Forecast the future with Excel trendlines - TechRepublic
Software
SHARE
Facebook X Pinterest WhatsApp

Forecast the future with Excel trendlines

Trying to predict the future based on past experiences, but you’re lacking the right formula? If you’ve forgotten high school algebra, fear not. With trendlines, Excel can project future figures based on previous history. Mary Ann Richardson points the way.

Written By
maryannrichardson
maryannrichardson
May 30, 2006
We may earn from vendors via affiliate links or sponsorships. This might affect product placement on our site, but not the content of our reviews. See our Terms of Use for details.

Let’s say you are keeping track of monthly sales figures for
the past six months (January through June), and you want to know what the overall sales will likely be for the second half of the year. You can use trendlines to have Excel predict the answers based on your
previous data. Follow these steps:

  1. Create
    a bar chart of the data you’ve tracked so far.
  2. Click
    on your chart, and then click on the data series.
  3. Go
    to Chart | Add Trendline.
  4. Click
    on the Options tab.
  5. In
    the Forecast section, click on the up arrow in the Forecast box until the
    entry in the box changes to 6.
  6. Click
    OK.

Excel will extend the trendline to
show estimated monthly sales figures for the rest of the year.

Miss a tip?

Check out the Microsoft Excel archive, and catch up on our most recent Excel tips.

Help users increase productivity by automatically signing up for TechRepublic’s free Microsoft Office Suite newsletter, featuring Word, Excel, and Access tips, delivered each Wednesday.

maryannrichardson