Combo charts in Excel - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

Sample Data

Monthly sales and profit data for a small business

Cell	Value
A1	Month
B1	Sales
C1	Profit
A2	Jan
B2	1000
C2	200
A3	Feb
B3	1200
C3	300
A4	Mar
B4	900
C4	150
A5	Apr
B5	1400
C5	400

Formula Trace

N/A (Combo charts are created via Excel's Insert > Combo Chart feature, not by formula)

Step 1: Select data range A1:C5

Step 2: Insert > Combo Chart

Step 3: Set 'Sales' as Clustered Column

Step 4: Set 'Profit' as Line chart

Step 5: Choose secondary axis for 'Profit'

Step 6: Click OK

Cell Reference Map

    A       B       C  
1 | Month | Sales | Profit |
2 |  Jan  | 1000  |  200   |
3 |  Feb  | 1200  |  300   |
4 |  Mar  |  900  |  150   |
5 |  Apr  | 1400  |  400   |

Data range A1:C5 is selected for the combo chart.

The chart uses the data from columns A, B, and C rows 1 to 5.

Result

Combo Chart Visualization (not actual ASCII art):

- X-axis: Months (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr)
- Left Y-axis: Sales values shown as vertical bars
- Right Y-axis: Profit values shown as a line

The chart shows sales bars for each month with a line overlaid showing profit trends.

The combo chart combines column bars for sales and a line for profit with two vertical axes for clear comparison.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

Which data series is shown as columns in the combo chart?

A Profit

B Sales

C Month

D Both Sales and Profit

Key Result

Combo charts combine two or more chart types (e.g., column and line) using the same data range with optional secondary axis.