Sorting Data Messes Up Chart

**nhrav** · 09-10-2009, 04:45 PM

Hello all, I'm creating scatter plots via the Chart Wizard to compare appliances - capacity on x-axis and store price on y-axis. Everything went well until I sorted the source data on the spreadsheet - my data points are now all out of wack.

Does anybody know how to avoid a data sort of the table messing up a chart linked to the data it contains? More importantly, does anyone know how to get my graph back to normal? I saved the file after sorting it (without realizing what had happened to the graph) so a Ctrl+z is not possible.

**ChemistB** · 09-10-2009, 04:59 PM

If I understand you correctly,

If you are using a scatter chart and you sort the data as a whole, it should not affect your chart. Since the scatter chart is using numerical data, it doesn't care whether your smallest value is your first collected value or your 3rd. This will only happen if you sort 1 axes and not the other. Once that is done, (and you've saved), then there isn't much that you can do since Excel has no way to determine which x goes with which y. Sorry.

**nhrav** · 09-10-2009, 05:06 PM

Originally Posted by ChemistB

If I understand you correctly,

If you are using a scatter chart and you sort the data as a whole, it should not affect your chart. Since the scatter chart is using numerical data, it doesn't care whether your smallest value is your first collected value or your 3rd. This will only happen if you sort 1 axes and not the other. Once that is done, (and you've saved), then there isn't much that you can do since Excel has no way to determine which x goes with which y. Sorry.

One would think...I always sorted the data as a whole using either Ctrl+a or clicking the upper left border to select all cells. Unfortunately this problem happened to 2 of my 7 worksheets.

I did use a filter at times, and sometimes did the data sort with the filter applied. However, I always had all the rows selected while doing the sort, so it's not like the information in the rows got jumbled. Any other ideas?

ps I'm using Excel 2002

**nhrav** · 09-10-2009, 05:37 PM

Just figured it out - the sort changed the Source Data for the graph. Had to change it back to what it was and it came back normal. Thanks for helping out.