Excel: Better Variance Charts – Dynamic Columns, Lines & Arrows

Dynamic column and bar charts are great for showing variances. Dynamic arrows also work great here!

How can you create this in Excel?

In this full series you will find four ways to visualize variances.

Method A: Uses a column chart with dynamic coloring of the columns to distinguish between positive and negative – AND conditional colors for data labels.

Method B: Uses much thinner bars / lines to distinguish between positive and negative variances – it’s less bulky compared to A and more elegant.

Method C: Uses dynamic arrows that are conditionally format and placed on top of the original column chart.

Method D: Also uses dynamic arrows but now placed right below the horizontal axis of the original column graph.

Watch the Videos below to find out how to create each variance chart in Excel: