Microsoft Excel is a great tool for creating business dashboards. Recently, I made the below dashboard using Excel in just 5 steps.
Step 1: Figure out what you need
The first step for any successful dashboard is to understand what information your users want and how they want it.
- Talk to your users and ask them “what and why” they need the information.
- Prepare a mock-up sketch of the dashboard and get the buy-in.
- Identify data sources and refresh options.
At the end of STEP 1, you should have a clear idea about where you data is, how it should be gathered, analyzed and presented.
Step 2: Clean & Set up data
If you look long and hard, you can find the Loch Ness Monster, the truth about Bermuda Triangle before you locate the Perfectly Clean Business Data.
The next step is to clean & structure your data in a tabular format.
- Use Power Query to connect to the data source(s) and fetch the data.
- Set up necessary data cleaning processes with in Power Query.
- Load the data to Excel either as tables or to the data model.
Step 3: Calculate the KPIs with Pivots
Load the cleaned data into “data model” based pivot tables in Excel. Now, using Power Pivot DAX measures, calculate the necessary KPIs.
For example, for the above business dashboard, I’ve calculated:
- Total Sales =SUM(sales[Sales])
- Total Boxes = SUM(sales[Boxes])
- Total Expenses = SUM(sales[Expenses])
- Total Profit = [Total Sales] – [Total Profit]
- Profit % = [Total Profit] / [Total Sales]
Create the pivot tables using these measures.
Step 4: Make Interactive Charts
First create the necessary pivot charts (refer to the mock-up you made in step 1).
Then, make them interactive using Slicers, Timelines or Report Filters.
Step 5: Bring Everything Together & Format
We are ready for the big finale!
Bring all the charts, KPIs and slicers you have created so far to a new sheet. (Cut & Paste).
Arrange them neatly and format as needed.
Viola, your dashboard is ready!
Video Tutorial - How to create a dynamic business dashboard
I’ve created a 30 minute tutorial on how to create the above dashboard with all the necessary steps. Watch it below or on my Youtube channel.
Sample Workbooks
Please download the blank template file from here.
If you want the full dashboard (with al the workings), you can find it in my Excel School Online Course.
More Dashboard Tutorials & Examples
I have a confession to make. Dashboards are kind of my thing. So I have been writing about them for almost 15 years now. Here are some of my best Excel & Power BI dashboards.
22 Responses to “Master Excel 2007 Ribbon with this Free Learning Guide”
Thank you, kind sir. Well done with the baby making.
I cannot get signed up for your newsletter. I tied both this email address and churchill2001@hotmail.com. never a response.
I cannot get signed up for your newsletter. I tied both this email address and churchill2001_at_hotmail_dot_com. never a response for either attempt.
@Doug, it shows that your email address is pending verification. Can you check your inbox (and may be spam folder too) for an email from me? The subject will be "Activate Subscription to Get your Free Excel Tips E-book"
[...] PPS: If you are struggling with ribbon, you should check out ribbon learning guide. [...]
Very Useful Info..Keep it up..
@Ajay.. you are welcome 🙂
how do u download microsoft excel for free?
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx
Select Office
Free Trial
[...] Excel 2010 UI looks considerably better and less stressful than 2007. The colors are dull and subtle. The icons don’t call for attention unless you want to do something. The menus / ribbons feel smoother and slicker. [Learn to use Excel Ribbon with this Free e-Book] [...]
I can't open this pdf. I get the error message:
You do not have the required license to open this file.
Please request a license from the creator of the file, and add it using the license manager and they try opening it again.
What gives??
I downloaded the file again and it worked this time. Strange. (First file was 116 KB, second was 1644 KB... ???)
[...] More ribbon goodness | Free e-book to learn Excel Ribbon [...]
Hi Chandoo,
thanks for sharing your Excel 2007 learning experience with us; unfortunately the link to the pdf of the free Excel 2007 learning guide seems broken: my Acrobate Readers flags: "Unkown file type or corrupte data".
Have a nice day
Michael
well done this is great
Can somebody just provide a link the classic TAB exportedUI files for MS Office 2003 for us to use in office 2007/2010?. searching online, everybody just wnats to make a buck online with silly Classic Tab installers which do nothing more than inport exportedUI files for you.
Don't give me a ribbon how to guide, just give me free exportedUI files. I should not have to pay anyone for this, it is free XML, MS should have included this to begin with.
thanks
Dear.
There are a set of debit values and a set ot credit values in a column. I want a vba code by whcich the debit value plus a single / multiple credit value is zero that needs to be marked .
finally i will come to know out of the avaibale debits which cannot be used the with avilable credits either single or multiple values.
If multiple matching sets are available let it take the 1st or the 2nd one its not an issue.
Column A Ref
-1000 A
-5000 B
-8000 C
800 A
100 A
100 A
2000 B
3000 B
13000
15000
hi...
how to make this add-ins and display in ribbon... check this sample : http://www.cprsoft.com/GCDemo01.htm
thank you sir...
Please tell me format painter short cut key In excel ?
Thanks In Advance
thankfully.likeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
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I appreciate this, because I didn't do much works in my project management studies using gantt chart. As of now are have now learned some advancement.