Business Data Analytics Starter · free course

Free course · Lesson 3 of 5

Dashboard Creation & Business Reporting

In this lesson you will

  • Plan a simple dashboard
  • Use slicers to filter a report

A dashboard combines several visualizations and key numbers on one screen so a business owner or manager can understand performance in seconds, not minutes.

  • Layout principles: Most important numbers top-left (where eyes go first), supporting detail below, consistent color coding throughout.
  • Interactive elements: Excel Slicers let a viewer filter a dashboard by region, month, or category without editing formulas.
  • Keep it focused: A dashboard answering "how is the business doing?" needs 4-6 key visuals, not everything you could possibly chart.
  • Update discipline: A dashboard is only useful if it's kept current — build it in a way that refreshes easily from new data.

Practical Skill: Combine your region-by-month summary and 2 other metrics into a one-page Excel dashboard with a Slicer to filter by region.

TemplateDashboard Layout Blueprint
Worksheet
=== ONE-PAGE BUSINESS DASHBOARD === +------------------------------------------------------+| BUSINESS PERFORMANCE DASHBOARD — March 2026            || [Slicer: Region ▾]                                     |+------------------------------------------------------+| Total Sales: 300,000 SSP   | Top Region: Juba          |+------------------------------------------------------+| [Line Chart: Sales Trend by Month]                     |+------------------------------------------------------+| [Bar Chart: Sales by Product Category]                 |+------------------------------------------------------+ [ ] Slicer connected to all charts (not just one table)[ ] Key totals shown as large, easy-to-read numbers[ ] No more than 4-6 visuals on the page

Practice exercise

Sketch a one-page dashboard for a branch manager with three key figures and two charts, and list the questions it answers.

Key takeaways

  • Start from the manager's questions
  • Key figures go at the top
  • Slicers let readers filter the whole page
In the full program Module 3: Excel Dashboards and Business Reports See how this topic is taught in depth, with practical activities and an assessment.

Free self-study lesson — no certificate. For the full instructor-led program, see registration options.