I understand that you should structure your table so that all values of the same type should be in one column. But I still want to create a stacked-area chart with the columns as my series.

For example, see the following two tables:

Table1:

Year Bears Dolphins Whales
2017 8 150 80
2018 54 77 54
2019 93 32 100
2020 116 11 76
2021 137 6 93
2022 184 1 72

Table2:

Year Animal Amount
2017 Bears 8
2017 Dolphins 150
2017 Whales 80
2018 Bears 54
2018 Dolphins 77
2018 Whales 54
2019 Bears 93
2019 Dolphins 32
2019 Whales 100
2020 Bears 116
2020 Dolphins 11
2020 Whales 76
2021 Bears 137
2021 Dolphins 6
2021 Whales 93
2022 Bears 184
2022 Dolphins 1
2022 Whales 72

Which is correct? If Table1, how do I create a PivotTable with the data? If Table2, how do I make a stacked area chart?