Exporting histogram information to Microsoft Excel

If Microsoft Excel® is installed on your computer, you can export information from a histogram directly into Excel. You may want to do this in order to manipulate the information within Excel. When you export information from a histogram into Excel, the information is saved into a named file with a .XLS extension. You can create a new .XLS file, or overwrite an existing one.

If you have more than one graph displayed in a histogram row, you can choose to export information from a single graph, or from all graphs in the row.

You must select an Excel template to use when exporting information from a histogram to Excel. The template defines the way in which the information is exported. If the selected template contains a chart, the graph name(s) and column headings are transferred to the chart as well as the data.

  1. Right-click the histogram graph you want to export and select Export <graph name> to Excel. The Histogram Export dialog appears.

    Note that you must right-click the histogram graph precisely on part of the graph in order for this command to be available: if you right-click a blank area of the histogram, the Export to Excel command appears instead, which you use to copy information from all of the graphs in the histogram to Excel.
  2. Enter the name and location of the .XLS file to which you want to export the information in the Export file name field. You can enter the name of a new file, or an existing one. If you enter the name of an existing file, you are asked whether you want to overwrite the file or not. Alternatively, click Browse to search for the location of the file you want to create.
  3. Select an Excel template with which to create the .XLS file in the Select an export template field. This field displays the Excel templates that are located in the folder specified on the File Locations tab of the Options dialog. Note that any data that is contained within the selected template is disregarded.
  4. If no templates are displayed, or if the template you require is not displayed, click Look in and browse for the folder containing the template you want.
  5. Click OK to export the information from the histogram graph into Excel.
  1. Right-click the histogram row you want to export and select Export to Excel. The Histogram Export dialog appears.

    Do not right-click the histogram row over part of one of its graphs: if you right-click one of the graphs, the Export <graph name> to Excel command appears instead, which you use to copy information from a specific graph in the histogram to Excel.
  2. Enter the name and location of the .XLS file to which you want to export the information in the Export file name field. You can enter the name of a new file, or an existing one. If you enter the name of an existing file, you are asked whether you want to overwrite the file or not. Alternatively, click Browse to search for the location of the file you want to create.
  3. Select an Excel template with which to create the .XLS file in the Select an export template field. This field displays the Excel templates that are located in the folder specified on the File Locations tab of the Options dialog. Note that any data that is contained within the selected template is disregarded.
  4. If no templates are displayed, or if the template you require is not displayed, click Look in and browse for the folder containing the template you want.
  5. Click OK to export the information from the histogram graphs into Excel.

The information is copied into the first available data sheet in the selected file. The first column represents the date and time of the selected slicing time unit. Data from the selected graph(s) is exported into the subsequent columns, and represent measurements that correspond to the time values in the first column. If you do not select a slicing time unit, there will be a row of information for each node in the graph.

When you copy information from a sliced histogram graph to Excel, the data is divided into equal time periods, as specified by the slicing time unit, or the Clipboard unit if one is not specified.

You can specify the value that is copied for each time period as follows:

  • If the graph is sliced, the selected slice type is used to calculate the value that is copied (for example, the maximum, minimum or average value in each period).
  • If the graph is not sliced, the value at the end of the time period is copied in the case of cumulative graphs.
  • If the graph is not sliced, the average value is copied in the case of non-cumulative graphs, unless you press SHIFT while right-clicking the histogram graph and selecting Export to Excel, in which case the peak value is copied.

You can specify the date that is copied for each time period as follows:

  • Press and hold down CTRL while right-clicking the histogram graph and selecting Export to Excel to copy the start date of each time period.
  • Right-click the histogram graph and select Export to Excel without pressing and holding down CTRL to copy the start date of the previous time period.

Related Topics:

Generating a histogram

Copying information from a histogram to the Clipboard