Time series data is everywhere in BI — revenue over months, website traffic, stock prices, and more. Choosing the right visualization is crucial for understanding trends.

Learn about choosing the right data visualisation in our course on Udemy, now discounted for limited time!

Best Visualization Practices for Time Series Data

1. Line Charts
Ideal for showing trends over time. They make patterns, seasonality, and changes obvious.

2. Area Charts
Use to emphasize cumulative trends or volume changes over time.

3. Sparklines
Small inline charts in tables that show trend at a glance — great for dashboards with multiple KPIs.

4. Combo Charts
Combine line and bar charts to show related metrics together, e.g., sales volume (bars) vs. growth rate (line).

Tips for Clarity

• Use consistent time intervals (daily, weekly, monthly)

• Avoid cluttering charts with too many lines or colors

• Highlight key periods or anomalies with color or markers

Example Use Case

• Marketing dashboard:

  • Line chart for monthly website visits

  • Area chart for cumulative leads generated

  • Sparkline next to each channel for quick comparison

Final Thoughts

Well-designed time series visualizations help users see trends quickly and make timely decisions. Clear charts reduce misinterpretation and highlight actionable insights.

💡 Next Step: Practice building dashboards with multiple time series metrics in my Udemy course: