100% Stacked column with 3D-effect, multiple colums?

[JohnD0815]

Hello all,

I just ran into an interesting issue, and was wondering if someone knows if
it is possible, and how. I did not find anything similar when searching
through here.

I am using the above mentioned chart. I have 12 columns, representing the 12
months of a year. Each column has 3 stacks, for past, current and future
numbers.

Now, these columns representing the year 2008, I would like to add the same
set with numbers for 2007, either next to each 2008 column, or behind it.
Again, they would have to be stacked as each column consists again of past,
current and future numbers.

Any ideas? I have set up my sheet in many different ways, yet was unable to
get something even close. I also tried other charts, I couldn't get them to
display this either.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Jon Peltier]

Do you really want past, current, and future to be stacked? Are they
additive?

Excel does not offer a 3D stacked column chart, and it's probably a good
thing, because as soon as you start with the false 3D effects, you clutter
up the chart and make it harder to understand, even if the columns in front
don't block those in back.

I know how important it is to show everything in one chart, and how I
couldn't understand that it has to be this way, and I'm so close-minded for
ruling out 3D charts so quickly. But you see, I've tried these fancy 3D
stacked charts, and they really are difficult to implement and impossible to
read. Think of another way to show the data. If you don't need to stack the
data, then I'd think a line chart for each year would be good, and put other
years in adjacent panels
(http://peltiertech.com/WordPress/2008/11/12/how-to-build-a-simple-panel-chart/).
Or put the past/present/future in different panels with the years together.

- Jon