I like using spark lines data viz when it makes sense! It’s a great way to visualize trends in the data without taking too much space. Now, I knew how to add sparklines in Excel but recently, I wanted to use that on Google sheet and I had to figure it out so here are my notes:
1. Google has an inbuilt function called “SPARKLINE” to do this.
2. Sample usage: =SPARKLINE(B2:G2) — by default you can put line chart in your cells.
3. Then there are other options including changing the chart type. You can find them documented here: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/3093289
4. One of the best practices that I advocate when you spark-line to “compare” trends is to make sure that you have the consistent axis definition. So the sample usage for that could like this:
=SPARKLINE(B2:G2,{“ymin”,0;“ymax”,110})
(if you want to do this for excel then here’s the post: http://parasdoshi.com/2015/03/10/how-to-assign-same-axis-values-to-a-group-of-spark-lines-in-excel/ )
After you’re done, here’s what a finished version could like on Google sheet:
Here’s the working google sheet: https://docs.google.com/a/parasdoshi.com/spreadsheets/d/1EJYDTxOifeEL-YwW1a0oxXw7tFG1iAVQlwjo4EU8R-s/edit?usp=sharing
