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13. Excel Dashboards

13.5 Charts for the Dashboard

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Steps in Excel

  1. Click inside pvtTrend › PivotTable Analyze › Tools › PivotChart › Line. Cut (Ctrl + X) the chart and paste it on the Dashboard sheet.
  2. Right-click any field button on the chart › Hide All Field Buttons on Chart – slicers will do the filtering.
  3. From pvtCity insert a Clustered Bar (sorted largest on top: sort the pivot ascending, or tick Categories in reverse order on the axis).
  4. From pvtCategory insert a Doughnut or a Bar (bar is easier to read when there are more than 4–5 categories – Module 8.12).
  5. From pvtPlatform insert a 100% Stacked Bar or a small doughnut (FreshGo vs MarketRush share).
  6. For every chart: short title that states the insight ("Pune gives 37% of sales"), delete gridlines or make them light grey, add data labels only where needed, use one highlight colour.
  7. Align charts: select several › Shape Format › Arrange › Align › Align Top and Distribute Horizontally. Hold Alt while dragging to snap to cell borders.

Worked example – which chart for which question.

Question Pivot Chart Why
Are sales rising through the month? (Holi spike on 14-03-2026) pvtTrend Line Trend over time
Which city sells most? pvtCity Bar, sorted Easy ranking of 6 names
Which category drives sales? pvtCategory Bar Many categories
FreshGo vs MarketRush share pvtPlatform Doughnut (2 slices) Part-of-whole, few parts

About this data: Teaching sample for a fictional shop “NovaCraft Tools”. Figures and names (e.g. Sana Sheikh) are made up for this lesson on charts for the dashboard.

Pune's share = 18,42,500 ÷ 49,50,000 = 37.2%.

Ravindra Bagale's Tip

Many students use 3D pies, shadows and every colour on a dashboard – it looks "colourful" but nothing makes sense. Use one highlight colour (our green) and grey for the rest, and write the insight in the chart title ("Pune gives 37% of sales"), not just "Sales by City". Hide the field buttons on the Pivot Chart, otherwise the dashboard looks cluttered.

Worked example — charts for the dashboard

Why

Sana Sheikh in Pune and Sophie Martin abroad both need a clear, repeatable way to use charts for the dashboard on a FreshGo Mart sheet without breaking totals.

What

Charts For The Dashboard is the Excel idea this page teaches. We will walk one tiny example end to end.

How

  1. Open a blank sheet. In A1 type a short label for charts for the dashboard.
  2. Enter a small made-up value for Sana Sheikh using ₹ where money appears.
  3. Add a second value for Sophie Martin using £ so you see mixed currencies stay numeric.
  4. Apply the method from this lesson step by step (menu or formula as shown above).
  5. Check the result still works inside SUM or a simple check cell.

Formula / action

Follow the formula or ribbon steps shown in this lesson (keep values numeric).
Result: The demo cell shows the expected result for FreshGo Mart's sample row.
Meaning: Once charts for the dashboard is correct on one row, copy the same pattern down the column.

Practice tasks (10+)

Try these on a blank sheet. Open a hint only if you are stuck. No quiz — just practice.

1. Rebuild the smallest example of charts for the dashboard on a blank sheet for QuickCart Delivery.

Hint: Use only the steps on this page. Keep numbers numeric.

2. Change one input for Priya Deshmukh and confirm the result updates.

Hint: If the result is stuck, check absolute vs relative references.

3. Repeat the same steps with a £ or € value for Oliver Bennett.

Hint: Formatting must not break SUM.

4. Write the result meaning in one plain sentence next to the cell.

Hint: Imagine explaining it to a new joiners.

5. Add a second row and fill the method down.

Hint: Double-click the fill handle if the pattern is consistent.

6. Break the example on purpose, then fix it using this lesson.

Hint: Common break: text instead of a number.

7. Apply charts for the dashboard to a 5-row made-up QuickCart Delivery table.

Hint: Keep column headers clear.

8. Check your answer with a simple total or COUNT.

Hint: A wrong total usually means a format or key mismatch.

9. Swap ₹ and $ on one column and re-check totals.

Hint: Stored values stay the same; only the display changes.

10. List two mistakes beginners make with charts for the dashboard.

Hint: Look back at the tip box on this page.

11. Teach the steps out loud in under one minute.

Hint: Why → What → How.

12. Save the sheet as QuickCartDe_practice.xlsx.

Hint: Use a clear file name for class.

Quick revision cards

Three standalone cards. Each one explains the idea with its own example. Scan the QR to open this lesson.

Revision card 1: What is Charts For The Dashboard?
Card 1: What is Charts For The Dashboard? · Download PNG
Revision card 2: Tiny example — Charts For The Dashboard
Card 2: Tiny example — Charts For The Dashboard · Download PNG
Revision card 3: Checklist — Charts For The Dashboard
Card 3: Checklist — Charts For The Dashboard · Download PNG