What Is a Dashboard?

A dashboard is a tool used to monitor and display live data. A dashboard is typically connected to a database and features visualizations that automatically update to reflect the most current data in the database.

Dashboards are highly customizable and used across many business functions. They’re typically designed to translate data into easily understood visuals, such as charts and graphs, enabling stakeholders to stay informed about current metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) at a glance, without necessitating individual analysis or complete analytics reports.

People who work in data visualization commonly use programs such as Tableau, Power BI, and Looker to create dashboards. They may be used to monitor things like website traffic, marketing performance, financial metrics, or public health data.

Learn some dashboard basics in this video from Google's Share Data Through the Art of Visualization course, part of the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate:

Related terms

• Business intelligence

• Business intelligence analyst

• Dashboard

• Data analyst

• Data visualization

• Power BI

Learn more: Data Analysis Terms: A to Z Glossary

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Learn more about how to process and analyze data, use key analysis tools like R programming, and create compelling visualizations with the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate on Coursera. Develop skills for an in-demand career in data analytics while you learn at the pace that works for you.