Excel Video 83 demonstrates two methods to add contiguous data to a chart. Contiguous simply means that the data you want to add to a chart is right next to the existing chart data. There are several ways to add data to a chart. I’ll demonstrate two in Excel Video 83.
First, click in the chart (without selecting a series), and watch how Excel highlights the existing chart data in your spreadsheet. Simply expand the highlighted selection to include the new data. Excel tries to make sure you keep the same series headings (watch July 2010 with the green border in this example) to make your life easier.
The second way to add data is powerful since it automatically adds the data to your chart as you add new data in rows and/or columns. The trick is format your chart data as a table. Excel recognizes that the table data is tied to the chart, so when your table grows, your chart grows automatically! Setting your data up as a table and getting things right the first time will save you a lot of time down the road as you add more and more data to the chart.
What if your chart data is noncontiguous? If the data you want to add to your chart isn’t right next to your existing chart data, no problem. I’ll show you two more ways to add data to a chart in Excel Video 84 that work with noncontiguous data.
