2.49 FAQ-485 Where is the X data associated with my Y column?

AssociatedX-with-YCol

Last Update: 8/6/2015

Certain custom import operations as well as certain analysis operations may add Y columns to the workbook without specifically adding an associated X column to the left of the Y column.

In such circumstances, the X data is uniformly spaced, and the information on the starting X value and step X value are stored in the Sampling Interval header row of the associated Y column. Origin uses this sampling interval information in subsequent operations such as graphing and analysis which involve such Y columns. This method reduces the number of columns in the worksheet thus allowing for more efficient storage and presentation of your data.

If the Sampling Interval row is not visible, you can turn it on either by right-clicking on the workbook title bar and selecting the View: Sampling Interval context menu, or by opening the Worksheet Properties dialog using the Format: Worksheet menu item and then pressing the Edit Column Label Rows... button to customize what rows to display.

When the sampling interval information exists for a Y column, this is indicated by an icon with the letter i on the top left of the Y column header. Clicking on that icon opens the Column additional information dialog which displays the X start and step values as well as other meta data that may be associated with that column.

You can use the Column: Show X Column menu item when such a Y column is selected, and this will create a new X column to the immediate left of the selected Y column. The sampling interval information in the Y column will still continue to exist.