Examples of Advanced Excel Dashboards

Introduction

Excel dashboards provide an organized view of important data and allow you to easily analyze complex data sets. They are a great tool for helping individuals and organizations communicate the results of analysis and make data-driven decisions quickly. Advanced Excel dashboards are highly interactive and dynamic, making it easier to gain insights from large datasets and to identify trends in data.

The benefits of advanced Excel dashboards include:

• Enhanced ability to visualize and present data
• Easier access to data for better decision-making
• Improved accuracy in data analysis and reporting

Multi-Page Dashboards

Multi-page dashboards are a great way to create comprehensive, user-friendly visuals within Excel. Multi-page dashboards provide complexity and detail while still allowing the user to gain insights in a quick and efficient way. Below are some tips you can use when creating multi-page dashboards in Excel.

Using Clear Tabs

It is important that the tabs for each page of the dashboard are clear and that the user easily understands where each page should be and which functions it should fulfill. It is also important that the user can navigate between pages easily. One way to ensure clear tabs and user navigation is to incorporate a graph or table at the top of each page that links the page to the rest of the dashboard.

Consolidating Information

When designing your multi-page dashboard, it can be helpful to group related items together and consolidate data into one page. One way to do this is to use tables and graphs as a means of combining data so that less separate pieces of information are displayed. This can also help to declutter your dashboard and make it easier for users to understand.

Additionally, a multi-page dashboard can also be used to show different perspectives of your data. For example, adding a page with a graph or table can show the user a different “view” of the data that may have been neglected on other parts of the dashboard.

Heat Maps

Heat maps are a type of data dashboard that utilizes colours to represent information. Heat maps offer a visual representation of numerical data, which makes it much easier to evaluate large data sets and figure out any outliers. The intensity of the colour denotes the relative magnitude of the data point – the more intense the colour, the higher the value.

Using Colours For Data Representation

Colours are not only eye-catching but can also make it easier to compare data points. Heat maps can present data in the form of contour plots or clusters, visualizing relationships between two or more data points. The information presented on the map can be related to one another – for example, perfect correlations between values will appear in bright yellow shades. Heat maps are often used for geographical data or for displaying correlations.

Benefits of Heat Maps

Heat maps have various advantages. The primary benefit is that they can give a more intuitive representation of data. In comparison to traditional bar and pie charts, heat maps can allow people to identify trends and correlations at a glance. Through the use of colours, patterns and shapes, the visualization becomes more memorable and easier to interpret.

• Allows more intuitive understanding of the data
• Clear identification of correlations and trends
• Eye-catching visuals that are memorable
• Easy comparison of data points

Filtering Tools

Part of creating detailed and informative dashboards is being able to filter data based on criteria. This can be done in a manual way by selecting specific portions of the data, or done automatically with filtering tools in Excel. Here we discuss both types of filtering options.

Selecting Sections of Data

It is possible to manually choose parts of the data for your dashboard by highlighting the columns you want to include in a pivot chart or table. This is done through the “Select” tool, which allows you to pick individual rows, columns, or cells that you want to highlight in the Excel worksheet. It is also possible to use the “Select” tool to choose a specific range of data if you want to create a chart or table. This type of manual selection allows you to create a dashboard that corresponds exactly to whatever data you want to display.

Automated Filtering Options

In addition to the manual selection described above, Excel also offers advanced filtering options that can be applied to pivot tables and charts. These allow you to create filters for individual columns, setting parameters for the data that you want to display in the dashboard. For example, in one column you may choose to only show data from April, or from a specific customer. This automated filter tool speeds up the process of creating a detailed dashboard.

Advanced filtering tools in Excel allow users to quickly create detailed and powerful dashboards with the data of their choosing. With the ability to manually choose sections of data or use automated filters to pull information out, users can quickly manipulate and display the exact data they need.

Charts & Graphs

Charts and graphs are one of the most effective ways to showcase data within an Excel dashboard. Through visual representations, such as bar graphs, pie charts, line graphs, and other visuals, data can be quickly and easily understood. Below, the popular options and benefits of Excel charts and graphs will be discussed.

Popular Options

The most popular Excel charting types are bar graphs and pie charts. Bar graphs are great for comparing data side-by-side or displaying relative sizing through different grouping. Pie charts are useful for showing the contribution or contribution percentages of individual components to the whole. Line graphs are useful when time is a factor and you want to highlight trends in the data. Scatter plots are useful for displaying correlations between two variables.

Benefits of Charts & Graphs

Charts and graphs, when used properly, have several benefits. They can be used to help a team or organization to identify areas of improvement and opportunities for growth. They can also be used to compare performance against objectives and help to pinpoint areas to focus on. Lastly, charts and graphs can help to communicate complicated data quickly, easily, and visually. This can save time and eliminate confusion.

Live Data Updates

Live data updates make Excel dashboards far more powerful and allows access to data that is always changing. Advanced dashboards using live data updates are necessary to gain insight into a business or to give stakeholders up-to-date information. Below are two strategies to connect to live sources and keep dashboards updated.

Connecting to Live Sources

Live data can be external or internal. External data can come from other applications or the web. Internal data comes from a database source. Excel can connect to external sources such as a web query or through Power Query, an add-in to Excel. As live data updates setup takes a layer of development, it’s often beneficial to work with a developer to ensure you are getting the best solutions for your data needs.

Keeping Dashboards Updated

As data constantly changes, it’s important for dashboards to update along with it. One way to ensure this is to set up macros that can refresh the data each day or week. This will ensure that information is complete and current. Additionally, you can setup alerts that can be triggered when data surpasses a certain threshold. This can be done by setting up conditional formatting in the dashboard. These alerts can help decision makers quickly identify and address any issues.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Microsoft Excel can be a powerful tool when it comes to creating dashboards and visualizing data. Advanced Excel tools like Power Query, Power Pivot, and Power BI can aid in streamlining the data and providing insights that can be vital for decision making. An advanced Excel dashboard can provide an organized data visualization and the ability to access, manipulate and track data easily.

Summary of Benefits

The benefits of using Excel for your dashboards include:

• Better data visualization - users can manipulate and understand the data more quickly.
• Cost savings - Excel is available for free and reduces the need for expensive software.
• Easy access to data - users can access, edit, and track data from any device.

Advanced Excel Tools for Dashboards

Advanced Excel tools, such as Power Query, Power Pivot, and Power BI, can help further refine and customize your dashboard for more complex data sets and analysis. These tools can help you build dynamic dashboards that display the most relevant information, giving you the ability to track, monitor, and analyze changes in the data or trends over time.