Learn How to Make Scatter Plot In Microsoft Excel

As we all know that Microsoft Excel is one of the most popular tools of Microsoft Office, it also helps users to perform heavy calculations in just one go. Excel allows users to arrange their extensive and essential data in a single spreadsheet. The spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel will enable you to edit, create, view, and organize your complex data easily and quickly. You can make a budget, charts, and graphs to analyze your data smoothly and faster.

In this article, I have brought something new that will enhance your Excel skills and knowledge of Scatter Plot. You can also learn how to make a Scatter Plot and do more in Microsoft Excel through comprehensive Microsoft Office Training to complete your tasks efficiently and quickly.

You must know about Excel’s significant functions, such as the vlookup, pivot table, index match, and how to merge cells in excel. Still, very few people or Excel professionals know about Scatter Plot.

Before learning when to use a Scatter Plot,  it is crucial to understand what Scatter Plot is?

What is a Scatter Plot?

A Scatter Plot is an XY chart that shows the relationship between two variables in Microsoft Excel. It is one of the types of charts available in Excel. With the help of a Scatter Plot, one can determine what type of correlation exists between X and Y variables. There are various possibilities when you interpret the Scatter Plot:

• If the points on the Scatter Plot make a line on the graph, as said, the relationship between two variables is strong.
• If the line on the graph moves from lower left to upper right, the relationship between variables is positive.
• If the line on the chart moves from upper left to lower right then, the correlation between variables is negative.
• If the dots on the diagram spread widely, then there is a weak connection between variables.
• If the dots spread randomly on a graph, then there is no connection between variables.

When to use a Scatter Plot?

Using a scatter plot in Microsoft Excel ultimately depends on the table you have arranged in Excel and what you want to demonstrate through charts. Scatter Plot is used when you want to show some kind of connection between two variables. For Instance, when you want to establish the relationship between employee’s salaries and tasks completed by employees in a month, or you want to show the amount spent on advertising a company and revenue generated for the same. In both these cases, you want to examine the correlation between them.

You should not mix a scatter plot with a line chart of Excel. The line chart emphasizes the values of the variable, but the scatter plot portrays the relationship between variables.  In the scatter plot, you will find numeral values on both the axes like X and Y. In contrast to this, the line chart will always have numerical data on the vertical axis, which is Y.

Scatter Plot never displays categories on the horizontal axis. In contrast, line chat shows categories always on the horizontal axis. Sometimes it is difficult to predict accurate data from line charts, so instead of using line chart graphs, you should use a scatter plot in excel.

How to draw a Scatter Plot in Microsoft Excel?

To draw a scatter plot, follow these given steps:

Step-1: Arrange your Data

The first thing you need to ensure is that your data is organized in the correct format. Scatter Graph shows the relationship between two variables and should display the numerical value in a separate column. The first column gets plotted on the X-axis and the second column on the Y-axis.

Step-2: Choose the relevant data

The second step you need to do is select the column containing both sets of variables. You should choose only that column that comprises two sets of data and portrays the relationship between them.

Step-3: Select the type of scatter chart

The next step for you is to press on the Insert tab, select the option of charts and select the type of Scatter Plot through which you want to portray your data. For instance, you can choose a classic scatter plot that solely consists of points, a scatter plot with smooth lines and markers, scatter with smooth lines, scatter with straight lines and scatter with straight lines and markers.

In this way, you can create a scatter plot in  Microsoft Excel. Like in any other charts, you can customize your scatter plot. Through the Chart Elements Shortcut, you can add elements like Axes, Axis Title, Data Labels, and Trendline to make your graph more meaningful.

I hope that the above article has helped you understand what a scatter plot is and how to make scatter plots in Microsoft Excel.