📎 This article includes 1 downloadable practice file ↓
In this article
“Did we hit target?” is the most common chart question in business. A combo chart answers it at a glance.
Columns + target line
- Add a Total column on the Monthly sheet:
=SUM(B2:E2). - Select Month, Total and Target › Insert › Combo › Clustered Column – Line.
- Total shows as columns, Target as a line. Months above the line beat target.
Highlight misses automatically
Add two helper columns: Met =IF(Total>=Target,Total,NA()) and Missed =IF(Total<Target,Total,NA()). Chart them as stacked columns in green and red instead of Total. NA() leaves gaps, so each month shows in one colour only.
Secondary axis
To add Online share (a %) to a sales chart: right-click the series › Change Series Chart Type › Line › tick Secondary Axis. Label both axes clearly; dual-axis charts confuse people when unlabelled.
Where people go wrong
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Percent series flat at the bottom | Secondary axis |
| Target as columns next to actual | Line or markers read faster |
| Zero instead of NA() in helpers | Zero shows as a tiny bar; use NA() |
Practice
On the Monthly sheet, build Total vs Target as a combo chart, then the green/red Met/Missed version.
📎 Practice files for this article
- 📗Charts practice dataMonthly regional sales, target, online share and product data.⬇ XLSX · 7 KB
Free to use for learning. Files with macros (.bas) are plain text — import them with Alt+F11 → File → Import File, and always test on a copy.
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