[SOLVED] 53 weeks in 2004 skews x-axis year increment on charts.

Excel 2003. On a chart with weekly data point values and a total range from
2000 through year to date 2006, the fact that 2004 had 53 weeks rather than
52 skews the yearly increments on the x-axis (bottom scale) on the chart. It
shows 2004 correctly, but shows 2004 again for the actual 2005 tick mark and
2005 for 2006. I've tried setting the number of catagories between the tick
marks at 53 (instead of 52), but it throws off the alignment of the year
label to the tick mark and it gets incrementally worse every year. Need a
way of making the scale on the x-axis ignore that 2004 had 53 weeks and show
accurate years at each tick mark.

Make a line chart rather than an XY chart. Use real dates (month-day-year),
not just month numbers. Make sure Excel draws a date scale: Chart menu >
Chart Options > Axes tab, select Time Scale instead of Category. Double
click the axis, set Base Unit on the Scale tab to Days and use months or
years for the other (or 7 days) for major unit.

- Jon
-------
Jon Peltier, Microsoft Excel MVP
Peltier Technical Services - Tutorials and Custom Solutions -
http://PeltierTech.com/
2006 Excel User Conference, 19-21 April, Atlantic City, NJ
http://peltiertech.com/Excel/ExcelUserConf06.html
_______

"bj.williams" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Excel 2003. On a chart with weekly data point values and a total range
> from
> 2000 through year to date 2006, the fact that 2004 had 53 weeks rather
> than
> 52 skews the yearly increments on the x-axis (bottom scale) on the chart.
> It
> shows 2004 correctly, but shows 2004 again for the actual 2005 tick mark
> and
> 2005 for 2006. I've tried setting the number of catagories between the
> tick
> marks at 53 (instead of 52), but it throws off the alignment of the year
> label to the tick mark and it gets incrementally worse every year. Need a
> way of making the scale on the x-axis ignore that 2004 had 53 weeks and
> show
> accurate years at each tick mark.

The chart is a line chart. The data is in weeks. That's the lowest range I
can go. The time scale option then creates an odd looking chart without the
data point for each week showing.

"Jon Peltier" wrote:

> Make a line chart rather than an XY chart. Use real dates (month-day-year),
> not just month numbers. Make sure Excel draws a date scale: Chart menu >
> Chart Options > Axes tab, select Time Scale instead of Category. Double
> click the axis, set Base Unit on the Scale tab to Days and use months or
> years for the other (or 7 days) for major unit.
>
> - Jon
> -------
> Jon Peltier, Microsoft Excel MVP
> Peltier Technical Services - Tutorials and Custom Solutions -
> http://PeltierTech.com/
> 2006 Excel User Conference, 19-21 April, Atlantic City, NJ
> http://peltiertech.com/Excel/ExcelUserConf06.html
> _______
>
> "bj.williams" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Excel 2003. On a chart with weekly data point values and a total range
> > from
> > 2000 through year to date 2006, the fact that 2004 had 53 weeks rather
> > than
> > 52 skews the yearly increments on the x-axis (bottom scale) on the chart.
> > It
> > shows 2004 correctly, but shows 2004 again for the actual 2005 tick mark
> > and
> > 2005 for 2006. I've tried setting the number of catagories between the
> > tick
> > marks at 53 (instead of 52), but it throws off the alignment of the year
> > label to the tick mark and it gets incrementally worse every year. Need a
> > way of making the scale on the x-axis ignore that 2004 had 53 weeks and
> > show
> > accurate years at each tick mark.
>
>
>

The data is in weeks as in week numbers, or weeks as in dates seven days
apart? If you don't have real dates, the date axis will do you little good.

- Jon
-------
Jon Peltier, Microsoft Excel MVP
Peltier Technical Services - Tutorials and Custom Solutions -
http://PeltierTech.com/
2006 Excel User Conference, 19-21 April, Atlantic City, NJ
http://peltiertech.com/Excel/ExcelUserConf06.html
_______

"bj.williams" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> The chart is a line chart. The data is in weeks. That's the lowest range
> I
> can go. The time scale option then creates an odd looking chart without
> the
> data point for each week showing.
>
> "Jon Peltier" wrote:
>
>> Make a line chart rather than an XY chart. Use real dates
>> (month-day-year),
>> not just month numbers. Make sure Excel draws a date scale: Chart menu >
>> Chart Options > Axes tab, select Time Scale instead of Category. Double
>> click the axis, set Base Unit on the Scale tab to Days and use months or
>> years for the other (or 7 days) for major unit.
>>
>> - Jon
>> -------
>> Jon Peltier, Microsoft Excel MVP
>> Peltier Technical Services - Tutorials and Custom Solutions -
>> http://PeltierTech.com/
>> 2006 Excel User Conference, 19-21 April, Atlantic City, NJ
>> http://peltiertech.com/Excel/ExcelUserConf06.html
>> _______
>>
>> "bj.williams" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>> > Excel 2003. On a chart with weekly data point values and a total range
>> > from
>> > 2000 through year to date 2006, the fact that 2004 had 53 weeks rather
>> > than
>> > 52 skews the yearly increments on the x-axis (bottom scale) on the
>> > chart.
>> > It
>> > shows 2004 correctly, but shows 2004 again for the actual 2005 tick
>> > mark
>> > and
>> > 2005 for 2006. I've tried setting the number of catagories between the
>> > tick
>> > marks at 53 (instead of 52), but it throws off the alignment of the
>> > year
>> > label to the tick mark and it gets incrementally worse every year.
>> > Need a
>> > way of making the scale on the x-axis ignore that 2004 had 53 weeks and
>> > show
>> > accurate years at each tick mark.
>>
>>
>>