03 Tables

Tables and table formatting in Grafana.

Tables are ideal for overviews: current values, minima, maxima, and trends for many variables at a glance. In this tutorial you build a summary table like this step by step:

What you will learn

• Convert time series data into a table using the Reduce transformation

• Add sparklines for in-cell trend display

• Configure cell display types (colored text, gauge, colored backgrounds)

• Rename, hide, and reorder columns

• Enable sorting and a table footer

Prerequisites

• Tutorial 1.2: Your first dashboard completed

• Basic understanding of panel creation

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Create a basic table

Time series data is displayed as a chart by default in Grafana. If you switch the visualization to Table, you see the raw data: one row per timestamp with all variables as columns.

1. Edit your dashboard and click Add → Visualization

2. Select your ENLYZE data source

3. Choose a site and a machine

4. Select multiple variables (e.g. various extruder throughputs)

   
5. In the visualization dropdown (top right of the panel editor), select Table

The table now shows the raw time series data with one row per timestamp:

This raw view is not very useful. In the next step you will convert the data into a summary using a transformation.

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Reduce transformation

The Reduce transformation converts time series data into summary statistics. Many data points per variable become single values like minimum, maximum, mean, and the current value.

1. In the panel editor, switch to the Transform tab

2. Click + Add transformation and select Reduce

3. In the Calculations field, select the statistics you want:

   Calculation	Description
   Last *	Most recent non-null value
   Min	Minimum value in the time range
   Max	Maximum value in the time range
   Mean	Average value
   Difference	Difference between the last and first value
   All values	Array of all values (for sparklines)

   

The table now shows one row per variable with the calculated columns:

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Sparklines

Sparklines are mini charts inside table cells that show the trend at a glance.

1. In the Reduce transformation, make sure All values is selected as a calculation

2. Go to the Overrides section in the right sidebar

3. Click + Add field override → Fields with name → select "All values"

4. Click + Add override property → Cell type → select Sparkline

For a consistent look you can set a fixed color for all sparklines: Standard options → Color scheme → Single color.

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Cell display types

Grafana offers several ways to display values in table cells. Cell types are configured via Overrides: add an override for the desired column, then set the Cell type property.

Colored text with value mappings

Combine the Colored text cell type with Value mappings to visually highlight changes. For example, for a "Difference" column:

1. Add an override for the column

2. Set Cell type to Colored text

3. Add the Value mappings property and click Edit value mappings

   
4. Choose Range as the type and create range mappings. Since Grafana does not support comparison operators like > 0, large ranges are used instead:

   From	To	Display	Color
   -10000	-0.01	↓ Down	Red
   -0.01	0.01	→ Stable	Green
   0.01	10000	↑ Up	Blue

   

Instead of Colored text you can also use Colored background to color the entire cell. You can see this approach in action in the finished table at the end of this tutorial.

Gauge cells

The Gauge cell type displays a bar that shows the value relative to its minimum and maximum.

1. Add an override for the "Last *" column

2. Set Cell type to Gauge

3. Configure Min and Max in the override properties

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Column organization

The Organize fields transformation lets you rename, reorder, and hide columns.

1. In the Transform tab, add the Organize fields by name transformation

2. Rename columns, for example:

   Original	Renamed
   Field	Variable
   Last *	Current
   All values	Trend
   Difference percent	Change

3. Hide unnecessary columns (e.g. "First *") by clicking the eye icon

4. Reorder columns by dragging and dropping them into the desired order

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The finished table

All the individual steps combine into a comprehensive summary table. Here is the complete configuration:

Transformations

1. Reduce with: Last *, Min, Max, Mean, All values, Difference percent

2. Organize fields: Rename columns (Variable, Current, Minimum, Maximum, Average, Change, Trend) and hide "First *"

3. Sort by: Alphabetically by Variable

Overrides

Column	Cell type	Additional
Current	Gauge	Min: 0, Max: auto
Change	Colored background	Value mappings with arrows (↓↓ Down, → Stable, ↑↑ Up)
Trend	Sparkline	Fixed color (e.g. blue)

Sorting

The Sort by transformation sorts the table alphabetically by the "Variable" column. Users can also click column headers to change the sort order.

Table footer

Under Table → Footer in the right sidebar:

1. Enable Show table footer

2. Select Sum as the calculation

3. Select the "Last *" column (displayed as "Current")

The table footer shows the total throughput across all variables.

Result

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Tips

• Table vs. chart: Tables are suited for exact values and comparing many variables. Charts are better for trends over time.

• Limit columns: Show a maximum of 5-8 columns and hide less important data.

• Descriptive names: Rename technical column names like "Difference percent" to understandable labels like "Change".

• Performance: Sparklines increase rendering overhead. For large datasets, narrow down the time range.

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Next steps

• Advanced styling - Units, field overrides, and more

• Dashboard organization - Rows, folders, and linking