Excel: Dashboards for Beginners

Did you know that you can quickly create a dashboard in Excel even if you’re pressed for time? While many people assume that dashboards are complicated and limited to the most advanced Excel power users, it’s simply not true–all you need is a little practice. In this short course, Excel MVP Jordan Goldmeier demystifies dashboards and shows you how to create your first interactive dashboard in minutes.

Explore the basic components of a dashboard in Excel: tables, PivotTables, PivotCharts, slicers, and timelines. Learn how to plan a dashboard, create a summary table, build a time series chart, and then finalize your dashboard so it's ready to share with stakeholders. Along the way, Jordan gives you quick, easy-to-use tips and techniques so you can start visualizing your data immediately.

Learning objectives
Identify and utilize core dashboard components including tables, PivotTables, PivotCharts, slicers, and timelines to create functional data visualizations in Excel.
Develop a systematic approach to dashboard planning by defining objectives, identifying key metrics, and structuring data layouts before beginning construction.
Create summary tables and pivot-based analyses that effectively aggregate and organize raw data for clear presentation to stakeholders.
Build interactive time series charts that allow users to explore data trends and patterns across different time periods using Excel's charting capabilities.
Finalize and optimize dashboards for professional presentation by applying formatting techniques, ensuring interactivity functions properly, and preparing deliverables ready for stakeholder review.