error bars

F

frustrated

Help! I am trying to put error bars on my data. I have
a number of series in my chart (xy plot). One set has a
number of points (series 1), then I plot the average of
those points in a different color (series 2) on top of
that data, but when I put the error bars on the series 2,
they are masked by the data from series 1 even though the
data point of series 2 is on top of the data from series
1. Does anyone know how I can pull the error bars to the
front so they are with the associated data point? I have
tried moving the order of the series, but the error bars
always remain in the back behind all the data.

Thanks!
 
J

Jon Peltier

Error bars, and the lines that connect data points, are drawn behind the
markers. You could use smaller markers, or unfilled markers.

Alternatively, you could draw a combination floating column chart and XY
Scatter chart. The floating columns would be like the box and whisker
chart in the following example, without the whiskers, and with the
columns defined by standard deviation rather than 25th and 75th percentiles.

http://peltiertech.com/Excel/Charts/BoxWhiskerV.html

If your X values are not equidistant, this might not be suitable. In
this case, ditch the error bars and use two additional series, where
Series 3 plots average minus SD, and Series 4 plots average plus SD, and
use a scatter type with lines and no markers. This will show the band of
average ± SD.

- Jon
-------
Jon Peltier, Microsoft Excel MVP
Peltier Technical Services
Tutorials and Custom Solutions
http://PeltierTech.com/
_______
 

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