Negative Values in Stacked Bar Charts

[Guest]

I'd like to include negative values in stacked bar charts, with the total
stacked value equal to the sum of each of the subtotals. However, when I
tested this, it appears that Excel just shows the negative components at the
bottom of the bar, below zero, but the stacked total still seems to reflect
the sum of the positive components.

Is there a way of showing a stacked bar the way I'm trying to do it?

Todd

 

[Andy Pope]

Hi,

In order to plot the chart how you want you would have to make the negative
values positive.

You may need to explain further why you need a negative value should be
displayed in a positive way?

Cheers
Andy

 

[Guest]

I probably wasn't clear before. The bottom line is that I wanted the total
height of the stacked bar to be the sum of the individual values. So if my
data included 50, 100, and -25, then the top of the bar should be at 125.
With a basic stacked bar, the height is 150, and it appears that the -25 has
no affect.

My workaround was to create a separate line graph showing the totals of each
data set. This works, but I was hoping to just use the stacked bar.

Thanks,
Todd

 

[Del Cotter]

I probably wasn't clear before. The bottom line is that I wanted the total
height of the stacked bar to be the sum of the individual values. So if my
data included 50, 100, and -25, then the top of the bar should be at 125.
With a basic stacked bar, the height is 150, and it appears that the -25 has
no affect.

My workaround was to create a separate line graph showing the totals of each
data set. This works, but I was hoping to just use the stacked bar.

How do you think such a thing would look? Either the 100 or the 50 would
have to be subtracted from in order to total 125, and then there is no
stacked bar chart any more.

Have you considered a waterfall graph instead?