How to prepare a CSV for a racing chart

1. Use a long table: one entity and period per row

A clear long-format layout for a racing chart uses three columns. The names can differ in your file: map them explicitly in Fields. If your spreadsheet has a separate column for each year, reshape it into this long layout first.

country,year,value
Mexico,2000,5.1
China,2000,1.8
Indonesia,2000,0.9

Excerpt: the three observations for 2000. The download contains 18 rows for three countries across 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020, and 2023; the header is not a data row.

2. Check the numbers before you import

• Keep entity names consistent across periods. Aim for one observation per entity and period; resolve duplicates against your source.
• Use a header row and consistent row lengths. For this example, use comma separators and a decimal point, such as 5.1. Keep % signs, units, and thousands separators out of the numeric cells. Quote text containing a comma.
• Use the same unit for every series. Here, 5.1 means 5.1% of the population, not 5.1 people or total internet users. Do not add national percentages together.
• Check missing observations against the source. Unknown is not zero. Fill Missing Values carries previous values forward; use it only when that interpretation is justified and explain the transformation.
• Keep the source, licence, period, and any rounding with your chart. The starter is an illustrative subset rounded to one decimal place, not a global ranking or a claim to the latest dataset.

See why the unit matters: mobile subscriptions per 100 people are not unique users, while internet-use percentages describe recent use, not connection quality. Both analyses keep the metric definition and limits beside the numbers.

3. Import, map, and create your first racing chart

1. Open the native editor. Download and check the CSV, open New chart, and sign in if asked. Choose Upload a file and select the CSV to create a chart directly. To replace an existing chart’s table with a review first, use Data → Add data → CSV / Excel File inside its editor. On mobile, Data is the Edit data icon.
2. Check the imported table. In Data, confirm 18 rows and the country/year/value columns. For an editor replacement, Review CSV import shows the dimensions, headers, and first five prepared rows before applying anything. Scroll the sample sideways if needed. Replace data replaces the entire current dataset; Cancel, Close, or Escape leaves it unchanged.
3. Confirm Fields. Set Entity Column → country, Time Column or Order Source → year, Order → Ascending, and Value / Metric Column → value. On mobile, return to Preview chart and open Open chart settings → Fields.
4. Choose the question. Chart → Chart Type → Line follows trajectories and gaps. Bar emphasises who leads at each period. For the accepted Line example, use Portrait, Platform Safe Zones → Universal, Y Min 0, Y Max 100, and Dynamic X Scale off. This keeps the full timeline visible.
5. Add country flags and context. Data → Tools → Add country flags opens Auto Flags. Select country as the name column and check all three countries. In Fields, associate flag with Floating Image Source and Flag Pattern Source, then set Decimals to 1. Use rectangular flag images, a clear title, the percentage unit, and the ITU / World Bank source. Turn Show Summary off for these percentages.
6. Save and review the animation. Wait for Saved, reload the same project, and check Preview at the final format on desktop and mobile. Use Play, Pause, and the timeline. Brief crossings are normal if labels recover and motion remains coherent. The selected years are spaced equally in this animation despite unequal calendar gaps; animation speed does not measure annual growth.
7. Export and inspect the file. Use Export → MP4, select an available quality and frame rate, then Start Export. Keep the tab open and open the received MP4; check the beginning, crossings, and end on a phone-sized screen. Free exports retain their watermark. The linked example used Classic, a 10-second chart plus the native final hold, and 1080p / 30 FPS; check the options available in your own browser.

See the finished Line example

The existing native video uses these same 18 observations. Motion between them is visual interpolation, not extra measurements.

Watch the example and its full settings →

Data: ITU via World Bank, IT.NET.USER.ZS · CC BY 4.0. Selected and rounded. Flags: Flagcdn / Flagpedia public-domain flags.

Fix a CSV import: find your symptom

Start with what you can see in Data or the import review. These checks use ChartGlow’s existing controls; they do not automatically repair a file or verify its source.