It’s one thing for a business to have masses of data at their disposal, but another to be able to turn it to their advantage.
Companies looking to use data to inform business decisions and maximise growth must first get to grips with the various ways of sharing data insights between teams, managers and other stakeholders. The problem is that dealing with raw data is rarely a walk in the park, especially if you have very little experience in data management or reporting.
As the world’s leading spreadsheet and workbook program, Microsoft Excel is the program of choice for businesses that need to visualise data insights quickly and clearly. Excel’s range of graphs, charts and other data models are tailor-made for this very purpose and give users full control over the way they present their data.
Beyond the familiar bar charts, pie charts, line graphs and scatter graphs, many businesses we speak to are looking to go a step further to produce engaging 3D visualisations and present complex data insights over three different axes. We’ve put together this handy guide to creating 3D visualisations.
How to create 3D visualisations in Excel
The basic concept behind 3D data visualisations is to add an extra dimension to a 2D graphic so that it displays three separate variables in correlation with one another, all within a single image.
Here’s a quick step-by-step walkthrough:
1. Prepare your data
The first step is to gather the data you want to include in a single spreadsheet. We recommend placing your three sets of data in three adjacent columns before highlighting all relevant values and navigating to Insert > Charts.
2. Follow the Chart Wizard
Excel’s built-in chart dialog offers users a range of intuitive 3D chart options. Choose the style of graph you prefer and insert it into your spreadsheet.
3. Customise 3D chart elements
Once you have selected your preferred 3D graph, you can now tweak it to your own specific needs. By clicking through to Chart Tools > Design > Format, you can also customise the depth, spacing, rotation and scale of the chart.
Professional support from the Excel experts
If you’re still having trouble creating effective 3D data visualisations in Excel, you can always save yourself the time and stress by getting in touch with an experienced Excel professional. It always helps to be able to call on somebody who has been there and done it countless times before.
