Clarify patterns and formulas from data with the spreadsheet function of trend lines

Trend lines on scatter-grams let data analysts not only see patterns better but also know the formula that describes the best-fit line. With such a formula, An example would be a scatter-plot that shows the rise in bonuses as a percentage of total compensation the higher lawyers rise. With the formula you can plug in a known number and find out the variable number.

For more on trend lines, my most recent column of Morrison on Metrics came out on Jan. 17, 2010 and you can be trendy and read it here.