Thus, when there is missing data, the data points don't connect. I can't very well make up data for the missing months just to get the points to connect, as it would plot nonexistant data.

Any suggestions on how to get them to connect?
Title: Re: MS Excel question
Post by: ratioci nation on March 11, 2004, 12:36:00 pm: If I understand correctly, they shouldn't connect, if there was a line connecting them wouldn't it be representing nonexistant data?
Title: Re: MS Excel question
Post by: Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer on March 11, 2004, 12:49:00 pm: Nope. The boss wants the line in this case. The data is reported either monthly, quarterly, or annually. It's a measure of data for one whole month, quarter, or year, even though it's one number representing an entire time span. Seems the graph defaults to a monthly plot, and if you're graphing quarterly data you'll have missing months (even though all three months are covered in a quarter).

That Mr.Excel chatboard is quick. Within a minute, I got a response to use #N/A in the cells lacking data. Thus, I will have continuity and get my lines, without data points at points where there is no data.
Title: Re: MS Excel question
Post by: eltee on March 11, 2004, 01:00:00 pm: Quote
Originally posted by Venerable Balls:
to use #N/A
I was close -- I was going to say use "0" but then your lines would drop.
Title: Re: MS Excel question
Post by: ggw on March 11, 2004, 01:11:00 pm: You have to type in =NA()

If you use #NA, the interceding points will all be zero.
Title: Re: MS Excel question
Post by: brennser on March 11, 2004, 01:46:00 pm: #N/A works as well
Title: Re: MS Excel question
Post by: Celeste on March 11, 2004, 02:52:00 pm: Quote
Originally posted by Venerable Balls:
That Mr.Excel chatboard is quick.
Yeah but I bet they couldn't tell you whether British Sea Power was going to sell out.
Title: Re: MS Excel question
Post by: markie on March 11, 2004, 03:08:00 pm: I do all my graphing in an ancient application called Kaleidagraph. It is a useless spreadsheet, but makes beautiful graphs.

http://www.synergy.com (http://www.synergy.com)
Title: Re: MS Excel question
Post by: mankie on March 11, 2004, 03:10:00 pm: Quote
Originally posted by Celestial Balls:

Quote
Originally posted by Venerable Balls:
That Mr.Excel chatboard is quick.
Yeah but I bet they couldn't tell you whether British Sea Power was going to sell out. [/b]
It's so quick because there's only Venerable Balls and GGW on it.
Title: Re: MS Excel question
Post by: Samantha on March 11, 2004, 03:52:00 pm: speaking of Excel. I gotta learn that fucker...my bf is going to give me a copy. I'm searching for a receptionist job by this summer and it looks like all jobs want you to know it. I'm so idiotic when it comes to these programs.
Title: Re: MS Excel question
Post by: angelml on March 12, 2004, 04:14:00 pm: lol...that's funny...i had the same question last week...but in the end, my boss didn't care about the line...the data points were more important to him...