How to Create a Timeline Filter in Excel

In Excel, using the timeline filter can display data by time period more efficiently, which is more convenient than using the filter button. The Timeline is a dynamic filtering option that allows you to quickly display data for a single date, month, quarter, or year.

Step 1: Convert data to pivot table

First, convert the original Excel data into a pivot table. Select any cell in the data table (formatted or not) and click PivotTable on the Insert tab of the ribbon.

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In the dialog box, make sure the entire data range (including the title) is selected, and then select New Worksheet or Existing Worksheet as needed. I'm more inclined to create pivot tables in new worksheets, which makes it better to use its tools and features. After the selection is complete, click "OK".

In the Pivot Table Fields pane, select the fields you want the Pivot Table to display. In my case, I want to see the month and total sales, so I checked these two fields.

Excel automatically places the Month field in the Row box and the Total Sales field in the Value box.

In the above figure, Excel also adds year and quarter to the Row box of the PivotTable. This means that my pivot table has been compressed to the maximum unit of time (in this case, year), and I can click on the "" and "-" symbols to expand and shrink the pivot table to show and hide the data for the quarter and month.

However, since I want the Pivot Table to always display monthly data in full, I will click the down arrow next to each other in the Pivot Table Fields pane and then click Remove Field, leaving only the original Month field in the Row box. Removing these fields helps the timeline work more efficiently and can be re-added directly through the timeline once it is ready.

Now my pivot table shows each month and the corresponding total sales.

Step 2: Insert the timeline filter

The next step is to add a timeline associated with this data. Select any cell in the Pivot Table, open the Insert tab on the ribbon, and click Timeline.

In the dialog box that appears, select Month (or any time period in the table), and click OK.

Now adjust the position and size of the timeline in the spreadsheet so that it is neatly located near the Pivot Table. In my case, I inserted some extra rows above the table and moved the timeline to the top of the worksheet.

Step 3: Set the format of the timeline filter

In addition to adjusting the size and position of the timeline, you can also format it to make it more beautiful. After selecting the timeline, Excel adds the Timeline tab to the ribbon. There, you can select the labels to display by selecting and unchecking the options in the Show group, or selecting a different design in the Timeline Style group.

Although the preset timeline style cannot be reset, the style can be copied and formatted. To do this, right-click the selected style and click Copy.

Then, in the Modify Timeline Style dialog box, rename the new style in the Name field, and then click Format.

Now browse the Fonts, Borders, and Fill tabs to apply your own design to the timeline, click OK twice when you are done to close both dialogs and save the new style.

Finally, select the timeline and click on the new timeline style you just created to apply its formatting.

Going a step further: Add Pivot Chart

The last step to getting the most out of the timeline is to add a pivot chart that will be updated based on the time you selected in the timeline. Select any cell in the Pivot Table and click Pivot Chart on the Insert tab of the ribbon.

Now, in the Insert Chart dialog box, select the Chart Type in the menu on the left and the Chart in the selector area on the right. In my case, I chose a simple clustered column chart. Then, click OK.

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Resize the chart position and size, double-click the chart title to change the name, and then click the ' ' button to select the label you want to display.

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Now, select a time period on the timeline and view the Pivot Table and Pivot Chart to display the relevant data.

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Another way to quickly filter data in an Excel table is to add an Excel Data Slicer, which is a series of buttons representing different categories or values ​​in the data. The added benefit of using slicers is that they don't require you to convert your data into pivot tables - they work as well as regular Excel tables.

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