superimposed 3-D stacked area charts

[Colby]

Hello,
I want to show two stacked area charts side by side in one 3-D display. X
axis = years. Y axis = $. Data set #1 has national advertising and national
promotions, which I want stacked together. Data set #2 has local advertising
and local promotions, which I want stacked together, but separately from Data
Set #1.

The values in Data set #1 are always larger than those in set #2 for a given
year, so #1 can go in the back of the 3-D chart area, with the smaller set in
the front.

Now I am creating two charts, setting the axes the same, blanking the chart
fill, and pasting one over the other. It works, but changing the data is a
pain. I appreciate any guidance on this.

 

[Jon Peltier]

You're killing yourself to make a chart which is difficult to interpret.
3D charts are popular, but cognitive scientists and charting experts
have shown that people have trouble judging relative values in 3D charts.

It is possible to make a 2D chart that shows clusters of stacked bars.
You only need to arrange your data properly. I've written a tutorial on
the technique:

Clustered-Stacked Column Charts
http://peltiertech.com/WordPress/clustered-stacked-column-charts/

- Jon

 

[Colby]

OK, Jon, thanks for your advice and time -- I'll try it that way.