How to make a PPT combination chart: bar chart overlaid with line chart

Key points of this article

The combination chart is suitable for two sets of data under the same category, and both "quantity" and "trend" should be looked at at the same time. The column displays the quantity, and the line displays the ratio or trend.
When the magnitudes of the two series are very different, put the polyline on the secondary coordinate axis, otherwise the polyline will be pressed into a flat line.
Arrange the categories and two series in the data table first, and then change the chart type. It is less error-prone than drawing the chart first and then modifying it.
After finishing, check whether the data correspondence, coordinate axis units, legends and labels overlap, and watch it again in the show state.

In many reports, the same category needs to look at both the specific quantity and the trend or proportion. For example, a 12-page quarterly report needs to display monthly sales and year-on-year growth rate at the same time. Only a bar chart cannot show the growth rate, and only a line chart cannot show the scale. At this time, it is a direct and effective way to use Combined Chart to put the bar chart and line chart in the same drawing area.

This article talks about a specific scenario in ppt chart production: superimposing a bar chart and a line chart in one chart. It is different from the approach of a single type of chart, and it also requires one more step to determine which two sets of data are suitable to be combined than simply setting the secondary axis. The following steps take common desktop presentation software as an example and describe common operations. The button positions of different versions may be slightly different.

How to make a column chart overlaid with a line chart? One sentence conclusion

Direct answer: As long as the two sets of data belong to the same category, and the unit or magnitude is not much different, combine them on the same coordinate axis; if the magnitude difference is large, put the polyline on the secondary coordinate axis. The table below gives suggestions based on common situations.

your situation	Recommended practices	reason
The two sets of data have the same unit, both are quantities.	Columns and lines share the same main axis	The readings are consistent and viewers do not need to convert back and forth.
The bar is sales, the line is growth rate, and the magnitude difference is huge.	Polyline placed on secondary axis	Prevent the growth rate from being squeezed into a straight line close to zero
There are many categories, such as dozens of months or cities	Streamline the categories or split them into two pictures	If the labels are too dense, they will be crowded together, making the combined image difficult to read.
Just want to highlight the changes at a certain point in time	Mainly columnar, polyline only retains key series	The fewer the series, the clearer the focus

Before you start: Confirm these points first

Before you start, go through the following items in your mind or on a scratch paper to reduce rework.

Whether the two sets of data are for the same batch of categories. The horizontal axis of a combo chart only has one set of categories, and if the bars were January to December and the lines were a completely different set of time points, it would not line up.
Are units and magnitudes comparable? Placing amounts and percentages on the same axis usually requires a secondary axis, otherwise the readings will be misleading.
What conclusion should the reader draw from the graph. If the conclusion is "the total amount is rising, but the growth rate is slowing down", the bar plus line is suitable; if the conclusion is only "A is more than B", a single bar chart is more straightforward.
Where to put the raw data. If the data comes from Excel, it is recommended to organize it in the table first and then copy it into the chart; if you only have pictures in the PDF, you cannot modify the data directly and you need to request the data from the original table.

Steps to create a combination chart in PowerPoint

Organize the data table: Create three columns in the table. The first column is the category (such as month), the second column is the column series (such as sales), and the third column is the polyline series (such as growth rate). Make sure each row corresponds to the same category.
Insert bar chart: Insert a chart into the slide, select the bar chart type, and fill in the organized data into the chart's data table. Both series will now appear as columns.
Change the chart type of a series: Select the series that needs to be made into a line chart in the chart, and change its chart type to a line chart through the right-click menu or chart settings panel. The other series remains columnar.
Determine whether to use the secondary coordinate axis: If the magnitude difference between the two series is obvious, set the polyline series to the secondary coordinate axis, and confirm that both coordinate axes have clear unit labels.
Adjust the coordinate axis range: If necessary, manually set the minimum and maximum values of the primary and secondary coordinate axes so that the columns and polylines occupy a reasonable height and avoid a line sticking to the top or bottom of the chart.
Add data labels: Add labels to the columns and polylines respectively, but pay attention to the position to avoid the numbers of the polylines overlapping the numbers of the columns. When there are few data points, all labels can be retained, and when there are many data points, only key values can be labeled.
Unify the legend and title: The legend should clearly state what the "columns" and "lines" represent respectively, and the title should contain conclusive words, such as "Sales are growing steadily, and the growth rate is slowing down month by month."
Check in projection mode: Switch to projection mode, watch it again on the projection or large screen, and confirm that the color contrast, font size and line thickness can still be seen clearly from a distance.

Check each item after completion

After the chart is completed, it is much easier to check the following aspects one by one than to make changes after someone points out the problem in the end.

Check item	What do you think?	What if there's a problem?
Data correspondence	Randomly select two or three categories and check the values of columns and lines against the original table	Go back to the data table and modify it. Don't change the numbers directly on the chart.
Axis unit	Are the primary and secondary axes marked with units, and whether the units are consistent with the data?	Supplement the unit, or split the two series into two pictures
Whether the broken line is flattened	Is the fluctuation of the broken line clearly visible?	Enable or adjust the range of secondary axes
Legend and label	Can the legend distinguish between columns and lines, and whether the labels block each other?	Reduce font size, adjust label position, or delete non-critical tags
Color contrast	Can the two series still be distinguished under projection or black-and-white printing	Replace it with a more contrasting color, or add a different mark to the broken line.

If you got your PPT through a translation tool, check the words and numbers in the chart as well. OmniDoc supports the translation of PowerPoint (.pptx) documents. You can choose bilingual comparison or only translation, but the translation results still need to be checked page by page, especially axis titles and data labels, so as to prevent the original meaning of the translation from being changed.

# Core comparison

In actual production, there are often three ways, each with its own applicable scene.

Mode	Advantages	Shortcoming	Suitable for the scene
Coaxial combination	Simple, direct reading	When there is a big difference in magnitude, the broken line is easy to be flattened.	Data with the same unit and similar order of magnitude
Secondary axis combination	Both sets of data can be fully displayed.	Readers may misread two sets of scales, which need to be clearly marked.	Data with a significant gap between the amount and the percentage
Break it down into two pictures	Each knows clearly that there will be no confusion of axes.	Occupy the page, can not see the corresponding relationship between the two intuitively	There are many series and categories, or they may be used to match drawings in official papers.

# frequently asked questions (FAQ)

1. Can more than three chart types be superimposed on combined charts?

Yes, but not recommended. Column plus line is already a more common upper limit, and then add the third type, the legend and axis will quickly become complex, it is difficult for the reader to grasp the main point.

2. Why does the broken line stick to the top or bottom and there is no change?

For the most part, the magnitude does not match, and the broken line and the column share the same axis. By changing the broken line to the secondary axis and manually adjusting the range of the secondary axis, you can usually see the ups and downs.

3. The data is in PDF, can it be changed into a combination chart directly in PPT?

It cannot be modified directly. Charts in PDF are usually pictures or vector graphics, and numeric values cannot be edited as data sources. The safe thing to do is to find the original form file, sort out the data, and remake it in PPT.

4. Are combined charts suitable for papers or official reports?

Fit, but make sure that each axis has a clear name and unit, and clearly write down what the column and line represent respectively. On formal occasions, the use of secondary axes should be illustrated in the illustration.

# Summary

The key to combining charts is to determine whether two sets of data can be put together, and then decide whether to use secondary axes. If you follow the steps in this article to sort out the data, change the series types, and check the axes and labels, you can make the ppt chart making results that the reader can understand at a glance, and you can also explain the relationship between the column and the broken line.

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