Sorting your chart data clarifies your chart content and message.  Mekko Graphics allows you to sort by bar or series.

APPLIES TO: MARIMEKKO, BAR-MEKKO, CLUSTER BAR, STACKED BAR, 100% STACKED BAR, WATERFALL CHARTS

1.Click on Format Chart Task Pane and select the Sort Tab

2.You can choose to display your bars in the order in which it appears on your spreadsheet, where the first bars appear on the left and move right, or vice versa.   Other sorting options allow you to sort your data with the highest bar on the left or highest bar on the right.

3.In the case of Marimekko and Bar Mekko charts, you have additional sort options, where you can sort with the Widest Bar on the Right or Widest Bar on the Left.  

4.Alternatively, you can define a custom sort order for your chart.   If you select Custom sort, simply drag and drop each bar to the desired sort position.

Once you have identified your sort options, you can choose to exclude one or more bars from that sort.  If you wish to identify one or more bars to exclude, go to the Format Bars Task Pane, Visibility Tab and click the series you wish to exclude. Then choose from the drop menu in the Include in Sort column. You can force the bar to always appear on the left or the right, regardless of the sort options chosen in the Format Chart Task Pane.

 

WATERFALL CHART BAR SORT

Waterfall charts have additional sorting options and new concepts. They are defined below.

Start Bar - In a Waterfall chart, you can have one or more Start bars. A Start Bar is defined as the first bar of a chart, or any bar in the chart that has no previous bar.

Chain - In a Waterfall chart, a chain is defined as a collection of bars that are internally linked by their start and end bar. It is possible to link any bar to more than one chain.

For Waterfall charts, sorting is always between the start bar and the total of that chain, and the sort applies to all chains. The following rules apply:

1.Total bars are always excluded from sort

2.Bars are always sorted by their net values

3.There are three sort options:

a.Biggest on left – first up, then down

b.Biggest on right – first down, then up

c.Spreadsheet order

4.Sorts include the ability to include or exclude the first bar

5.In the instance where bars belong to two Waterfall chains, the chart cannot be sorted.

6.If you exclude a bar to always appear on right, the excluded bar should always display before the total bar ending that particular chain.