How To Create A Timeline Filter In Excel

• A timeline filter is a great way to organize data in a flexible and chronological way.
• Before you create one, you’ll need to format your data as a Pivot Table.
• Select the unit of time to sort your data by, and then create a timeline for your entries.

Excel offers a wide variety of ways to sort and present your data. It’s easy to sort dates in your spreadsheets to view entries chronologically. But if you really want a comprehensive and dynamic presentation, why not organize your data into a timeline?

This Excel timeline tool is an excellent way to present a project and its milestones or gain a visual representation of data trends over a period. This article will show you how to create a timeline filter in Excel.

Laying the Groundwork

Before you can create a timeline filter for your data, you’ll need to first transform it into a Pivot Table. A Pivot Table is essentially a powerful way to organize large amounts of data and make it easy to analyze, filter, and (in our case) view in a timeline. Here’s how to create a Pivot Table:

1. Start by selecting a cell on your spreadsheet.

2. Navigate to the “Insert” tab and click the “Pivot Table” option.

3. In the window that pops up, ensure that the entire table of data is selected. This includes the headings. You can also export this new Pivot Table to a new worksheet. Click “OK” once done.

4. The Pivot Table will be created. In the new window on the right of the screen, you’ll see the fields of your table. Any date columns will be detected as such and broken down into smaller units (quarters, months, days). Select any you want to be displayed and drag between boxes to format the Pivot Table.

5. Left-click any field you want to remove from a box and select “Remove Field” from the context menu.

6. You can close the window once done. You can reopen it at any time via the “PivotTable Analyze” tab.

Creating the Excel Timeline Filter

Now that your data is properly formatted and ordered to your liking, you can insert your timeline filter. Here’s what to do:

1. Select any cell in your Pivot Table and select “Timeline” from the “Insert” tab.

2. In the window that pops up, choose the particular time column you’d like your timeline filter to be sorted by. Click “OK.”

3. Your timeline will then be inserted on your worksheet. You can reposition it as you like.

4. By clicking a unit of time on your timeline filter, you’ll be able to see the data that falls into that period.

Formatting Your Timeline Filter in Excel

Now that you’ve created your timeline filter, there are plenty of ways to adjust it according to your needs:

• A dropdown list in the top-right of the timeline allows you to arrange your data according to specific units of time, provided they were included in the Pivot Table.

• You can drag the time bar left or right to select multiple time bars.

• Just like an inserted graph, you can adjust the size and position of your timeline filter.
• When your timeline filter is selected, you can use the “Timeline” tab that appears in your menu to adjust its style and various other settings.

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