What is a Timeline Chart in Google Sheets?
A timeline chart in Google Sheets is a line chart that displays data with time stamps. It shows the representation of events over time visually. Such charts help track projects or events with deadlines. It has some helpful features compared to other charts, such as:
It allows users to zoom in and out to focus on specific days, weeks, or months and users can track data over time. You can also format the chart for specific colors, display etc. We use a timeline chart
- To illustrate people’s task with deadlines in a project
- To analyze relationships between variables
- To understand crucial milestones in a project
The example below shows a basic timeline chart representing some stock prices and their particular dates. We have selected the option “Timeline Chart” from the Chart Editor pane.
Key Takeaways
- Timeline charts are important for visually presenting time-dependent data. They are a special type of chart for data marked by a date or time stamp.
- They will allow you to zoom in and out to see short-term and long-term data patterns.
- To create a Timeline chart, go to Insert->Chart.
- In the Chart editor on the right side of Google Sheets, select the Timeline chart under the Chart Type dropdown.
How to Create Timeline Chart in Google Sheets?
We generally use a timeline chart to display any set of important events visually in chronological order. Let’s look at the steps to create a Timeline chart in Google Sheets.
Step 1: The first step to remember is how to format your data. Usually, the first column contains the dates or times you want to show in the chart. The second column should contain numeric data. The other columns can be optional and contain details like notes about each event. It can be used to add another curve to the chart.
Here, each row shows a point on the chart. Let us now enter the same in Google Sheets.
Step 2: Select the data for the timeline chart, then click Insert and then select Chart.
Step 3: Now, go to the Chart editor pane that appears on the right. Click the dropdown box below the Chart type. As you scroll down, you can find the Timeline chart option.
Step 4: You get the Timeline chart, as shown below. At the top of the chart is a set of buttons that show different time periods, from 1 hour to the maximum time period in the data set. Below the main chart is a range with ends that you can drag.
Uses of Timeline Chart in Google Sheets
Timeline charts help provide insights into patterns and trends over time, making them a valuable tool for analysis. However, they have many uses, and we will discuss the main ones below.
- Timeline charts are a special data type for data marked by a date or time stamp.
- They allow you to zoom in and out to see short-term and long-term data patterns
Examples
Timeline Charts in Google Sheets are useful for visualising time-based data. They also help identify resources for task allocation and progress tracking in various fields such as project management, marketing, education, etc. Let us look at some Timeline charts in Google Sheets examples below, which offer a clear and interactive way to display data.
Example #1
This example visualizes the Project Management Timeline, as a timeline chart in Google Sheets is regularly used for this purpose. It shows the timeline of tasks in a project, with the start dates and number of days of the different phases.
Step 1: Let us enter the data in Google Sheets, as shown below.
Step 2: Select the data for the timeline chart. Highlight all the data we require. Here, it is from B2 to C8. It includes the headers as well as the data of the two columns to Insert the Timeline Chart. After highlighting, go to the top menu and click on Insert > Chart.
Step 3: After the chart is inserted, the Chart Editor should appear on the right side of the screen. Suppose it doesn’t, click on the chart to bring up the editor.
Step 4: In the Chart Editor, under Setup, for Chart type, scroll down and choose the Timeline Chart.
You get a chart as shown below.
Step 5: You can now choose to customize the appearance. Under the Customize tab, adjust any settings like:
- Line thickness
- Date format
- Max and Min values
Now, your Timeline Chart should be visible, showing each task on the timeline spanning the number of days from its start date. Below the chart, there is a slider called the date range selector. Sliding the slider can help you focus on a specific time period.
Example #2 – Monthly ticket sales for an event
In this example, we follow these simple steps to create a timeline chart for an event’s monthly ticket sales.
Step 1: Let’s organize the data in a table. We have organized the data as follows.
Step 2: Our next step is to insert the timeline chart. Highlight the data from A1 to B9 along with the headers. Now, go to the Insert menu and choose Chart.
Step 3: We get a generic chart, but we must change it to a Timeline Chart. In the Chart Editor pane, under the Setup tab, scroll down and select Timeline Chart under Chart Type drop-down.
Step 3: You get the chart as shown below.
You can now analyze a specific period in the timeline chart. You can observe the dip in sales in June 25.
Step 4: We have two range controls in the timeline chart. These include the zoom buttons on the top and the slider at the bottom of the chart.
To hide the range controls in the timeline chart, go to the Chart Editor, under Customize tab, and select Timeline.
Step 5: Uncheck the two options and see your final Timeline chart.
Example #3 – Quarterly social media posts for YouTube
In this example, we track an organization’s social media posts over four quarters. We organize the data as shown below to create a quarterly social media posts table for YouTube over four quarters.
Step 1: Highlight your entire data set, go to Insert, and select Chart, as shown in the examples above.
In the Chart Editor pane, under the Setup tab, scroll down and select Timeline Chart under the Chart Type dropdown. You will get a Timeline chart, as shown below.
This chart provides a clear overview of the number of social media posts per quarter, and it can be expanded as more data becomes available.
Important Things to Note
- Timeline charts in Google Sheets are interactive.
- The timeline chart has two range controls: the zoom buttons at the top and the slider at the bottom.
- By default, the timeline chart’s y-axis starts with the lowest value within the displayed range. To change the starting point to zero, tick Expand range to show zero, located under the Timeline option under the Customize tab of the Chart editor.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
To create a timeline chart, follow these simple steps.
1. First, enter the data in a chart with the data and a numeric value across columns.
2. Highlight the range you want to include in the Timeline chart.
3. Click on Insert in the menu and then click on Chart.
4. In the Chart Editor, go to the Chart Type dropdown, and after scrolling down, select Timeline.
5. Once selected, a basic timeline chart will be generated. You can customize it according to your needs.
6. Customize the chart as needed using the Chart Editor
1. In Google Sheets, a timeline is a view used to display events on a horizontal line.
2. To create a timeline, select the cells containing text and dates. Then, go to Insert -> Timeline, and click OK.
3. A timeline chart is a type of line chart that displays data with date or time stamps. It is a tool for visualizing data over time.
4. It allows you to zoom in and out when analyzing short-term and long-term patterns. To create a Timeline chart, highlight your data set and go to Insert -> Chart. In the Chart Editor pane, under the Setup tab, scroll down and select Timeline Chart under the Chart Type dropdown.
These are some of the most important features.
1. Interactive: Timeline charts are interactive as they have zoom and data range selectors for changing the period shown in the chart according to your convenience.
2. Built-in zoom function: It allows you to zoom in and out, thereby focussing on specific days, weeks, or months, etc.
Download Template
This article must help understand TIMELINE Chart in Google Sheets with its formulas and examples. You can download the template here to use it instantly.
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