Sparklines are miniature charts displayed inline with text or tables. They show trends at a glance without taking up much space—perfect for dashboards and executive summaries.

Creating Sparklines in Excel

1. Select cell where sparkline will appear
2. Insert tab → Sparklines group
3. Choose type: Line, Column, or Win/Loss
4. Select data range
5. Click OK

Formatting:
- Right-click sparkline → Sparkline Color
- Show markers (high, low, first, last)
- Adjust axis scaling

Sparkline Types

Line Sparklines

Best for: Trends over time
Example: Daily stock prices, website traffic

Shows: Direction and volatility at a glance
Display markers for highest/lowest points

Column Sparklines

Best for: Comparing magnitudes
Example: Monthly sales, quarterly revenue

Shows: Relative values and changes
Highlight positive/negative with colors

Win/Loss Sparklines

Best for: Binary outcomes
Example: Wins vs losses, above/below target

Shows: Positive (above axis) or negative (below)
Good for performance scorecards

Sparklines in Python

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

def create_sparkline(data, ax):
    ax.plot(data, linewidth=1, color='#333')
    ax.fill_between(range(len(data)), data, alpha=0.3)
    ax.axis('off')  # Remove axes for clean look
    ax.set_ylim(min(data)*0.95, max(data)*1.05)

# Example: Multiple sparklines in a table
fig, axes = plt.subplots(5, 1, figsize=(3, 5))

products = ['Product A', 'Product B', 'Product C', 'Product D', 'Product E']
for idx, product in enumerate(products):
    data = np.random.randint(50, 150, 12)
    create_sparkline(data, axes[idx])
    axes[idx].text(-1, np.mean(data), product, ha='right', va='center')

plt.tight_layout()
plt.show()

When to Use Sparklines

• Dashboards with limited space
• Tables showing trends per row
• Executive summaries
• KPI scorecards
• Email reports

Best Practices

• Keep them small (typical: 1-2cm wide)
• Remove axes and labels
• Use consistent scales for comparison
• Highlight key points (min, max, last)
• Use in groups for context

Common Use Cases

Sales Dashboard

| Product    | YTD Sales | Trend [sparkline] |
|------------|-----------|-------------------|
| Product A  | $125,000  | ▁▂▃▅▇█▇▅▄▃▂▁     |
| Product B  | $98,000   | ▂▂▃▄▅▄▃▂▂▁▁▁     |
| Product C  | $156,000  | ▁▁▂▃▅▇█▇▆▅▄▃     |

Quick visual of 12-month trend without full chart

Stock Portfolio

| Ticker | Current | Change | 30-Day Trend |
|--------|---------|--------|--------------|
| AAPL   | $175.43 | +2.3%  | [sparkline]  |
| GOOGL  | $142.87 | -1.1%  | [sparkline]  |
| MSFT   | $378.91 | +3.7%  | [sparkline]  |

Shows performance at a glance