theexperiencecompany Google Sheets: Charts & Graphs
When to Activate
User wants to visualize data, create charts, build dashboards, or add graphs to a spreadsheet.
Step 1: Understand the Data
Before creating any chart, read the data:
GOOGLESHEETS_SEARCH_SPREADSHEETS(query="<name>") → spreadsheet_id
GOOGLESHEETS_GET_SHEET_NAMES(spreadsheetId=spreadsheet_id) → sheets list
GOOGLESHEETS_VALUES_GET(spreadsheetId, range="Sheet1!A1:Z5") → peek at structure
Identify:
- Header row (column names)
- Data types: numeric, categorical, date/time
- Number of columns and rows
- What makes sense as X-axis vs Y-axis
Step 2: Select Chart Type
| Data Pattern | Best Chart | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Categories + values | BAR or COLUMN |
Compare quantities across categories |
| Time series | LINE or AREA |
Show trends over time |
| Parts of whole | PIE |
Show proportions (≤7 categories) |
| Two numeric variables | SCATTER |
Show correlation/distribution |
| Multiple metrics over time | COMBO |
Lines + bars together |
| Distribution | HISTOGRAM |
Show frequency distribution |
| Hierarchical | TREEMAP |
Show nested proportions |
Rules:
- PIE charts: only for ≤7 categories, need exactly 2 columns (labels + values)
- LINE charts: best when X-axis is temporal
- BAR vs COLUMN: horizontal bars for long category names
- SCATTER: only when both axes are numeric
Step 3: Determine Data Range
GOOGLESHEETS_GET_SPREADSHEET_INFO(spreadsheetId) → get sheet_id (numeric, NOT sheet name)
Range rules:
- Use A1 notation:
'Sheet1!A1:C20' - First column = domain (labels/categories)
- Remaining columns = data series
- Include headers: they become legend labels
- Single contiguous range only (no comma-separated ranges)
Step 4: Create the Chart
GOOGLESHEETS_CREATE_CHART(
spreadsheet_id="...",
sheet_id=0, # Numeric sheet ID, NOT name
chart_type="BAR",
data_range="Sheet1!A1:C10",
title="Sales by Region",
x_axis_title="Region",
y_axis_title="Revenue ($)",
legend_position="BOTTOM_LEGEND"
)
Chart type options: BAR, LINE, PIE, COLUMN, AREA, SCATTER, COMBO, STEPPED_AREA, HISTOGRAM, BUBBLE, CANDLESTICK, TREEMAP, WATERFALL, ORG, SCORECARD
Step 5: Present Insights
Don't just create the chart — tell the user what it shows:
Created: "Sales by Region" (Bar Chart)
Key insights:
- West region leads with $450K (38% of total)
- East region grew 22% vs last quarter
- South region underperforming at $120K
Anti-Patterns
- Creating charts without reading data first
- Using sheet name instead of numeric sheet_id
- PIE chart with 15+ categories (unreadable)
- LINE chart for non-temporal categorical data
- Comma-separated ranges (not supported)
- Creating chart without providing insights