How to set the data type and format of an axis 1 On Format Chart, navigate to the axis section, then use the Type settings to change the data type of the axis. Figure 16‑9 shows axis options. Figure 16‑9 X-axis section of Format Chart 2 Choose Open Edit Format. The Edit Format dialog box displays options for the data type of the axis. Figure 16‑10 shows options for the DateTime data type. Figure 16‑10 Editing the format of a date