Excel Dashboards and Reports for Dummies, 3rd Edition

Make the most of your data using the power of Excel

When you think of data, do you think of endless rows and columns in spreadsheets? Excel Dashboards and Reports For Dummies, 3^rd Edition shows you how to make the most of your data—and puts an end to mind-numbing spreadsheets by exploring new ways to conceptualize and present key information. There’s often a gap between handling data and synthesizing it into meaningful reports, and this approachable text bridges this gap with quick and accessible information that answers key questions, like how to meaningfully capture data trends, how to show relationships in data, and when it’s better to show variances than actual data values.

As a leading spreadsheet application, Microsoft Excel is the go-to data software. This tool allows you to use dashboard reports that leverage gauges, maps, charts, sliders, and other visual elements to present complex data in a manner that’s easy to understand. Using Excel dashboards effectively can improve your professional capabilities by leaps and bounds.

• Analyze and report on large amounts of data in a meaningful way
• Look at data from different perspectives, and better visualize the information you’re presenting by quickly slicing data on the fly
• Automate redundant reporting and analysis functions, making your data analysis and reporting routine more efficient
• Create visualizations, dashboards, and what-if analyses that are as visually appealing as they are substantial

Excel Dashboards and Reports For Dummies, 3^rd Edition is a fantastic resource if you’re looking to spice up your reporting!

Table of Contents

Part I Getting Started with Excel Dashboards & Reports
Chapter 1 Getting In the Dashboard State of Mind
Chapter 2 Building a Super Model

Part II Building Basic Dashboard Components
Chapter 3 Dressing Up Your Data Tables
Chapter 4 Sparking Inspiration with Sparklines
Chapter 5 Formatting Your Way to Visualizations
Chapter 6 The Pivotal Pivot Table

Part III Building Advanced Dashboard Components
Chapter 7 Charts That Show Trending
Chapter 8 Grouping and Bucketing Data
Chapter 9 Displaying Performance against a Target

Part IV Advanced Reporting Techniques
Chapter 10 Macro‐Charged Dashboarding
Chapter 11 Giving Users an Interactive Interface
Chapter 12 Adding Interactivity with Pivot Slicers

Part V Working with the Outside World
Chapter 13 Using External Data for Your Dashboards and Reports
Chapter 14 Sharing Your Workbook with the Outside World

Part VI The Part of Tens
Chapter 15 Ten Chart Design Principles
Chapter 16 Ten Excel Chart Types and When to Use Them