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Comparison bar chart with differences

In Excel, you can create a variety of different charts to compare two or more data sets. When comparing two data sets, charts such as butterfly, mirror, tornado, etc., are often used, where the differences in the data sets are not always clearly visible.

Side by side comparison bar chart with differences

When comparing two datasets, often the most important thing is to see the variance or differences in the datasets. Thus, when creating a comparative chart, in addition to displaying two sets of data, it is necessary to display their difference. Calculating and adding variance data to an Excel bar chart is quite simple. It is a little more difficult to calculate the distance from the compared datasets to the variance chart:

Create bidirectional bar chart in Excel

A bidirectional chart, also known as a two-sided bar chart, is used to compare two (rarely more) sets of data side by side along the horizontal axis. Unlike other similar charts, such as the divergent chart (butterfly, mirror, tornado, etc.) and the Likert scale chart, the bidirectional histogram bars start on opposite sides and are directed toward each other.

Side by side comparison bar chart with the same axes

To compare two different sets of data, you can create a side-by-side bar chart in Excel, also known as a double chart. It is most informative to compare data in the presence of two identical coordinate grids with the same vertical and horizontal axes:

Side by side comparison bar chart

To compare two sets of data, you can create various comparison charts, such as a butterfly chart, mirror chart, tornado chart, etc., or a double-sided chart. However, comparing the values in opposite directions is not always convenient. In order to display two datasets, you can use Excel to create a side-by-side bar chart, also known as a double bar chart.

How to make Tornado chart in Excel

The tornado chart is a modified version of bar charts with two columns of data series whose bars are horizontal and pointing in opposite directions, with the base in the middle of the chart. In fact, the only difference between the tornado chart and the very similar charts - the butterfly chart and the mirror chart - is that the data series used to create the tornado chart must be sorted from the largest to the smallest.

How to make Mirror chart in Excel

A mirror bar chart or double bar chart is a special type of bar chart (actually, a simplified version of a diverging chart referred to as a comparative histogram) that displays two sets of data comparatively side by side along the vertical axis. The chart resembles a reflection of a mirror, hence the name "mirror bar chart":

How to create Butterfly chart in Excel

A butterfly chart is a simplified version of a diverging chart, also known as a divergent chart. Unlike a diverging chart, a butterfly chart can only compare two data sets using two horizontal bars with a central baseline.

How to create re-sorting chart in Excel

When creating comparison charts, two different approaches are used:
- comparative analysis of some parameters of one key element - the favorite one (product, brand, etc.) with the parameters of competitive elements (products, brands, etc.),
- comparison of the parameters of a certain list of elements without favorites.

How to add pictures to vertical axis of the bar chart

Nowadays, icons, logos, and abbreviations often carry more information than the textual names of companies, brands, applications, games, etc. To create memorable charts and faster understanding and recognition of information, instead of the names of countries, brands, etc., you can substitute the corresponding pictures on the axis of the charts.