Can I restyle the result by hand?

Yes. The visual is built from plain Excel objects; recolor, resize and rewrite it as you like.

Yes. It works off your data, so when the source cells change, so does the visual.

Is anything written into my data?

No. The source cells are read only; the single addition is the visual.

Can I switch templates later?

You can reopen the gallery and build another template on the same data; the existing visual stays until you delete it.

Create a Bi-Directional Bar Chart in Excel

In short: Two measures from a shared center. Select your data, pick the template and map the fields; the result is an editable, data-bound visual that refreshes as your cells change. Nothing in the source is modified.

What it shows

Compares two measures left and right from a shared center, showing both sides in balance.

When to use it

Most useful when you need to comparing male and female counts, or imports and exports, from a shared axis.

Example scenarios

Comparing male and female counts, or imports and exports, from a shared axis.
Analysts: compares two measures left and right from a shared center, showing both sides in balance.

What it needs

Columns for the category labels, the left-side values and the right-side values.

How to use it

Select the data range or table you want to visualize.
Open the Charts (Visualizations menu) gallery from the XLMind Plus tab.
Pick the Bi-Directional Bar template and map its fields to your cells.
The visual is inserted bound to your data; it refreshes as the cells change.

What it produces

A live SVG chart shape (auto-refresh and edit).

Effect on your data and undo

Bi-Directional Bar does not change your source data; the result is added as a separate item. It refreshes automatically when the linked cells change. If it is not what you wanted, Undo Last restores the previous state.

How it differs from similar tools

It builds a view Excel does not offer natively, as a data-bound, editable visual in one step; the look refreshes when the data changes.

Good to know

Bindings must match the chart's expected shape; auto-refreshes on source change. Requires the listed data fields (category, left, right).

Limitations

Requires the listed data fields.

Frequently asked questions

Can I restyle the result by hand?: Yes. The visual is built from plain Excel objects; recolor, resize and rewrite it as you like.
Is the result live?: Yes. It works off your data, so when the source cells change, so does the visual.
Is anything written into my data?: No. The source cells are read only; the single addition is the visual.
Can I switch templates later?: You can reopen the gallery and build another template on the same data; the existing visual stays until you delete it.

Works well with

At the other end of the family sits Dot Plot
To keep working on the result, use Create Dashboard
Often used alongside this tool: KPI Cards

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