🟡 Intermediate 15 minintermediate path
Charts, Tables & Dashboards
Pick the right chart, style it professionally, and combine several into a single-screen dashboard.
Learning objectives
- Choose the correct chart type for the message.
- Format charts cleanly and avoid junk.
- Compose a simple KPI dashboard.
Step-by-step
1. Chart type by intent
Trend over time → line. Compare categories → column or bar. Parts of a whole → pie or 100% stacked (never explode pies). Relationship of two variables → scatter.
2. Clean styling
Remove gridlines, legends when unnecessary, and 3D effects. Use a single accent color. Label directly instead of using long legends.
3. KPI cards
Big number, small label, tiny sparkline underneath — use =SUM/AVERAGE for the number and Insert → Sparklines for the trend.
4. Dashboard layout
Top row: KPIs. Middle: main chart. Bottom: supporting detail. Use a Slicer connected to Pivots to filter the whole dashboard.
Key takeaways
- Choose the correct chart type for the message.
- Format charts cleanly and avoid junk.
- Compose a simple KPI dashboard.
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