SharePoint DateTime Scale

A date-time scale is used to represent temporal data. It allows for the plotting and analysis of data points over time, making it essential for time series analysis, identification of trends, and forecasting. This type of scale is common in various types of charts, such as financial charts, project management charts (Gantt), scientific charts, business charts, and others when the data involves plotting chronological events or changes.

The date-time scale implementation allows plotting temporal data with intelligent labelling depending on the type of date time unit used for axis decoration. Also, special care is taken to avoid scale label overlapping as well as scale label cluttering by automatically generating tick steps that conform to a many aestetic creteria (such as distance from each other, granularity etc.).

Match Data Granularity
Select time intervals that match the granularity of your data (e.g., years, months, days, hours, minutes). For instance, use daily intervals for daily sales data and monthly intervals for long-term financial trends.

Avoid Overcrowding
Ensure label intervals are not too frequent to avoid overcrowding the axis with too many labels. The automatic date time step selector in the chart will try to select a proper date time unit and multiplier that will not clutter the scale with many labels but still generates a sufficient number of labels so that the scale is readable.

Choose Proper Formatting
Different date-time units require different date-time format strings. For example, it does not make sense to include time information (hour, minute, second, etc.) when you plot labels using the Century unit. Similarly, it does not make sense to include Date information when you plot millisecond data.