Home / Statistical Tools / Analysis Tools / Run Chart / How-To / GroupBy
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¶
Press Copy for Excel, then paste the table into a blank worksheet.
| 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¶
-
Put the data in Excel
Press Copy for Excel above the table, click cell A1 in a blank worksheet, and press Ctrl+V. The header row lands in row 1 and the 10 data rows in rows 2 through 11.
-
Launch the analysis
From the Excel ribbon, select QXL Stat Tools → Analysis Tools → Run Chart.
-
Select your data
Select cells A1:B11 (the header row plus all 10 data rows).
-
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.