Excel - Sparklines

Background Information

Excel offers a new charting feature called Sparklines. A Sparkline is an in-cell trendline that displays a range of data, usually within a single row or column. This Job Aide displays the available Sparklines, and format options.

Access Sparklines

  1. Sparklines can be found in the following two areas:
    1. Insert Tab > Sparklines Section
    2. Quick Analysis Tool
      • This tool will appear in the lower-right corner of a selected data range.
  2. Sparkline options include:
    1. Line
    2. Column
    3. Win/Loss

Add a Sparkline

  1. Select the range of data to be charted.
  2. From Insert Tab, click on the type of Sparkline.
    1. The Create Sparklines dialog box appears.
  3. Confirm the Data Range.
  4. Add the Location Range. The Location Range must include the same number of cells as the selected data. Type the cell range or select the range with your mouse/cursor.

When range data is updated, the Sparklines will adjust accordingly.

Location Range Notes:

  1. Adding a Sparkline using the Insert Tab is helpful if you’d like the Sparklines to appear above or below a column, or in a different area of the worksheet than the data range.
  2. Adding a Sparkline using the Quick Analysis Tool will place the Sparklines to the right of
    the range.

Sparkline Tools

The Sparkline Tools Design Tab gives options to:

  1. Edit the Location Data
  2. Change the Sparkline Type

The Show and Style sections of the Sparkline Tools give options to customize the look and feel of the charts. Such options include:

  • Adding Markers to the Sparklines.
  • Marker options are listed in the Show section.
  • Change the colors of the Sparkline and/or Marker with the Color drop-downs.

 

To review images or save/download/print a copy of this Job Aide, please select the pdf attachment.

Print Article