What is a dashboard in BI?
Quick answer
A dashboard is a single screen that shows a handful of related charts and numbers, with shared filters, so someone can answer a recurring question (are we on track this month?) at a glance and drill into the detail when something looks off.
Last updated
Updated · By Robert Breen
Why it matters
Managers rarely need every number. They need to know whether things are normal and, if not, where to look. A good dashboard puts the three or four numbers that answer that at the top, with charts underneath that explain them.
Because it stays connected to its data source, a dashboard replaces the weekly email of screenshots. Viewers can filter to their own region or product instead of asking an analyst for a new cut.
A worked example
A customer support lead’s dashboard has three tiles across the top: tickets opened this week (412), median first response time (2.4 hours) and the share solved within a day (81%). Below them sit a line chart of tickets per day and a bar chart of tickets by category, with a single Team filter that applies to everything.
On Tuesday the first-response tile turns red at 5.1 hours. Clicking the "Billing" bar shows the spike is all one category, which turns out to be after a price-change email. The dashboard did not fix anything, but it found the problem in two clicks instead of a day.
Often confused with
Dashboard vs report
A report is usually a longer, fixed document (often a PDF or a table) for reading through. A dashboard is interactive and meant for a quick check. Many teams have both: a dashboard daily and a report monthly.
Dashboard vs KPI
A KPI is one number that tracks a goal. A dashboard is where several KPIs, and the charts that explain them, live together.
Tableau dashboard vs worksheet
In Tableau, each chart is built on its own worksheet. A dashboard is a separate canvas where you arrange several worksheets and filters.
Tips
- Put the most important number top left; that is where eyes land first.
- Limit it to about 4 to 6 charts. If you need more, it is probably two dashboards.
- Show the date range and the last refresh time somewhere obvious.
Related terms
Learn it in a free lesson
- What Is Business Intelligence? A Beginner’s Guide (about 8 minutes)
- Tableau Public Tutorial: Your First Chart and Dashboard (about 15 minutes)
Questions about it
- Is Tableau free?: Yes, for learning: Tableau has free editions, but each has a catch. What Tableau Public, Desktop Public Edition and Free Edition can and…
- Should I learn Tableau or Power BI first?: Learn the BI tool your employer, or the one you want, uses. If none, Tableau on a Mac or Power BI on Windows. The core ideas transfer…
- What does a BI analyst do?: A BI analyst turns business questions into trusted numbers and dashboards. What the job involves day to day, the skills it needs and how…
Related in the AI glossary
Frequently asked questions
- What makes a good dashboard?
- It answers one clear question, shows the key numbers first, uses simple chart types and lets viewers filter to their part of the business. If people need you to explain it every week, it is too complex.
- Can I build a dashboard for free?
- Yes. Tableau Public and Google’s Looker Studio are free. Tableau Public dashboards are published publicly, so use sample data there.
- How often should a dashboard refresh?
- As often as decisions are made. A sales dashboard reviewed daily should refresh daily. Refreshing more often than anyone looks adds cost without value.
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