Excel 2010 Bible

Part III: Creating Charts and Graphics

514

Displaying a Sparkline for

a Dynamic Range

The example in this section describes how to create a Sparkline that display only the most recent

data points in a range. Figure 21.15 shows a worksheet that tracks daily sales. The Sparkline, in

cell F4, displays only the seven most recent data points in column B.

FIGURE 21.15

Using a dynamic range name to display only the last seven data points in a Sparkline.

This chapter describes pretty much everything there is to know about Excel 2010 Sparklines. You may

be left asking, Is that all there is? Unfortunately, it is.

The Sparklines feature in Excel 2010 certainly leaves much to be desired. For example, you’re limited

to three types (Line, Column, and Win/Loss). It would be useful to have access to other Sparkline types,

such as a column chart with no gaps, an area chart, and a stacked bar chart. Although Excel provides

some basic formatting options, many users would prefer to have more control over the appearance of

their Sparklines.

If you like the idea of Sparklines — and you’re disappointed by the implementation in Excel 2010 —

check out some add-ins that provide Sparklines in Excel. These products provide many additional

Sparkline types, and most provide many additional customization options. Search the Web for spark-

lines excel, and you’ll find several add-ins to choose from.

Need More about Sparklines?