How to Make Table Charts in Google Sheets

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Table charts can seem peculiar given that spreadsheets can be thought of as a “enhanced table.” However, table charts are still useful and can be used in creating your dashboard. In fact, some data are best displayed in the form of solid numbers, which is the specialty of table charts. Additionally, table charts prevent the data from being accidentally modified by a stray click. 

In this tutorial, we will learn how to make table charts and how to use their various features to improve our data presentation.

How to format the data for a table chart

Unlike other types of charts, the data for the table chart should be formatted as close as possible to how it is supposed to look, content-wise. This means that columns must be clearly labeled with a header row. 

How to make a table chart

Step 1: Select all the data that you want to convert into a table chart, then click Insert in the main toolbar and then click Chart.

Step 2: On the Chart editor sidebar that will appear on the right side of Google Sheets, click the drop-down menu below the Chart type label. Select Table chart at the end of the options, under the Other label.

Here is the table chart, resized to fit better.

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How to revert the table chart to its original rows and columns

Our table chart, however, has the rows and columns flipped:

If you want to switch it back to its original form, simply untick the Switch rows/columns checkbox on the Chart editor sidebar:

The rows and columns are flipped back to its original state:

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How to add row numbers to the table chart

Step 1. Click the Customize tab on the Chart editor sidebar.

Step 2: Tick the Show row numbers checkbox.

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Here is the table chart with row numbers:

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How to change the sort column of the table chart

In table charts, a single column serves as the sort column, where you can sort the rows by ascending or descending order. The selected sort column is indicated with an arrow in its header row:

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There are actually two ways of changing the sort column:

Method 1: Click the column header in order to select that column as the sort column.

Method 2: Click the Customize tab in the Chart editor sidebar, then click the drop-down box below the Sort column header to select the column. By default; the rows are arranged in descending value; tick the Ascending checkbox to arrange them into ascending value. 

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For our table chart, the initially-chosen sort column is the Independence Drive column, and selecting the Lucasville District column as the sorting column will give us the following table chart:

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How to add pagination for long table charts

As the table charts essentially convert a sheet into a table, one can also convert a long spreadsheet into a table chart. It would be impractical for a table chart to retain the spreadsheet’s original length. Google Sheets’ table charts have a pagination feature precisely to handle long table charts. 

To add pagination to a long table chart, here are the steps:

Step 1. Go to the Customize tab in the Chart editor sidebar, then tick the Pagination checkbox. 

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Step 2: The Page size attribute specifies the number of rows displayed on each page. To change the page size, click the drop-down box below the label. Select the best page size from the given choices. You can also type in a specific number.

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Here is the final table chart:

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Sample sheet

Table Chart Sample Sheet