Charts are updated automatically in excel whenever data changes.

Excel shines at turning your data into charts—graphical representations of your data. You can easily create a chart based on a range of data in a worksheet. Normally, if you add additional data to your range, you will need to once again create the chart or at best change the range of cells on which the chart is based.

If you get tired of modifying charts to refer to new data ranges, there are a couple of shortcuts you can try out. The first shortcut works fine if you simply need to "fine tune" the range used in a chart. (This approach only works if the chart is on object on the same worksheet that contains the data on which the chart is based.) Follow these steps:

Enter any new data to the table on which the chart is based.
Select all the cells that you just entered.
Click anywhere on the selection border around the cells. (Don't click on the fill handle.)
Drag the selection toward the chart and drop it on the chart.

That's it—Excel incorporates the new data right into the existing chart, slick as a whistle.

Another approach is to add new data to the range not at the end, but somewhere within the range. For instance, you may have some data that represents a time period, such as 11/1 through 11/13, and you create a chart based on those dates. If you add new data to the end of the range (after 11/13), then Excel doesn't know you want those items added to the chart.

Instead, insert some blank rows somewhere within the data range; it doesn't matter where, as long as the record for 11/13 is below the added rows. You can then add the new data in the new rows, and the chart is automatically updated to include the data.

One drawback to this approach, of course, is that the inserted data will be out of order when compared to the overall structure of the data table. It is interesting to note that for some types of data—such as those based on dates—Excel will automatically sort the data by date as it presents it in the chart, but not in the data table itself. You can always use Excel's sort feature to reorder the data in the table, all without affecting what is presented in the chart.

Still another approach is to create a "dynamic range." This approach works well if the data range you are charting is the only data on the worksheet. Follow these steps:

Create your data table as you normally would. (To keep things simple, we'll assume that you are creating a two-column data table, in columns A and B, that you then want to chart.)
Create your chart, as desired.
With the worksheet visible, click on Insert | Name | Define to display the Define Name dialog box. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Define Name dialog box.

In the Names in Workbook or Name field (depending on your version of Excel) enter a name that will refer to the data in column A.
In the Refers To field, enter the following formula. You should change the sheet name and beginning cell (in this case $A$2), as necessary. If you change the beginning cell, you should also change the final part of the formula (-1) to be one less than the row number of the beginning cell. Thus, if you change the beginning cell to $A$5, you should change the final part of the formula to -4.
Click Add. Excel creates the name and associates it with the formula you entered. The Define Name dialog box should still be visible, with the newly defined name listed.
In the Names in Workbook or Name field (depending on your version of Excel) enter a name that will refer to the data in column B.
In the Refers To field, enter the following formula. (You should make the same type of changes to the sheet name, beginning cell, and final part of the formula as described in step 5.)
Click Add. Excel creates the name.
Click OK to close the Define Name dialog box.
Display the chart and select the data series. (There should only be one data series, since this is a simple two-column data table.) The formula bar will display a formula similar to the following:
Replace the ranges in the formula with the names you defined earlier in these steps. Assuming you defined the names Dates and Readings in steps 4 and 7, the formula should look like this:

=SERIES(,Sheet1!Dates,Sheet1!Readings,1)

Now the chart updates automatically regardless of where you add information in your data table. This works because the names you defined in steps 6 and 10 refer to a formula that calculates the extent of data in columns A and B of your worksheet.

There are many other ways that you can create dynamic ranges, depending on the characteristics of the data you are using. For additional information, see these Web resources:

http://spreadsheetpage.com/index.php/tip/update_charts_automatically_when_you_enter_new_data/ http://www.ozgrid.com/Excel/DynamicRanges.htm

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2933) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

/en/excel-tips/using-the-quick-analysis-tool/content/

How to make charts auto update

When you create a chart in Excel, it's important to make sure it stays up to date, even if you add more data later on. Although you can manually adjust the chart's data range to include the new data, this can be tedious if you frequently update your spreadsheet.

Luckily, there is an easier way. Simply format your source data as a table, then create a chart based on that table. When you add more data below the table, it will automatically be included in both the table and the chart, keeping everything consistent and up to date.

Watch the video below to learn how to use tables to keep charts up to date.

/en/excel-tips/use-transpose-to-flip-data-on-its-side/content/

Supposing you have created a chart to track the daily sales based on a range of data in your workbook. But you need to change or edit the number of the data every day, in this case, you have to update the chart manually so it includes the new data. Are there any quick tricks to help you auto update a chart when you add new data to an existing chart range in Excel?

Auto update a chart after entering new data with creating a table

Auto update a chart after entering new data with dynamic formula

Auto update a chart after entering new data with creating a table

If you have the following range of data and column chart, now you want the chart update automatically when you enter new information. In Excel 2007, 2010 or 2013, you can create a table to expand the data range, and the chart will update automatically. Please do as this:

1. Select the data range and click Table under Insert tab, see screenshot:

2. In the Create Table dialog box, if your data has headers, please check My table has headers option, then click OK. See screenshot:

3. And the data range is formatted as a table, see screenshot:

4. Now, when you add values for June, and the chart will be updated automatically. See screenshot:

Notes:

1. Your new entering data must be adjacent to the above data, it means there is no blank rows or columns between the new data and the existing data.

2. In the table, you are able to insert data between the existing values.

Auto update a chart after entering new data with dynamic formula

But sometimes, you don’t want to change the range to table, and the above method is not available in Excel 2003 or earlier version. Here I can introduce you a complex dynamic formula method. Take the following data and chart for example:

1. First, you need to create a defined name and a dynamic formula for each column. Click Formulas > Define Name.

2. In the New Name dialog box, enter Date into the Name box, and choose current worksheet name from Scope drop down list, and then enter =OFFSET($A$2,0,0,COUNTA($A:$A)-1) formula into the Refers to box, see screenshot:

3. Click OK, and then repeat the above two steps, you can create a dynamic range for each series using the following range names and formulas:

Column B: Ruby: =OFFSET($B$2,0,0,COUNTA($B:$B)-1);
Column C: James: =OFFSET($C$2,0,0,COUNTA($C:$C)-1);
Column D: Freda: =OFFSET($D$2,0,0,COUNTA($D:$D)-1)

Note: In the above formulas, the OFFSET function refers to the first data point, and the COUNTA refers to the entire column of data.

4. After defining the names and formulas for each column data, then right click any column in your chart, and choose Select Data, see screenshot:

5. In the Select Data Source dialog box, from Legend Entries(Series) section, click Ruby and then click the Edit button, in the popped out Edit Series dialog, enter =Sheet3!Ruby under Series values section, see screenshots:

6. And then click OK to return to the Select Data Source dialog, repeat the step 5 to update the remaining series to reflect their dynamic ranges:

James: Series values: =Sheet3!James;
Freda: Series values: =Sheet3!Freda

7. After setting the left data, now you need to click Edit button under Horizontal (Category) Axis Labels to set this option, see screenshots:

8. Then click OK > OK to close the Select Data Source dialog, after finishing these steps, you'll find that the chart updates automatically when you add new data to the worksheet.

Notes:

1. You must enter new data in a contiguous manner, if you skip rows, this method will not work as expected.
2. If you enter new column data, this method will not take effect.

Tip.If you want to quickly export range contents from sheet to a graphic, please try to use the Kutools for Excel’s Export Range as Graphic as shown in the following screenshot. It’s full function without limitation in [module 745} days, please download and have a free trial now.

Related articles:

How to add a horizontal average line to chart in Excel?

How to create combination charts and add secondary axis for it in Excel?

No ratings yet. Be the first to rate!