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A Combination Chart is a must-have tool in the arsenal of a professional that works with data frequently.
Why?
Combo Charts can help you save a lot of space in your dashboard. And this is because it enables you to display insights into two different metrics in a single view.
Here’s an interesting fact.
Combination Graphs perform the job of two diagrams. Your dashboard does not have to appear crowded with many charts. You can use this visualization design to save space.
You cannot find a ready-made Combination Graph in Google Sheets. And this is because the tool comes with raw and basic charts that need more time in editing.
You don’t have to do away with Google Sheets for other expensive tools. You can supercharge it by installing third-party add-ons to access Google Sheets Combo Chart templates.
In this blog, you’ll learn the following:
Before we dive right into the how-to guide, let’s define the chart.
Let’s get started.
A Combo Chart is a cross-breed of a column chart and a line graph. It can also be a combination of two Line or Column Charts within a single diagram.
In other words, it’s a hybrid of two or more chart types, such as the Double Axis Line and Bar Chart. You can easily display insights of your data using multiple chart types in a single view.
To generate a Combo Chart, you actually needed two datasets that share a common string field, such as time.
This visualization design provides you with a flexible way of displaying data. Besides, it forms the basis of other advanced charts, such as the Pareto or 80/20 visualization.
You can use a combination of bars and lines in the same chart to compare varying variables in a data set.
For example, if you work in sales, you can use Google Sheets Combo Charts to compare sales versus net revenue in a given period.
The Combo chart is a must-have tool for sales departments because it can convey insights into actual sales revenue versus targets in a given financial year.
Use Combo Visualization if your goal is to validate the correlation between metrics in your data.
For instance, if you’re a digital marketer, you can use Combination Graphs to validate the correlation between clickthrough rate (CTR) and conversion.
Decide whether to use Bars or Columns, but not both.
Note the difference between the two: Bar Charts are oriented horizontally. Conversely, Column Graphs are shaped vertically. Your target audience should influence your choice. Essentially, you should research their preferences before making a choice.
Use contrasting colors to display the two y-axes within your chart. Remember to include a legend to help your audience (or readers) understand the context of the data story.
As a visual data storyteller, you’ll definitely be tempted to include a lot of information in your Google Sheets Combo Chart. But remember, clutter can be the roadblock between you and the buy-in you’re looking for.
Too much information can obscure the key insights you intend your audience to take home.
To read and interpret a Combo Visualization Design, follow the easy steps below:
To understand this chart, you’ve got to know the critical metrics on display and the context. For instance, in sales, you have to know how particular metrics connect to the strategic goals of your business (or workplace).
Check the bars and lines in the Combo Graph to understand the overall pattern. Take note of high and low points.
Also, don’t forget to look at isolated occurrences that may distort the insights.
An outlier is an observation that’s outside the trend or pattern within your data. Outliers can mislead the decision-makers because they’re one-off occurrences.
It’s incredibly easy to spot outliers in your data. Imagine sales in your business or workplace have been on an uptrend pattern in the last three financial years. However, in one month, it declines by 70% before resuming the trend.
Would you call a crisis meeting because of the outlier (above)?
Below are the components you need to create a Combination Visualization Chart.
Data is the most significant component of this visualization design. Before you generate a Combo Chart, gather enough sample data.
Also, to get the most from this chart, use data with varying metrics of interest.
You need an intuitive tool with ready-made charts to succeed in your mission. There’s a ton of tools you can use to visualize your data using Combination Chart templates.
Keep reading because, in the next section, we’ll recommend the best tool to use to visualize your data using Google Sheets Combo Charts.
Label your chart adequately but not excessively to provide your audience with the context of your data story.
You can add legends and a title to help your audience understand your findings. A title provides your chart with an identity.
We acknowledge that Google Sheets is one of the most-used data visualization tools by professionals and businesses worldwide. Besides, the spreadsheet app has been there for years, plus it’s familiar to many.
However, this does not mean you should settle for less.
In other words, if your goal is to create insightful and easy-to-interpret charts, you’ve got to think beyond the basic Combination Diagrams in Google Sheets.
To access insightful and visually appealing Combination Charts in Google Sheets, install third-party apps (add-ons).
There are thousands of add-ons created purposely for Google Sheets. To save you time, we’ve tested hundreds and narrowed them down to one.
Which one?
ChartExpo ticks all the boxes with respect to the following:
If your goal is to create a lean visualization dashboard and extract insights into two different variables in your data, your go-to chart maker should be ChartExpo.
In the coming section, you’ll learn how you can install ChartExpo add-in to access advanced Google Sheets Combo Charts.
ChartExpo is a trusted tool that 24,000-plus professionals worldwide use to create an insightful and easy-to-understand graph from tables.
Besides, it comes as an add-on you can easily install in your Google Sheets to get the most from your data.
ChartExpo comes with pencil-like icons to ensure you have maximum freedom to label your graphs.
With ChartExpo, you’ll never struggle to visualize your data with Google Sheets Combo Chart. And this is because it has an ultra-friendly user interface (UI).
We almost forgot to mention this. ChartExpo is loaded with a lot of Combination Graphs, some of which are mentioned below:
Take a look at the data in the table below.
Let’s visualize the data below using one of the many Combination Charts in ChartExpo (Double Axis Line and Bar Chart)
| Months | Revenue | Profit Margin |
| Jan | 5,000 | 5 |
| Feb | 2,500 | 10 |
| Mar | 3,600 | 7 |
| Apr | 3,250 | 14 |
| May | 1,975 | 19 |
| Jun | 1,874 | 20 |
| Jul | 3,952 | 6 |
| Aug | 2,222 | 9 |
| Sep | 4,260 | 4 |
| Oct | 3,300 | 22 |
| Nov | 1,500 | 17 |
| Dec | 1,160 | 9 |
A Combo Chart uses two or more axes to display the relationships of key metrics and dimensions in your raw data. Essentially, you can use this chart to extract in-depth insights from your data.
The key advantage of the chart is it can display tons of insights using limited space.
Use Combination Charts to display insights into varying metrics within a single view. You can also use them to highlight the differences in categories of data visually.
If your goal is to save space and create a lean data visualization dashboard, your go-to tool should be this chart.
Google Sheets lack ready-made Combination Graphs. To get around this problem, we recommend downloading and installing the ChartExpo add-on in your Google Sheets.
ChartExpo does not need coding or programming skills. Besides, it comes loaded with over 50 easy-to-interpret and advanced charts.
Visualizing complex data with varying metrics should never be a nerve-wracking or time-consuming affair. Yes, you read that right.
It turns out there’s a visualization design called Google Sheets Combo Chart that’s best suited for the job (above). Why?
The Combination Graph can help you save a ton of space in your dashboard by displaying varying variables in your data within a single chart.
We recommend you avoid over-relying on Google Sheets, especially if your goal is to create simple-to-interpret charts.
Why?
Google Sheets Combo Charts are very basic and require a lot of effort and time to edit. But we’re not recommending you to do away with the freemium spreadsheet application.
We recommend installing third-party applications (add-ons), such as ChartExpo, into your Google Sheets to access advanced Combo Charts.
ChartExpo is an add-on you can easily download and install in your Google Sheets. Besides, this tool comes loaded with insightful and easy-to-interpret Combination Charts, plus over 50 more advanced charts.
You don’t need programming or coding skills to visualize your data with the ChartExpo add-on.
Sign up for a 7-day free trial today to access easy-to-interpret and visually appealing Combo Visualization Designs.
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