Overview
This lecture teaches how to build an interactive Excel dashboard using built-in tools, focusing on data structure, pivot tables, charts, and interactivity features available in Excel 2007 and later.
What is a Dashboard?
- A dashboard is a visual display of key information consolidated on one screen for quick monitoring.
- Excel dashboards can be made interactive for enhanced data analysis.
Preparing Data & Workbook Layout
- Organize source data in a tabular Excel table for dynamic updates.
- Separate data, analysis (one sheet per pivot table), and dashboard sheets for clarity.
- Name tables, pivot tables, ranges, and sheets for easy reference.
Building Pivot Tables & Charts
- Use Excel tables as sources for pivot tables for automatic updates.
- Create pivot tables for different metrics: sales by chain, category, and manager.
- Format and group date fields in pivot tables manually if needed.
- Insert corresponding charts (line, bar, pie, map) and format for visual clarity.
- Copy and modify sheets for efficiency when similar layouts are needed.
Creating Interactivity
- Use slicers (from Excel 2010 onwards) to allow filtering by fields like state, category, and financial year.
- Connect each slicer to relevant pivot tables/charts for synchronized filtering.
- For unsupported versions or features, alternatives may require VBA (not covered in this lecture).
Assembling the Dashboard
- Copy and arrange charts and tables onto a dedicated dashboard sheet.
- Insert spark lines for trend visualization within compact space.
- Manually create a consistent color-coded legend for chart clarity.
- Format the dashboard by removing grid lines, headings, scroll bars, and tabs for a streamlined look.
- Use themes to quickly apply company branding to colors and fonts.
Dynamic Updates & Maintenance
- Add new data directly below existing tables; Excel automatically expands references.
- Refresh all to update charts and tables instantly.
- Setting up data and structure correctly saves time and reduces errors during updates.
Protecting & Sharing Dashboards
- Protect worksheets to prevent unwanted edits while retaining slicer and pivot interactivity.
- Hide or "really hide" sheets not meant for user access.
- Dashboards can be embedded in web pages for broader access.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Excel Table — A structured range with dynamic references for data management.
- Pivot Table — A tool to summarize, analyze, and explore data.
- Slicer — A visual filter control for pivot tables/charts.
- Sparkline — Miniature chart in a cell for trend visualization.
- GetPivotData — Function to dynamically extract data from a pivot table.
- Dashboard — A consolidated visual summary for monitoring key metrics.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Download the sample dashboard workbook and step-by-step instructions from the provided link.
- Review additional tutorials on pivot tables, slicers, sparklines, and dynamic labels.
- Experiment building your own dashboard following the lecture steps.
- Consult the chart recipe ebook for choosing the right chart types.