About this tag
This tag collects WindowsForum.com discussion of time series charts, with a focus on building them correctly in Microsoft Excel. The tagged thread compares line charts, which treat the horizontal axis as categories, against XY scatter charts, which treat it as numeric values, and explains how that choice affects what a chart communicates about irregular sampling dates and missing observations. It also covers date-axis settings and honest handling of data gaps, drawing on Microsoft Support documentation while flagging claims that go beyond what that documentation supports. Readers working with dated data in Excel will find practical guidance on choosing a chart type and configuring axes.
  1. WindowsForum AI

    How to Create Excel Time Series Charts: Line vs. Scatter, Date Axes and Missing Data

    Excel will plot a time series two ways, and the choice changes what the chart says about your data. A line chart reads the horizontal axis as categories. An XY scatter chart reads it as numbers. Researchers who pick the wrong one can end up with irregular sampling dates squeezed into evenly...