Displaying insights into the relationship between two different data series is not easy.
Why?
It’s easy to use the wrong visualization designs, misleading your audiences (or readers). In fact, charts that can reveal hidden insights into the relationship between two different variables are limited.
Yes, you read that right.
Well, charts with a secondary y-axis are among those limited visualization charts (mentioned above). Besides, these charts come in 6 variants, namely:
The main benefit of this group of charts is they spare you the time and effort needed to create two charts for the same data story.
Excel is ultra-convenient in storing and visualizing data. However, the application does not natively support the 6 chart variants with a secondary y-axis. Essentially, you have to add a secondary y-axis Excel manually, which is time-intensive.
But we’re not recommending you to do away with Excel. No.
You can supercharge your Excel by installing a particular add-in to access ready-made, visually appealing, and insightful charts.
The secondary y-axis in Excel Chart is used to display insights into two different data sets within a single chart. In other words, this chart is convenient for uncovering hidden insights into the relationship between two or more measures with different scales and measures.
A typical Cartesian-based chart has x and y-axes. But Double Axis Graphs (secondary y-axis) come with two y-axes and an x-axis.
One of the biggest advantages of visualization designs with secondary y-axis Excel is the fact that they can display massive information using limited space.
Here’s an interesting fact.
You can use charts with secondary y-axis Excel to visualize two different variables without worrying about clutter and other issues that can obscure critical insights.
One of the most significant benefits of visualization designs with a secondary y-axis is their ability to display insights into the relationship between 2 metrics.
Secondly, charts with double y-axes allow you to save space by performing the work of two graphs. How?
As we said, these chart variants can help you display two different data series simultaneously. You don’t have to visualize your data using two charts.
Below is an example of a chart with a secondary y-axis Excel.
The chart above displays insights into two key metrics, namely profit margin and revenue. Between January and April, the profit margin was higher than the revenue.
But it declined in May and June before bouncing back to high levels in the following months until October.
Similarly, there could be another visualization that allows you to add multiple y-axis so that you can better explore your results in a single visualization.
Yes, it’s possible to generate a chart with a secondary y-axis Excel.
Excel lacks charts with a secondary y-axis in its library. Essentially, you have to add a secondary axis Excel manually in a super time-intensive process.
You don’t have to undergo all this.
You have a viable option, which entails downloading and installing a particular add-in into your Excel. And this option guarantees you access to ready-made and visually stunning charts, such as the following:
There are over 2,000 add-ins purposely designed for Excel. We narrowed down our results based on the following factors: ease of use, cost of access, quality of visualization chart, and the size of the chart library.
The Excel add-in that met all our conditions is ChartExpo.
With ChartExpo, you’ll access ready-to-go and insightful charts with a secondary y-axis Excel.
Let’s take a closer look at ChartExpo.
ChartExpo is an Excel-based add-in with an ultra-friendly user interface to ensure that any professional can visualize data, irrespective of their coding or programming skills.
The application generates super-advanced, ready-made, visually stunning graphs with a secondary y-axis Excel.
To install ChartExpo into your Excel, click this link.
This section will use the Dual Axis Line Chart in Excel to visualize the table below. The aforementioned chart is one of the visualization designs with a secondary y-axis Excel.
Year | Purchase | Sales |
2016 | 100000 | 150000 |
2017 | 60000 | 100000 |
2018 | 140000 | 200000 |
2019 | 120000 | 180000 |
2020 | 170000 | 200000 |
2021 | 130000 | 180000 |
To get started with ChartExpo, follow the easy steps below:
This section will use the Multi-Axis Line Chart to show the practical application of adding a Secondary Y-axis in an Excel Chart.
Date | Clicks | Impressions | Conversions |
05-01-2021 | 411 | 4141 | 7 |
05-02-2021 | 601 | 6380 | 2 |
05-03-2021 | 1046 | 11541 | 7 |
05-04-2021 | 1256 | 12312 | 8 |
05-05-2021 | 1504 | 16406 | 6 |
05-06-2021 | 187 | 17765 | 4 |
05-07-2021 | 2224 | 24532 | 10 |
05-08-2021 | 2345 | 29016 | 10 |
05-09-2021 | 2297 | 20122 | 18 |
05-10-2021 | 1483 | 20125 | 64 |
05-11-2021 | 1565 | 23783 | 59 |
05-12-2021 | 1587 | 22942 | 57 |
05-13-2021 | 1599 | 23127 | 70 |
05-14-2021 | 1620 | 24548 | 78 |
05-15-2021 | 1788 | 23448 | 80 |
05-16-2021 | 1768 | 23408 | 91 |
05-17-2021 | 1987 | 25473 | 89 |
05-18-2021 | 1939 | 24959 | 81 |
05-19-2021 | 1987 | 23710 | 86 |
05-20-2021 | 1964 | 24221 | 98 |
05-21-2021 | 1740 | 23317 | 89 |
05-22-2021 | 1748 | 24431 | 85 |
05-23-2021 | 1876 | 23785 | 79 |
05-24-2021 | 1826 | 22247 | 83 |
05-25-2021 | 1920 | 23851 | 83 |
05-26-2021 | 1886 | 24875 | 90 |
05-27-2021 | 1769 | 24015 | 94 |
05-28-2021 | 1869 | 25689 | 104 |
05-29-2021 | 1823 | 24416 | 99 |
05-30-2021 | 1899 | 25874 | 114 |
05-31-2021 | 1924 | 26146 | 98 |
Follow the same steps we highlighted in Example #1.
To remove the secondary y-axis from a chart is incredibly easy. Just do away with the third key metric in your data.
To read and interpret a chart with a secondary y-axis Excel design, follow the easy steps below:
Consider the order to use when plotting bars in this chart.
We recommend you sort the bars from the longest to the shortest. Ordering can help your target audience (or readers) to interpret the chart.
Consider a color scheme to create contrast when you add secondary y-axis Excel.
We recommend you label your chart with relevant titles and legends. Labeling can help your audiences interpret charts in your data stories faster.
However, avoid cluttering your chart with excessive labels, which can obscure critical insights.
The spaces between each bar should not be bigger than the width of each bar. And this is because your chart may overextend beyond the margins of your dashboard.
On the other hand, if bars are closely knitted together, they can obscure key insights or render your chart visually unimpressive.
A chart can only hold so much information before it becomes overwhelmed or appear cluttered. Stick to making one point with your chart.
Just because you have two y-axes doesn’t mean data visualization best practices don’t apply.
For example, a line chart is hardly the best way to represent categorical data. They’re best reserved for trends over time.
Excel spreadsheet’s library lacks charts with secondary axes. Essentially, you have to manually add a secondary axis in Excel, which is time-intensive.
But you can supercharge your Excel with third-party add-ins, such as ChartExpo, to access ready-made and visually stunning charts with a secondary y-axis.
One of the advantages of this visualization design is its ability to display insights into the relationship between 2 varying metrics. The metrics you’re tracking in your data do not need similar scales or measures when using these charts.
Visualization designs with a secondary y-axis can save you space by performing the work of two charts.
Displaying insights into the relationship between two different data series is not easy.
More so, it’s easy to use wrong visualization designs, which can mislead your audiences (or readers). In fact, visualization designs that can reveal hidden insights into the relationship between two different variables are limited.
Visualization designs with a secondary y-axis are among those limited charts (mentioned above).
There’re 6 types of charts with a secondary y-axis Excel, namely:
Excel is a popular data visualization tool among professionals and owners. However, the application does not natively support the 6 charts (mentioned above). Essentially, you have to manually add a secondary y-axis Excel, which is time-intensive.
So, what’s the solution?
We recommend you install third-party apps, such as ChartExpo, into your Excel to access ready-made charts with secondary y-axes.
You don’t have to add secondary y-axis Excel manually.
ChartExpo is an add-in you can easily download and install in your Excel app. Besides, this tool comes loaded with insightful and easy to interpret charts with a secondary axis.
Here’s the bottom line: You don’t need programming or coding skills to visualize your data using ChartExpo.
Sign up for a 7-day free trial today to access easy-to-interpret and visually appealing charts.