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  1. #1
    gar is offline Advanced Beginner
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    Strange /unsatisfactory behaviour in generating charts

    I tried to create a chart (a line graph) to visualise my electricity consumption. The system insits on calculating an aggregate figure (e.g. Sum, Avg, Max) for each division on the time axis (e.g. Year, Quarter, Month); I selected Avg and Month. The data I had was just the meter readings on which electricity bills had been based. These readings were somewhat irregular w.r.t. timing but this was not reflected in the graph, the data points being evenly distrbuted along the time axis, one point per month. This distorted the picture somewhat but much worse was the fact that if no reading had been recorded in a particular month (and there was one instance of there being no reading for two consecutive months) then that month was just omitted. This seems a very strange and highly unsatisfactory way to behave. Has anyone had the same experience.

  2. #2
    June7's Avatar
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    The omission of month where there is no data is not unusual and is in fact expected. Not sure what you mean by the distortion (what is w.r.t.?). Even spacing on axis is also expected. I analyse chart issues best when I can work with data. If you want to provide, follow instructions at bottom of my post.
    How to attach file: http://www.accessforums.net/showthread.php?t=70301 To provide db: copy, remove confidential data, run compact & repair, zip w/Windows Compression.

  3. #3
    gar is offline Advanced Beginner
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    Quote Originally Posted by June7 View Post
    The omission of month where there is no data is not unusual and is in fact expected. Not sure what you mean by the distortion (what is w.r.t.?). Even spacing on axis is also expected. I analyse chart issues best when I can work with data. If you want to provide, follow instructions at bottom of my post.
    Thankyou very much for your very prompt reply to my request. To deal with the simplest thing first, "w.r.t." is an acronym which I use to stand for "with respect to". By distortion I mean that the location of the data point implies that the reading to which it relates was taken in the middle of the month (say on the 15th); this is not generally the case, it could have been taken on, say, the 3rd or the 28th. The omission from the time axis of months in which no reading had been taken causes changes between successive readings to appear to be much sharper than they actually were. I would have to say that on the many occasions on which I have encountered graphs in which the horizontal axis represents time I have always assumed that the time period represented was continuous unless a discontinuity was made quite explicit. So I am surprised that you say that discontinuity in such contexts is not unusual.

  4. #4
    June7's Avatar
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    The axis values come from the data so if there is no data for a particular month then that month cannot be shown.
    How to attach file: http://www.accessforums.net/showthread.php?t=70301 To provide db: copy, remove confidential data, run compact & repair, zip w/Windows Compression.

  5. #5
    gar is offline Advanced Beginner
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    I don't follow this argument at all; the system doesn't need the existence of a data point to know that there is a month between , say January and March. I think we will just need to agree to differ on this issue; I have exported the data to Excel where it is handled in what I regard as a more satisfactory manner; the data points in the graph it generates are still located in the middle of the month but the time axis is continuous. - Thankyou for your contribution to this discussion. - Just for clarification, I am not sure what the designation "Super Moderator" means; are you an official spokesperson for Microsoft? If not is there any way of getting Microsoft to respond to such requests, they, after all, are better placed to pronounce than anyone else.

  6. #6
    June7's Avatar
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    This site has no association with Microsoft. It is an independent enterprise. Super Moderator just means I am a volunteer with moderator privileges (and attendant responsibilities) across all the forums.

    Sorry I couldn't explain it better but I am afraid it is the case that if there is no data for February, February won't show on the graph. Access can't 'know' that there should be a month between January and March represented even if data doesn't exist.

    I am not sure how you accomplished this in Excel. I haven't done graphing in Excel in some time. However, glad you found a satisfactory solution.
    How to attach file: http://www.accessforums.net/showthread.php?t=70301 To provide db: copy, remove confidential data, run compact & repair, zip w/Windows Compression.

Please reply to this thread with any new information or opinions.

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