Analyzing existing and projected data with trendlines

- If you're working with a chart that tracks data over time,…like the line chart we see here,…on this sheet called Trend Line,…we could analyze the data by way of…what's called a trend line.…Now, the chart might or might not be a line chart.…It could be a column chart, could be a bar chart,…or even an area chart.…If we add a trend line, we might possibly be using…regression-analysis techniques, or simply providing…a line that creates a moving average.…The data we see here is fairly erratic,…it jumps up and down a lot.…

We could create a smoother line in here…by averaging every three months,…or possibly every six months, to create a new line in here.…Now there are multiple ways to start the process.…If a chart is selected, and you go to the Chart Layout tab,…you will see a choice called Trend Line.…I think it's a bit faster, although you certainly can…click this and see some options here, I think it's better…and faster to simply right-click a line.…Now if this were a column chart,…we'd be right-clicking a column.…