Chartbusting Sparklines!

Keep it simple with Sparklines.

Microsoft Excel has a variety of charts and graphs to make boring data and statistics into visually more appealing information. Excel 2010 adds a whole new dimension to graphs and charts with the introduction of Sparklines.

Sparklines is a very simple concept that will break down complicated information. This tool allows you to add mini-graph or trend lines within a single cell in a worksheet using minimum space. Sparklines provides a platform to give you a better insight and understanding of the statistics shown. It bridges the gap between information and recipient.

Creating interesting Sparklines is pretty simple. First, select the data you want to make the micro-charts for, then hover around the improved Ribbon interface and select the desired option. You have 3 types of Sparklines to choose from i.e. Line, Column and Win/Loss charts. The Win/Loss chart comes in handy to denote ascending numbers  and upward trends; as well as to show any declining numbers. Lastly, a dialogue box will appear asking you to provide a location range, just type the location in and just like that, poof! you’ve got a cool, interesting Sparklines for your data. A sparkling way to showcase tedious numbers.