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#1
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What does Excel do when you go over the limit for total data point
The maximum number of total data points in a plot is 256,000. However, I
have setup plots with 1.5 million data points. Excel does not complain about this, but I'm guessing it is still only showing 256,000 points. The thing is, I can't figure out which 256,000 it is showing. I don't think it's just the first 256,000 because the data is sorted and it would look abruptly cutoff after the 256,000th point. I'm using a scatterplot if that helps. The plot looks correct, with gradually decreasing density towards the outer edges of the plot. But if it's only showing 17% of the data points, is Excel intelligently filtering the data evenly? |
#2
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What does Excel do when you go over the limit for total data point
Nevermind. I thought I had the data sorted, but I didn't. I can clearly see
it is cutting it off now, so I will have to filter the data in my application first. Please delete/lock this thread. |
#3
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What does Excel do when you go over the limit for total data point
Usually I ask what's the use of showing more points in a chart than there
are pixels. But his time I thought I'd check it out. I filled A1:L32001 (12 columns) with data. I tried to make a series with A1:A32001, and Excel warned me that the limit was 32000 points per series. I made a chart using A1:H32000 (8*32000=256000), which supposedly reaches the maximum number of points in the chart. Fine, glad I'm using Excel 2003 and not 2007, because in the latter it would take a long time to redraw. Then I extended the data range to I32000. No warning, and the new series was added as if there was nothing wrong. I extended the range to column L, so I have 12 series in the chart, each with 32000 points, which exceeds the limit by 50%. In VBA I ran command this from the Immediate window, with the following results: For Each s in ActiveChart.SeriesCollection : p = p + s.Points.Count : ? s.Name, s.Points.Count, p : Next Series1 32000 32000 Series2 32000 64000 Series3 32000 96000 Series4 32000 128000 Series5 32000 160000 Series6 32000 192000 Series7 32000 224000 Series8 32000 256000 Series9 32000 288000 Series10 32000 320000 Series11 32000 352000 Series12 32000 384000 So Excel thinks there are 384k points and is continuing happily along. I don't know of any feasible way to tell which points are showing and which (if any) have been filtered out. - Jon ------- Jon Peltier, Peltier Technical Services, Inc. http://PeltierTech.com/WordPress/ Advanced Excel Conference - Training in Charting and Programming http://peltiertech.com/Training/2009...00906ACNJ.html _______ "Carl" wrote in message ... The maximum number of total data points in a plot is 256,000. However, I have setup plots with 1.5 million data points. Excel does not complain about this, but I'm guessing it is still only showing 256,000 points. The thing is, I can't figure out which 256,000 it is showing. I don't think it's just the first 256,000 because the data is sorted and it would look abruptly cutoff after the 256,000th point. I'm using a scatterplot if that helps. The plot looks correct, with gradually decreasing density towards the outer edges of the plot. But if it's only showing 17% of the data points, is Excel intelligently filtering the data evenly? |
#4
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What does Excel do when you go over the limit for total data p
Thanks for the help, Jon. I would totally agree that it's pointless to plot
more points than can be viewed on the screen, but you don't always know how many pixels the user's monitor displays. Plus, they may want to zoom in on a specific area. Also, it would be much easier to let Excel figure out how to plot it all rather than writing my own code to filter the data before giving it to Excel. Or at least it would be if I could be sure Excel was displaying it properly. "Jon Peltier" wrote: Usually I ask what's the use of showing more points in a chart than there are pixels. But his time I thought I'd check it out. I filled A1:L32001 (12 columns) with data. I tried to make a series with A1:A32001, and Excel warned me that the limit was 32000 points per series. I made a chart using A1:H32000 (8*32000=256000), which supposedly reaches the maximum number of points in the chart. Fine, glad I'm using Excel 2003 and not 2007, because in the latter it would take a long time to redraw. Then I extended the data range to I32000. No warning, and the new series was added as if there was nothing wrong. I extended the range to column L, so I have 12 series in the chart, each with 32000 points, which exceeds the limit by 50%. In VBA I ran command this from the Immediate window, with the following results: For Each s in ActiveChart.SeriesCollection : p = p + s.Points.Count : ? s.Name, s.Points.Count, p : Next Series1 32000 32000 Series2 32000 64000 Series3 32000 96000 Series4 32000 128000 Series5 32000 160000 Series6 32000 192000 Series7 32000 224000 Series8 32000 256000 Series9 32000 288000 Series10 32000 320000 Series11 32000 352000 Series12 32000 384000 So Excel thinks there are 384k points and is continuing happily along. I don't know of any feasible way to tell which points are showing and which (if any) have been filtered out. - Jon ------- Jon Peltier, Peltier Technical Services, Inc. http://PeltierTech.com/WordPress/ Advanced Excel Conference - Training in Charting and Programming http://peltiertech.com/Training/2009...00906ACNJ.html _______ "Carl" wrote in message ... The maximum number of total data points in a plot is 256,000. However, I have setup plots with 1.5 million data points. Excel does not complain about this, but I'm guessing it is still only showing 256,000 points. The thing is, I can't figure out which 256,000 it is showing. I don't think it's just the first 256,000 because the data is sorted and it would look abruptly cutoff after the 256,000th point. I'm using a scatterplot if that helps. The plot looks correct, with gradually decreasing density towards the outer edges of the plot. But if it's only showing 17% of the data points, is Excel intelligently filtering the data evenly? |
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