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GroupBy

Use GroupBy to create separate run charts for each group in your data, making it easy to compare trends across machines, shifts, or locations.

Goal

Compare measurement trends between Machine A and Machine B.

Sample Data

Download RunChart_GroupBy.xlsx

Excel Protected View

When you open downloaded files, Excel displays a Protected View warning. You must click Enable Editing before you can use Quantum XL with the file.

Excel Protected View warning

Alternatively, you can copy the sample data from the table below and paste it directly into a new Excel workbook.

Measurement Machine
72.1 Machine A
73.4 Machine A
71.8 Machine A
74.2 Machine A
73.0 Machine A
68.5 Machine B
70.2 Machine B
67.8 Machine B
71.0 Machine B
69.5 Machine B

Each row represents one sequential measurement tagged with the machine that produced it. Machine A has 5 observations and Machine B has 5 observations.

Steps

  1. Launch the analysis

    From the Excel ribbon, select QXL Stat Tools → Analysis Tools → Run Chart.

  2. Select your data

    Select cells A1:B11 (the header row plus all 10 data rows).

  3. Configure the analysis

    In the Run Chart dialog:

    • Select the GroupBy radio button (instead of Excel)
    • Y Columns: "Measurement" should be checked, "Machine" should be unchecked
    • GroupBy: Move "Machine" to the GroupBy Order list

    Click Finish to generate the charts.

How GroupBy Works

When you add a GroupBy column, Quantum XL creates a separate run chart for every unique value in that column. In this example, the "Machine" column has two unique values — "Machine A" and "Machine B" — so we get two charts.

Result

Quantum XL creates two run charts, one for each machine:

Machine A — Five measurements ranging from 71.8 to 74.2, with observations plotted in sequence.

Machine B — Five measurements ranging from 67.8 to 71.0, showing a generally lower level than Machine A.

Comparing the two charts reveals that Machine B operates at a lower temperature level with similar variability.