Dashboard Designer

How to Build Dashboards That Track Anything

Creating dashboards has never been easier. Learn how to use Databox to create dashboards that are beautiful, shareable, and easy-to-read.

3 min read

After reading this guide, you’ll understand…

  • How to drag and drop metrics into a dashboard 
  • How to track and analyze data using date comparisons and goals 
  • Ways to customize your dashboard visualizations and share dashboards
Why use dashboards?

Do More With Your Data

Tracking data effectively is a necessary key to success for every business. If you’re not using dashboards to track performance, you may be…

  • Spending time digging through data—Checking all of your data sources and spreadsheets to find the latest data is time-consuming. 
  • Tracking performance manually—Identifying trends in your data or tracking progress towards your goals by hand is tedious and leaves room for error. 
  • Struggling to share progress effectively with clients—Finding and screen-shotting the right data for your clients wastes valuable hours for your team. 

When you create dashboards to track your data, now you can…

  • Track key metrics from one screen—Learn how to drag and drop the metrics you need to track onto your dashboard.
  • Get performance insights—Spot trends and track progress towards goals right in your dashboard.  
  • Share progress with your clients—Give your clients easy-to-read insights into their data and the work you’re doing for them. 
3 Ways to Use Dashboards

Drag and Drop Metrics to Your Dashboard 

Dashboards are essential for businesses to keep track of important data and monitor KPIs. The Databox dashboard designer makes it easy to create informative dashboards by simply dragging and dropping data blocks (metrics).

There’s a few ways you can get started: 

  • Start with your data source: Select the data source you want to use, and then choose from a variety of pre-built metrics or create your own custom metrics. Click the one you want to use, and select “Add to a Databoard.” From here, you can add this metric to a new or existing dashboard. 
  • Start with a new dashboard: Go to the dashboard tab in your Databox account and select the green “+ New Databoard” button in the top right corner. 

Once you’ve created your dashboard, simply drag and drop the metrics you want onto your dashboard. From the dashboard designer, you can select and drag metrics, or visualizations to your dashboards. If you drag a certain visualization block to your dashboard, you can select the metric you want directly from that visualization block.

 

Take Your Analysis Further with Date Ranges and Goals

Databox gives you flexibility when it comes to analyzing your data. You can easily change date ranges to view your performance over different periods of time, such as days, weeks, or months. This allows you to compare and share data from different date ranges and identify patterns and trends.

 

Looking to track progress towards important goals? Use Databox to set goals for key metrics. Goals give you visual, easy-to-read insight into your progress for your chosen metrics. You can include them in dashboards for quick access and share-ability. 

To set goals from your dashboard, click on the metric you want to set a goal for. The Line Chart Settings screen will show on the right side of your screen. Select Goal under Additional Lines and then select, Set a goal. You’ll be prompted to a page where you can input your goal value and define settings for your goal. 

By tracking your progress toward these goals, you can better understand how your business is performing and make necessary adjustments to stay on track. This data-driven approach enables you to continuously optimize your strategies and drive growth.

 

Customize to Share Client Insights 

Databox can transform the way you create and share dashboards with your clients. With the easy-to-use dashboard designer, you can build beautiful, custom dashboards that look professional and deliver the insights your clients need. 

Customize your dashboard 

Use the Visual settings to customize the appearance of your dashboard. Once you click on the Visual button at the top of your dashboard, you’ll be prompted to the advanced visual settings screen. From here, you can choose the background color and chart color. You can also upload a background image and your company logo. Your logo will be displayed in the bottom left corner of the dashboard, by the title of the dashboard. 

Share dashboards with your clients 

Databox makes sharing your dashboards with clients easy: 

  • Public link: Generate a public link for hassle-free browser access.
  • PDF: Send a PDF of the dashboard straight to your client’s inbox.   
  • Scheduled Snapshots: Want to keep your clients in the loop without lifting a finger? Schedule automated email reports, and they’ll never miss an update. 

Your clients can also view their dashboards on-the-go with the Databox mobile app so they’re always in the know.

 
Tips & Tricks

3 Quick Tips & Tricks

  1. Browse metrics in the Dashboard Designer

    You can easily search for metrics right in the Dashboard Designer by searching for keywords or selecting from a comprehensive list of pre-built options. This allows you to browse, identify, and include the most relevant metrics for your dashboard without having to leave the screen.

  2. White labeling

    Databox’s white-labeling feature allows you to create a fully customized, branded experience for your clients or company. By incorporating your logo, adjusting color schemes, and modifying other visual elements, you can align the dashboard design with your client’s brand identity. This enhances the professional appearance of the dashboard and instills a sense of familiarity and trust in the data being presented.

  3. Customize data blocks

    Databox enables you to dive into each data block and make detailed customizations so you can get the most out of your data. By clicking on a data block, you can access various settings to edit block titles, modify label headers, adjust the date range, and even add rows. You can also change text size and add trend lines like averages and goals. 

Need more guidance? Check out…