Using sparklines in Microsoft Excel

On the 2nd day of Advent, D365 saved me time…
By sharing more about Excel sparklines!

Do you want to add a bit of Christmas pizzazz to your spreadsheets?

No room for a chart but want to add some glamour?

You should be using sparklines!

Sparklines have been around for a while in Microsoft Excel, yet they’re not typically searched for. This tends to be especially true when someone already knows how to create a table or chart to present their data in an easy-to-read format! But, sparklines are another great way to add something more.

Why use sparklines?

So, what are the benefits of sparklines? Microsoft describes them as follows:

“A sparkline is a tiny chart in a worksheet cell that provides a visual representation of data. Use sparklines to show trends in a series of values, such as seasonal increases or decreases, economic cycles, or to highlight maximum and minimum values. Position a sparkline near its data for greatest impact.”

Lets look at the sales for a garden centre in November:

All the information is there but adding a sparkline will jazz it up!

Use sparklines to jazz up your data!

Step-by-step

How to add a sparkline
  • Click into cell I2. Then, in the ‘Insert’ menu, navigate to where ‘Sparklines’ are grouped.

You have the option to insert either a ‘Line’, ‘Column’, or ‘Win / Loss’.

  • Click on the item you want (I’ve chosen ‘Line’!) and you will receive a pop up. Select the range (just as you would if using a sum function), then click on ‘OK’.
  • You now have a sparkline (mini chart) in cell I2. You will also see that you have a new menu option along the top.

You’re able to play around with the settings and make it your own style. Have a go and see what you can do!

Micro Office Advent

This is a quick and easy way to spice up your data and add in a visual for more effect!. For more tips and tricks like this make sure to take a look at our Micro Office Huddle group where we share free bits of information about all-things technology!

This blog is the second in our Micro Office Advent! Make sure to check back on the page each day for more fun things just like this!

Read yesterday’s Advent post on how to make your own festive wrapping paper here and click to see the next post in this series!

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The huddles will run on Tuesdays from 08:30 – 10:00. Join our Facebook group and sign up to join the huddle!

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