
Unlike a classic XY scatter chart, a 3D scatter plot displays data points on three axes (x, y, and z) in order to show the relationship between three variables. To view all available scatter types in one place, select your data, click the Scatter (X, Y) icon on the ribbon, and then click More Scatter Charts… This will open the Inset Chart dialog box with the XY (Scatter) type selected, and you switch between the different templates at the top to see which one provides the best graphic representation of your data: In our example, the blue dots represent advertising cost, and orange dots represent the items sold: For this, you should select 3 columns with data - the leftmost column with text values (labels), and the two columns with numbers. The Excel XY plot templates can also draw each variable separately, presenting the same relationships in a different way. For example, here's how you can represent the data for the first four months by using the scatter graph with smooth lines and markers: Scatter with lines is best to be used when you have few data points. Scatter with straight lines and markers.

Scatter chart typesīesides the classic scatter plot shown in the above example, a few more templates are available: Or, you can customize some elements of your graph to make it look more beautiful and to convey the correlation between the two variables clearer. The scatter diagram will be immediately inserted in your worksheet:īasically, you may consider the work done. To insert a classic scatter graph, click the first thumbnail:

In our example, we are going to visualize the relationship between the advertising budget for a certain month (independent variable) and the number of items sold (dependent variable), so we arrange the data accordingly: If your dependent column comes before the independent column and there is no way you can change this in a worksheet, you can the swap x and y axes directly on a chart. The dependent variable (the one affected by the independent variable) should be in the right column, and it will be plotted on the y axis. So, you enter two sets of numeric data into two separate columns.įor ease of use, the independent variable should be in the left column as this column is going to be plotted on the x axis. But first, you need to arrange your source data properly.Īs already mentioned, a scatter graph displays two interrelated quantitative variables. With a variety of inbuilt chart templates provided by Excel, creating a scatter diagram turns into a couple-of-clicks job. The tighter the data points fall along a straight line, the higher the correlation. The main purpose of a scatter plot is to show how strong the relationship, or correlation, between the two variables is. The chart displays values at the intersection of an x and y axis, combined into single data points. Typically, the independent variable is on the x-axis, and the dependent variable on the y-axis. In a scatter graph, both horizontal and vertical axes are value axes that plot numeric data.

Do you want to see how the two sets are related to each other? The scatter plot is the ideal graph choice for this.

When looking at two columns of quantitative data in your Excel spreadsheet, what do you see? Just two sets of numbers. In this tutorial, you will learn how to do a scatter plot in Excel to create a graphical representation of two correlated data sets.
