Combo charts in Excel - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

👤 Your Role: You are a sales analyst at a retail company.

📋 Request: Your manager wants a clear visual report showing monthly sales revenue and the number of units sold side by side to understand sales performance better.

📊 Data: You have monthly sales data for the first half of the year. The data includes the month, total sales revenue in dollars, and the number of units sold each month.

🎯 Deliverable: Create a combo chart that shows sales revenue as columns and units sold as a line on the same chart for easy comparison.

Sample Data

Month	Sales Revenue ($)	Units Sold
January	12000	300
February	15000	350
March	13000	320
April	17000	400
May	16000	380
June	18000	420

1

Step 1: Select the data range including the headers and all rows (A1:C7).

Select cells A1 to C7.

Expected Result

The data range with months, sales revenue, and units sold is selected.

2

Step 2: Insert a combo chart by going to the Insert tab, clicking on 'Insert Combo Chart', and choosing 'Custom Combination Chart'.

Insert > Combo Chart > Custom Combination Chart.

Expected Result

A dialog box opens to customize the combo chart.

3

Step 3: Set 'Sales Revenue ($)' to be displayed as a Clustered Column chart type.

In the combo chart dialog, set 'Sales Revenue ($)' chart type to 'Clustered Column'.

Expected Result

Sales revenue data will appear as columns in the chart.

4

Step 4: Set 'Units Sold' to be displayed as a Line chart type and check the box to plot it on the Secondary Axis.

Set 'Units Sold' chart type to 'Line' and check 'Secondary Axis'.

Expected Result

Units sold data will appear as a line on the secondary vertical axis.

5

Step 5: Click OK to insert the combo chart into the worksheet.

Click OK in the combo chart dialog.

Expected Result

The combo chart appears showing sales revenue as columns and units sold as a line with two vertical axes.

6

Step 6: Add chart title 'Monthly Sales Revenue and Units Sold' by clicking on the chart title area and typing the new title.

Click chart title > Type 'Monthly Sales Revenue and Units Sold'.

Expected Result

The chart has a clear title describing the data.

7

Step 7: Format the secondary vertical axis to have a suitable scale if needed by right-clicking the axis and choosing 'Format Axis'.

Right-click secondary vertical axis > Format Axis > Adjust minimum and maximum values.

Expected Result

The units sold line fits well within the chart area for easy reading.

Final Result

Monthly Sales Revenue and Units Sold

Month     | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
-------------------------------------------------
Sales $   | ||| | ||||| | |||| | ||||||| | |||||| | |||||||
Units Sold|  --  --  --  --  --  --  (line over months)

Legend:
||| = Sales revenue columns
-- = Units sold line on secondary axis

✓Sales revenue generally increases from January to June.

✓Units sold follow a similar upward trend, confirming sales growth.

✓The combo chart clearly shows the relationship between revenue and units sold.

Bonus Challenge

Add data labels to both the columns and the line points to show exact values on the chart.

Show Hint

Click on the chart elements, select data labels, and choose to display them for both series.