Comments on: Bar chart with a non-zero baseline? "Never"! says Biz Intel Guru. Here's why… http://bzintelguru.com/featured/nonzero_baseline_barchart/ Data is cheap, insights are priceless Fri, 27 Aug 2010 10:49:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: John Munoz http://bzintelguru.com/featured/nonzero_baseline_barchart/comment-page-1/#comment-212 John Munoz Mon, 07 Jun 2010 23:11:43 +0000 http://bzintelguru.com/?p=61#comment-212 Great comments Dr. Kerin and Dr. Robbins. Alex, you're absolutely right about not adjusting for inflation. I can't wait to check our your insights on that. Naomi, I didn't know about that setting in Excel. Thanks for pointing it out. I won't ask why you know about it. I'm sure you never made a 3D graph in your life ;> Great comments Dr. Kerin and Dr. Robbins.

Alex, you’re absolutely right about not adjusting for inflation. I can’t wait to check our your insights on that.

Naomi, I didn’t know about that setting in Excel. Thanks for pointing it out. I won’t ask why you know about it. I’m sure you never made a 3D graph in your life ;>

]]> By: Naomi B. Robbins http://bzintelguru.com/featured/nonzero_baseline_barchart/comment-page-1/#comment-211 Naomi B. Robbins Mon, 07 Jun 2010 22:48:36 +0000 http://bzintelguru.com/?p=61#comment-211 Notice that the bars don't touch the back wall of the chart in the chart labeled "3d bar charts are misleading." That is an option called gap depth that can be changed in Excel. Therefore, some 3d bar charts are read from the back, some from the front, and for some like the one in this example, neither is true. That provides even more reason to avoid the 3d charts and stick with simple 2d charts when bar charts are appropriate. Notice that the bars don’t touch the back wall of the chart in the chart labeled “3d bar charts are misleading.” That is an option called gap depth that can be changed in Excel. Therefore, some 3d bar charts are read from the back, some from the front, and for some like the one in this example, neither is true. That provides even more reason to avoid the 3d charts and stick with simple 2d charts when bar charts are appropriate.

]]> By: Alex Kerin http://bzintelguru.com/featured/nonzero_baseline_barchart/comment-page-1/#comment-210 Alex Kerin Mon, 07 Jun 2010 21:47:10 +0000 http://bzintelguru.com/?p=61#comment-210 Nice job, while not pertinent to this chart, many economic charts, even from places like The Economist insist on showing monetary values on a time series chart without adjusting for inflation. Small increases from year to year may look like a positive improvement, whereas in real terms, the revenues (for example) are falling because of inflation. I discuss this a little <a href="http://www.datadrivenconsulting.com/2010/02/tableau-public-cost-of-raising-a-child-controlling-for-inflation/" rel="nofollow">here</a>. One of my pet peeves I guess.. Nice job, while not pertinent to this chart, many economic charts, even from places like The Economist insist on showing monetary values on a time series chart without adjusting for inflation.

Small increases from year to year may look like a positive improvement, whereas in real terms, the revenues (for example) are falling because of inflation. I discuss this a little here. One of my pet peeves I guess..

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