One way to display figures in an Excel table according to certain time periods is by using filter buttons. However, a better way to do this is to use a timeline, a dynamic filter option that allows you to quickly display data from individual days, months, quarters, or years.

Step 1: Turn Your Data Into a PivotTable

The first step is to turn your raw Excel data into a PivotTable. To do this, select any cell in your formatted or unformatted table of data, and click “PivotTable” on the Insert tab on the ribbon.

Then, in the dialog box, check that the whole range of data is selected, including the headings, and choose either “New Worksheet” or “Existing Worksheet,” depending on where you want your data and timeline to be. I prefer to create PivotTables on new worksheets, so that I have a blank canvas to play around with its tools and features. Once you’ve made your selection, click “OK.”

Now, in the PivotTable Fields pane, check the fields that you want your PivotTable to display. In my case, I want to see both the month and sales totals, so I’ll check both fields.

Since Excel recognizes that my data contains months and values, it automatically places the Months field in the Rows box and the Sum Of Sales field in the Values box.

Notice, also, that Excel has added years and quarters to the PivotTable’s Rows box in the screenshot above. This means that my PivotTable has been condensed into the largest time unit (in this case, years), and I can click the “+” and “-” symbols to expand and contract the PivotTable to display and hide the quarterly and monthly figures.