Sparkline charts within a cell

1. Sparkline charts

The last chart we are going to look at for our dashboard is the sparkline. Sparklines are a quick way to visualize data in a less complex way than with the other charts. They are used to show trends and do not have axes. They are perfect for dashboards. You can create a sparkline chart the same way you create any other chart.

2. Creating the sparkline

Simply highlight the range you want to chart, change the chart to a sparkline, using the Chart editor, and edit as needed. There aren't many options with sparkline charts and they do not have the functionality to allow many changes.

3. Sparklines in your dashboard

The idea is for a sparkline to give you a quick snapshot. With this in mind, they work better in a single cell, but it really depends on the message you are trying to get across. To show a sparkline within a single cell, you need to use a formula. The formula you use will depend on the type of sparkline you want to show. There are 4 available, line, column, bar, and winloss. The line sparkline is shown within a cell on the slide.

4. Line sparklines

To create a line sparkline, type equals sparkline and, in parentheses, list the range you want to chart.

5. Line chart within a cell

You should see a line chart within your cell with no axis or titles. You can also copy this to other cells, just like a regular formula. How nifty is that!

6. Changing color

If you want to format the sparkline within your cell to a different color, amend your formula to add the color option. For example, if you want your sparkline to be red, you will need to add it to the previous formula. After listing the data you want to chart, add a comma and, in curly brackets, type color in quotation marks, add a comma, and type the color you want to use in quotation marks. In this example, we are indicating we want our sparkline to be red.

7. Red sparklines

Again, as this is just a formula, you can copy it. Try different colors in your formula to see the results.

8. Color and line width

There are other formatting options you can use, like changing the width of the line and combining both the color and the line thickness within one formula. To edit your formula to include this, add a semicolon after the line color, within the parentheses and curly brackets, indicate linewidth in quotation marks, add a comma, and add the line thickness in quotation marks. In the example shown, the line thickness is 3.

9. Changing the width of your sparkline

Using a thicker line provides a much better view of the stats in the column.

10. Column sparklines

If the line sparklines don't suit you, you can use one of the other three types available to you by using a different formula. If you want to use a column chart rather than a line chart, you can indicate this in the formula. After listing the range you want to chart, add a comma then, within curly brackets, type charttype in quotation marks, add another comma, and type column in quotation marks.

11. Bar sparklines

Similarly, if you want a bar chart to chart the range, type bar in quotation marks instead.

12. Winloss sparklines

If you want a winloss chart, which charts only positive and negative, you would specify the word winloss in the formula in parentheses instead.

13. Pretty cool, hey!

Sparklines are a quick, clean visual that get right to the point and pack a punch. Give these exercises a go and see what you think.

Create Your Free Account

By continuing, you accept our Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy and that your data is stored in the USA.