Simplifying Excel Dashboard Creation

Introduction

Excel dashboards are valuable, interactive visualizations of data that allow for quick and easy processing, tracking and monitoring. A dashboard can help you gain insights into your data such as statistics and trends, or compare metrics over a certain period of time. Excel dashboards offer a range of benefits, including the ability to:

• Visualize large amounts of data
• Reveal meaningful correlations in data
• Share information with individuals or teams
• Deliver bite-sized insights quickly

In today’s post, we’ll focus on simplifying Excel dashboard creation to help you access important insights from your data more easily.

Identifying What Data to Include in the Excel Dashboard

Even with the right tools, it can be difficult to determine which data you should include in your Excel dashboard. To ensure you have a informative, aesthetically pleasing dashboard, you should know what type of data you’re aiming to present.

Visualizing What Information Should be Present

The first step to creating a successful Excel dashboard is to visualize the type of data you want to include in the dashboard. Start by considering what is the overall goal of the dashboard. Is it to track the progress of a project? Is it to present key company metrics? Once you have determined the purpose of the dashboard, make a list of the most important data you want to present.

Choosing Metrics that Represent the Overall Picture

After establishing the purpose of the dashboard, you can start to narrow down your list of metrics and visuals. When deciding which metrics to include, consider the overall narrative of the dashboard. Are the metrics being presented in order to illustrate a story or narrative? Make sure to include only the most important metrics that represent your story, as it can be easy to include too much information and overwhelm the reader.

• Visualize the type of data you want to present.
• Consider the overall goal of the Excel dashboard.
• Choose the most important metrics that reflect your story or narrative.

Compiling the Data & Inputting It into Excel

Creating an Excel dashboard can be a daunting task and sometimes the most difficult part is collecting and organizing the data. To make this process simpler, it is important to focus on collecting and inputting accurate data into the correct fields.

Collecting Data from Various Sources

The data you need for a successful dashboard may come from many different sources. Business owners may utilize data extracted from web analytics, data exported from SaaS applications, employee surveys, or industry research. It is important to start with a clear understanding of which types of data are necessary, and where to find them.

Gathering the data can be time consuming, and so you can use special tracking tools, or cloud-based data collection services to save time and energy. For instance, business owners can use Zapier and IFTTT to easily automate the data collection process.

Selecting the Appropriate Cells

The next step is to select and indicate the cells in which the data is to be inserted. Make sure to partition off your Excel sheet into logical divisions. Divide it into columns and rows, using the appropriate labeling. Then, insert the data accordingly into the correct cells, keeping the labels in place. Be mindful of the data size so that the creators of the dashboard have the room to display what they need to.

In order to make sure all of the data is relevant and timely, it should be updated regularly. Scheduling refreshes helps keep track of this process and also ensures that the data is current and accurate.

Creating the Necessary Charts & Graphs

Charts and graphs are essential components of any effective Excel dashboard. By taking advantage of the powerful visualization capabilities offered by Excel, data can be transformed into visually appealing and easily understood representations. Optimizing charts and graphs for visual impact is necessary for creating an impactful Excel dashboard.

Optimizing Charts & Graphs for Visual Impact

When building a chart or graph for an Excel dashboard, it is important to make sure it is optimized for visual impact. Consider the use of color andSize, colours, layout and other design aspects to create a graph or chart that conveys a specific meaning or message. Additionally, make sure that the chart is designed in a way that presents the data in an easy-to-digest format.

Displaying Data in an Easily Digestible Format

Designing charts and graphs for an Excel dashboard should be done with an emphasis on clarity and understanding. The data should be laid out in a logical order, with easy to read labels that clearly explain the meaning of each item. Additionally, consider including elements such as icons or illustrations that can help to further clarify the data. By ensuring that data is laid out in an easy-to-understand format, viewers will be able to quickly and effectively understand the message that the dashboard is conveying.

Automating Conditional Formatting Process

Creating an Excel dashboard can be complex and time consuming. Fortunately, with the right formula and automation techniques, you can set up your Excel dashboard quickly and easily. This article focuses on automating the process of conditional formatting, one of the popular techniques used for making Excel dashboards.

Before you can apply conditional formatting, you need to prepare your data in an input sheet. The input sheet contains the data on which the dashboard will be based. The input sheet should also have columns representing the two values that you want to compare. In order to apply the conditional formatting, the input sheet should be organized according to the following guidelines.

A. Preparing Your Data in an Input Sheet

• Organize your data using numeric values and headings.
• Use formatting to improve readability and make it easy to identify patterns.
• Create columns that represent the two values you want to compare.
• Make sure each row of data is represented in the same row of the input sheet.

Once your data is prepared, you can set up the conditional formatting rules to color the tiles. For this, you will need to set up a range of cells, specify the conditions and select the colors you want to apply.

B. Selecting Formatting Rules to Color Tiles

• Select the range of cells to be formatted.
• Specify the conditions and colors by using the 'Format cells based on' feature.
• Select the cells you want to be formatted based on the conditions.
• Choose the colors and styles you want the tiles to be formatted with.

The process of automating the conditional formatting process can save you time and energy when creating your Excel dashboard. With the right data, formulas, and automation techniques, you can set up a dynamic dashboard quickly and easily.

Linking Multiple Workbooks

When creating a dashboard in Microsoft Excel, you may need to draw from multiple workbooks to get the data you want. This can be a troublesome task for those unfamiliar with the program, but it is a lot easier than it seems once you understand the basics.

Referencing Data from Separate Workbooks

One way to reference data from a separate workbook is to use the VLOOKUP function. This function looks up a certain value in a designated range of columns and returns the associated value. This can be especially useful when you have a complicated set of data and need to retrieve certain pieces of it quickly.

Another way to reference information from a different workbook is by using the INDIRECT function. This works similarly to the VLOOKUP function but allows you to reference data from a specific range of cells instead of looking up a single value.

Creating a Summary Sheet

To make it easier to reference data from different workbooks, you can create a summary sheet. This is simply a worksheet where you will list out all of the references you need from the separate workbooks, along with the associated formulas for each cell. This way, you can quickly and easily look up the necessary data without having to manually copy and paste it each time.

Creating a summary sheet can also help to keep all of the data organized, which can make the process of creating a dashboard much smoother. Once all of the necessary references have been established, you can quickly and easily plug in the data into the dashboard.

Conclusion

Building an Excel dashboard can be an intimidating process, but with the right processes and tools, it doesn’t have to be. As seen in this post, it is possible to simplify the dashboard creation process and create visuals quickly and efficiently.

Overview of Simplifying Excel Dashboard Creation

In this post, we discussed ways to simplify the process of creating an Excel dashboard. We reviewed the five key steps in the process and outlined best practices for fast and efficient dashboard creation. This includes determining a goal, setting the timeline, storing your data and ensuring the visualization is appropriate.

Invitation to Start Creating Excel Dashboards for Maximum Efficiency

It is important to note that while building an Excel dashboard, it is important to remain organized and efficient. Investing in tools and utilizing shortcuts, such as those available to Excel, can be incredibly helpful in streamlining the creation process. Taking the time to create an Excel dashboard can be an incredibly beneficial process, saving time and money in the long run.

Now that you are aware of the steps and best practices for creating an Excel dashboard, you are ready to start building dashboards with maximum efficiency. All of the skills and processes discussed in this post will equip you with the necessary knowledge to start creating dynamic and impactful Excel dashboards.