When creating a sparkline chart, what type of data must be present in the worksheet?

For a sparkline chart to be created successfully, the worksheet must contain data values specifically designated for plotting. Sparklines are miniature charts that represent data trends in a compact form, typically embedded within a cell alongside or adjacent to the actual data points. They are used to provide a visual representation of data trends, making it essential that the underlying data consists of numerical or quantitative values that can be graphically interpreted.

These data values can represent various metrics or measurements, and they are necessary for the sparkline to depict trends over time or across categories. Without appropriate data values for plotting, a sparkline cannot accurately reflect the intended trends, and thus, the chart would lack meaning or context.

In scenarios with text values, date values, or mixed data types, it is important to note that these do not serve the specific purpose of plotting numerical trends that sparklines require. Text values would not translate into a numerical trend, while date values could be used to track time-based trends, but they still need to be paired with corresponding data values to plot against. Mixed data types may further complicate the representation of the data, as sparklines are optimized for consistent numerical data.