# Excel:  One chart, multiple data sets

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-one-chart-multiple-data-sets/400316>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 16, 2007, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-one-chart-multiple-data-sets/400316 "2007-04-16T12:16:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-one-chart-multiple-data-sets/400316/1 "2007-04-16T12:16:39Z")

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Given a set of values like this…

2000/01/01, 12  
2000/01/15, 11  
2000/02/07, 14  
2000/02/25, 17  
etc

…it is easy to create a scatter chart that produces a line plotting the values against time. I have four sets of values like this I want to appear on the same chart, each line a different colour. The dates for each set interleave each other. For example, the next set might look like this…

2000/01/05, 20  
2000/01/09, 18  
2000/02/20, 22  
etc

Typically when combining series of data, each series shares the same X-axis values. I tried arranging the data such that the first column contained all dates, followed by a column with set 1’s values, then a column with set 2’s, etc. This resulted in an array of cells with a lot of gaps. The resulting chart reflected those gaps.

Can this even be done?

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**Author:** ![Puzzler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d07c76/32.png) [@Puzzler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Puzzler)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-one-chart-multiple-data-sets/400316/2 "2007-04-16T12:41:27Z")

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I just tried it out here.  
I entered three serieses (sp?) one after the other, separated by a space line, each series in its own column. Something like this:

2000/01/01, 12,  
2000/01/15, 11,  
2000/02/07, 14,  
2000/02/25, 17,

2000/01/05, ,20,  
2000/01/09, ,18,  
2000/02/20, ,22,

2000/01/03, ,2  
2000/01/12, ,14  
2000/02/19, ,8  
I then marked the whole thing, and let the wizard do its thing. Gave the result you want: all date interlaced on the X axis, each series in a different color, data points only where available.

I’m using office 2003 under XP SP2.

Hope it helps.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-one-chart-multiple-data-sets/400316/3 "2007-04-16T12:56:47Z")

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Thank you! My problem was trying to make it easier for the wizard by sorting on date first 🙂

It also works without the sets being separated by a space.