mac excel graphing format axis number for an hour

Excel Graphing Format Axis Number For An Hour Code To Indicate

After you change the format, you still have to use a method described in the Converting Text Dates to Real Dates section, later in this chapter, to convert the text dates to numeric dates.

Having the proper setting can ensure that your message is accurate.

When this occurs, it is fine to allow Excel to choose the type of axis automatically.

Your company doesnt purchase the component on the same day every month; therefore, you have an incomplete data set.

In the middle of the data set, a strike closed one of the vendors, spiking the prices from the other vendors.

Your purchasing department had stocked up before the strike, which allowed your company to slow its purchasing dramatically during the strike.

Because your purchasing department made only two purchases during the strike, it appears the time affected by the strike is very narrow.

In this axis, you can see that the strike actually lasted for half of 2013.

However, you should always check to make sure Excel is using the correct type of axis.

A number of potential problems force Excel to choose a text-based axis instead of a date-based axis.

For example, Excel chooses a text-based axis when dates are stored as text in a spreadsheet and when dates are represented by numeric years.

The list following Figure 3.7 summarizes other potential problems.

You have to use date functions to convert the text dates to real dates.

Excel does not naturally recognize these as dates, but you can trick it into doing so.

Read Plotting Data by Numeric Year near Figure 3.15 in this chapter.

For a workaround, read Using Dates Before 1900 near Figure 3.16.

For example, you might use a chart like this to show the number of people entering a bank.

For such a chart, you need a time-based axis, but Excel will group all the times from a single day into a single point.

See Using a Workaround to Display a Time-Scale Axis near Figure 3.19 for the rather complex steps needed to plot data by periods smaller than a day.

You may not notice that they are text dates until you see that changing the axis to a date-based axis has no effect on the axis spacing.

If so, you know you have text dates (see Figure 3.8 ).

Excel Graphing Format Axis Number For An Hour Code To Indicate

This is Excels arcane code to indicate that a date or number should be stored as text instead of a number.

Or, if the number format drop-down on the Home tab indicates that the cell is formatted as text, then you might have text dates.

After a range is formatted as text, you can never enter a formula, number, or date in the range.

People try to select the range, to change the format from text to numeric or date, hoping this will fix the problem, but it doesnt.

Mac Excel Graphing Format Axis Number For An Hour