Charts and Dashboards: Time-Saving Template
21 January 2022
Welcome back to our Charts and Dashboards blog series. This week, I save a customised chart to use again.
In Charts and Dashboards: Target Practice, I created a Clustered Column chart and formatted it to show if my salespeople were reaching their targets. I used March sales data to form the basis of the data for the chart:
![](http://sumproduct-4634.kxcdn.com/img/containers/main/blog-pictures/2022/cd/085/image1.png/e774d10cbbb9450fc45efbe51abdf434.jpg)
The chart I created is shown next:
![](http://sumproduct-4634.kxcdn.com/img/containers/main/blog-pictures/2022/cd/085/image2.png/f32e5a15e2cf9c3e4d2d058458ce054d.jpg)
Management has decided that they like this chart, and would like me to use it for more sales targets:
![](http://sumproduct-4634.kxcdn.com/img/containers/main/blog-pictures/2022/cd/085/image3.png/f1140ff857fc3b6f5f97a6a24f4a6fc7.jpg)
I could copy the original Excel file and change the data in the table, but I would like this chart to be available whenever I want to use it. I want to create a custom chart for future use.
I start in the original Clustered Column Chart where I right-click to see the shortcut menu:
![](http://sumproduct-4634.kxcdn.com/img/containers/main/blog-pictures/2022/cd/085/image4.png/72aa864d2854c6fefb1083fba0ab5792.jpg)
I choose the ‘Save as Template’ option, and a window appears prompting me to save the chart:
![](http://sumproduct-4634.kxcdn.com/img/containers/main/blog-pictures/2022/cd/085/image5.png/36776d1da4d05b45bb5a5d09375f407c.jpg)
The default file name is Chart1.crtx. I change this to SalesTargets.crtx:
![](http://sumproduct-4634.kxcdn.com/img/containers/main/blog-pictures/2022/cd/085/image6.png/23912d3b1671861e02bebcd5183f1607.jpg)
I return to the new data, and select it all:
![](http://sumproduct-4634.kxcdn.com/img/containers/main/blog-pictures/2022/cd/085/image7.png/6f49c288a0d88a66b427eaf4ece923d6.jpg)
On the Insert tab, in the lower left-hand corner of the Charts section, there is an icon where I can ‘See All Charts’:
![](http://sumproduct-4634.kxcdn.com/img/containers/main/blog-pictures/2022/cd/085/image8.png/b9ee28d90e6b5bc92ea4aeafdad51628.jpg)
Clicking on this icon reveals an ‘Insert Chart’ dialog where I choose the ‘All Charts’ tab:
![](http://sumproduct-4634.kxcdn.com/img/containers/main/blog-pictures/2022/cd/085/image9.png/0485ccbc83bdeec1d741bad442a1ea5f.jpg)
I then choose the Templates Tab:
![](http://sumproduct-4634.kxcdn.com/img/containers/main/blog-pictures/2022/cd/085/image10.png/daf8c4f0259ce428269c0d3d4badd32b.jpg)
I can see the SalesTargets template under ‘My Templates’. Note that there is also an option at the bottom of the dialog to ‘Manage Templates’: this would take me to the Windows folder containing the templates.
I choose SalesTargets and click OK:
![](http://sumproduct-4634.kxcdn.com/img/containers/main/blog-pictures/2022/cd/085/image11.png/22c6daeb82d7d69ac88f878227e04b28.jpg)
The chart appears and just needs a new Chart Title. I can now use this template whenever I want this modified version of a Clustered Column chart.
That’s it for this week. Come back next week for more Charts and Dashboards tips.