Unlocking Insights: An Overview of Data Dashboard Examples

Data dashboard examples provide a visual representation of complex datasets, offering a comprehensive and intuitive way for users to analyze and interpret information at a glance.

In the realm of data visualization, a data dashboard serves as a centralized hub, presenting key metrics, trends, and insights in a visually appealing format. Organizations across various industries leverage data dashboards to enhance decision-making processes and monitor performance efficiently.

Data dashboards come in different forms to serve the needs of their users. For example, they can help in the identification of disease trends in health care. They can also help evaluate student performances in learning institutions.

In this article, we are going to go through some data dashboard examples. We begin by defining a dashboard. We are then going to delve into the benefits of using data dashboards.

We’ll learn about data dashboard types and how to choose the right dashboard tool. Eventually, explore how to create a dashboard in Power BI.

Table of Content:

1. Dashboard: Overview
2. Types of Data Dashboards
3. How to Choose the Right Dashboard Tool?
4. Visualizing a Dashboard in Power BI
5. The Benefits of Using Data Dashboards
6. Wrap Up

Data Dashboard: Overview

A Data Dashboard is a visual representation tool that consolidates and displays key performance indicators, metrics, and data points in a centralized interface, providing users with a comprehensive overview of relevant information.

Essentially, it acts as a dynamic and interactive hub, facilitating the monitoring and analysis of complex datasets, such as a web analytics dashboard example. Data dashboards serve as a powerful means to transform raw data into meaningful insights, allowing users to make informed decisions efficiently.

By exploring various Data dashboard examples, one can gain a deeper understanding of how these tools are employed across different domains to streamline information visualization, enhance data-driven decision-making, and foster a more intuitive approach to data analysis.

Types of Data Dashboards

There are different types of dashboards. The choice of a dashboard depends on the user’s needs.

Here are some data dashboard examples:

• Operational Dashboards

Operational dashboards stand out as dynamic tools designed for real-time monitoring and decision-making. This exploration focuses on the role of operational dashboards in enhancing efficiency and productivity within diverse operational contexts.

By examining specific data dashboard examples, we gain insights into how operational dashboards facilitate quick and informed decision-making, providing a visual representation of key metrics and performance indicators essential for day-to-day operations.

• Tactical Dashboards

Tactical dashboards emerge as strategic tools tailored for mid-level management, offering a focused lens into key performance indicators and actionable insights. This exploration centers on the significance of tactical dashboards in guiding strategic decisions and optimizing processes.

Through concrete data dashboard examples, we highlight how tactical dashboards enable managers to assess trends, identify opportunities, and conduct cost of living comparison by city, thereby making informed decisions that contribute to overall organizational goals.”

• Statistical Dashboards

These types of dashboards provide advanced statistical analysis and data modeling. They use tools like regression analysis, hypothesis testing, and forecasting tools.

• Strategic Dashboards

These dashboards are used to show trends in historical data. They determine whether a company is meeting its long-term goals and objectives. Executives use strategic dashboards to make decisions about the company’s future.

• Analytical Dashboards

Data analysts and business intelligence experts utilize analytical dashboards to study and analyze data in depth. These dashboards enable users to manipulate data and create custom reports and visualizations.

• Financial Dashboards

These are dashboards designed to display financial information such as revenue, expenses, profit margins, and financial ratios. Often, a finance dashboard in Power BI is utilized for comprehensive financial analysis and planning, providing a dynamic and interactive way to visualize and interpret financial data.

• Marketing Dashboards

These dashboards monitor marketing performance, such as campaigns, new leads, new customers, conversion rates, and marketing costs. Marketing teams can determine the effectiveness of their strategies.

• HR Dashboards

HR dashboards focus on employee metrics such as turnover, recruitment effectiveness, training, and development.

• Healthcare Dashboards

These are used in the healthcare industry. They analyze patient outcomes, treatment effectiveness, healthcare analytics, and health facility performance.

How to Choose the Right Dashboard Tool?

The main aim of analysis is to summarize massive amounts of data. This is because insights can only be obtained if data is organized logically.

There are different dashboard tools for different data dashboard examples. Here are some factors to consider when choosing a dashboard tool:

• Your goals and objectives
• The users who will interact with the dashboard
• Your budget for a data dashboard tool
• Scalability
• Capacity to integrate with your existing data sources and systems
• Data security rules, and your organization’s data protection policies.
• User interface and usability
• The ability to generate multiple types of visualizations
• The amount of data it can handle
• Reviews and remarks from users who have used the tool before

Visualizing a Dashboard in Power BI

In this section, we further explore data dashboard examples. To do this, we learn how to create a dashboard in Power BI. We’ll use the Sankey Diagram (Sankey Chart) as a Power BI dashboard example.

Stage 1: Logging in to Power BI

• Log in to Power BI.
• Enter your email. Click the “Submit” button.

• You are redirected to your Microsoft account.
• Enter your password and click “Sign in”.

• Choose whether to stay signed in.

Stage 2: Creating a Data Set and Selecting the Data Set to Use in Your Sankey Chart

• Click on the “Create” option on the left-side menu.
• Select ”Paste or manually enter data“.

• We’ll use the following car sales dataset in our data dashboard example.

Company Name	Model Name	Price	Model Year	Location
Toyota	Vitz	2385000	2017	Islamabad
Toyota	Corolla	111000	2019	KPK
Suzuki	Alto	1530000	2019	KPK
Suzuki	Alto	1650000	2019	Punjab
Toyota	Corolla	1435000	2010	Islamabad
Honda	Civic	3850000	2017	Punjab
Suzuki	Wagon	1440000	2017	Punjab
Mitsubishi	Mirage	1425000	2012	Punjab
Toyota	Prado	2650000	1998	Punjab
Honda	Civic	3350000	2017	Punjab
Honda	Vezel	3200000	2014	Sindh
Honda	City	1990000	2017	Punjab
Suzuki	Cultus	920000	2012	Punjab
Toyota	Corolla	2750000	2018	Punjab
Honda	City	910000	2004	Punjab
Toyota	Fortuner	8650000	2018	Punjab
Suzuki	Wagon	1625000	2016	Punjab
Honda	City	2100000	2016	Punjab
Toyota	Vitz	965000	2001	Punjab
Suzuki	Mehran	840000	2018	Punjab
Honda	N	1485000	2012	Punjab
Suzuki	Khyber	400000	2000	Punjab

• Paste the above data table into the “Power Query” window.

• Click on the “Data Hub” option on the left-side menu.
• Power BI populates the data set list. (If you have not created a data set, refer to the Error! Reference source not found section.)
• The data details are shown below:

• Click on the “Create a report” dropdown as shown below.
• Select “Start from scratch.”

• You should see the Report Canvas screen as shown below:

Stage 3: Adding the Power BI Sankey Diagram Extension by ChartExpo

• To finish creating our Sankey Diagram, we’ll use an add-in or Power BI visual from AppSource.
• Navigate to the Power BI Visualizations panel.
• Click the ellipsis (…) highlighted above to import the Power BI Sankey Diagram extension by ChartExpo.

• The following menu opens:
• Select the “Get more visuals” option.
• The following window opens:

• Enter “Sankey Diagram for Power BI by ChartExpo” in the highlighted search box.
• You should see the “Sankey Diagram for Power BI by ChartExpo”, as shown in the image below.

• Click the highlighted “Add” button.

• Power BI will add the “Sankey Diagram for Power BI by ChartExpo” icon in the visualization panel.

Stage 4: Drawing a Sankey Diagram with ChartExpo’s Power BI extension

• Select the “Sankey Diagram for Power BI by ChartExpo” icon in the visualization panel.
• The following window opens in the report section of your dashboard:

• You can resize the visual as needed.
• Go to the right-hand side of your Power BI dashboard.

• You’ll select the fields to use in your Sankey chart here.
• The ChartExpo visual needs to be selected, though.
• Select the fields in the following sequence:
  • Company name
  • Location
  • Model name
  • Model year
  • Price

• You’ll be asked for a ChartExpo license key or email address.

Stage 5: Activate your ChartExpo Trial or Apply a Subscription Key

• Select the ChartExpo visual.
• You should see three icons below “Build Visual” in the Visualizations panel.

• Select the middle icon, “Format visual.”
• The visual properties will be populated as shown below.

• If you are a new user,
  • Type in your email under the section titled “Trial Mode”.
  • This should be the email address that you used to subscribe to the ChartExpo add-in. It is where your ChartExpo license key will be sent.
  • Ensure that your email address is valid.
  • Click “Enable Trial.” You’ll get a 7-day trial.

• You should receive a welcome email from ChartExpo.
• The Sankey Diagram you create under the 7-day trial contains the ChartExpo watermark (see below).

• If you have obtained a license key:
  • Enter your license key in the “ChartExpo License Key” textbox in the “License Settings” section (see below).
  • Slide the toggle switch next to “Enable License” to “On“.

• To add colors, expand the “Level Colors” properties and select a color.
• Do this to change the color of each node.
• All changes are automatically saved.

• Automatically all changes will be saved.

Insights

• At level 1, Company Name, Suzuki had the highest number of car sales (31.84%). Honda had the second-highest number of cars sold, with a total of 31.83%. Mitsubishi had the fewest cars sold, with a total of 4.54%.
• At level 2, Location, most of the cars were sold in Punjab (77.24%). KPK had the second-highest number of car sales (9.12%). Sindh had the fewest sales, accounting for 4.55% of the total sales.
• At level 3, the Model Name, Corolla had the highest number of sales (13.65%). The city had the second-highest number of sales (13.63%). The Prado was the least sold car, accounting for 4.51% of the total sales.

The Benefits of Using Data Dashboards

There are many benefits to using dashboards. Here are some of them:

• Centralized Information

Data dashboards combine data from various resources into a single view. It displays various types of related visual data reporting in one place. This enables users to identify key information at a glance. It saves time that would have been used to navigate several reports and systems.

• Data Visualization

Data dashboards, as essential data visualization tools, employ visual elements such as charts, graphs, and tables to portray complex data. These visualizations make data more understandable, helping users quickly grasp insights and trends.

• Real-time Insights

They provide real-time updates that allow users to monitor indicators and respond to changing patterns and trends.

• Improved Decision Making

Dashboards provide a clear and up-to-date view of metrics and performance indicators. This enables users to make decisions based on the existing information.

• Data Analysis

Users can engage with data, apply filters, and delve into details. Users can gain valuable insights without necessarily performing queries and reports.

• Enhanced Communication

Different data dashboard examples provide a forum for users to interact, gain insights, and integrate their ideas. This ensures team collaboration as they work towards the same business goals.

• Tracking goals

Dashboards are useful for monitoring progress toward goals and objectives. They enable users to set targets and monitor performance.

FAQs

What is an Example of a Good Dashboard?

A good dashboard is one that effectively delivers key information, insights, and analytics. It is also user-friendly and should help in decision-making.

A good dashboard should be clear, simple, relevant, and consistent. It can also

provide real-time data.

What is the Most Important Thing in a Dashboard?

The most important thing in a dashboard is clarity and effectiveness in conveying information and insights.

A well-designed dashboard should provide a clear and concise overview of data and key performance indicators (KPIs). This helps users make informed decisions or understand specific trends and patterns.

What are the Basics of Dashboards?

The fundamentals of dashboards include knowing their purpose, components, and design concepts. Some of these concepts are:

• Its purpose and objectives
• Data sources
• Key performance indicators
• Audience and user needs
• Data visualization

Wrap Up

We have looked at data dashboard examples in detail. We began by defining a data dashboard. We then looked at the benefits of using data dashboards.

We learned about different types of dashboards and discussed some dashboard examples. We also examined how to go about choosing the right dashboard tool. We tackled some factors to take into consideration, like your goals and objectives.

Eventually, we explored how to create a dashboard in Power BI. We used the Sankey Diagram as a Power BI dashboard example.

This example of a dashboard guide should help you create relevant dashboards to give you the desired results.