Percentage data with one entry extremely high

[Guest]

I have a chart with percentage data over a 15 year period - percentage
changes year over year. The percentages are in the range of 5% to about 15%.
However, there is one year for a variety of reasons, the percentage change
reached about 200%. To encompass the 200%, the chart shows the usual 5% - 15%
in a rather narrow band.

In the manual days, we could use a jagged/broken line part way up and label
the % - i.e. 200%. It didn't upset the spread of the normal percentages on
the Y axis. Is there a way of doing that with Excel charts?

Thanks for your help. Norm.

 

[David Biddulph]

Try http://peltiertech.com/Excel/Charts/BrokenYAxis.html

 

[Guest]

Thanks, David. This will be very helpful. I have also been using line graphs
as well as bar graphs. Can I use the same system for line graphs - when one
line shoots into the stratosphere?

Regards, Norm.

 

[Jon Peltier]

You can use the same approach with line charts, but the "break" across the
tall column may not work as well for the lines. What I do in this case is
skip the break symbols except for along the axis, and apply dashed lines
manually to the lines leading up to and down from the high point.

- Jon