Datasheet

Determine the need for drill-down features
Many dashboards provide drill-down features that allow users to “drill” into
the details of a specific measure. You want to get a clear understanding of the
types of drill-downs your users have in mind.
To most users, drill-down feature means the ability to get a raw data table
supporting the measures shown on the dashboard. Although getting raw data
isn’t always practical or possible, discussing these requests will at a mini-
mum allow you to talk to your users about additional reporting, links to other
data sources, and other solutions that may help them get the data they need.
Establish the refresh schedule
A refresh schedule refers to the schedule by which a dashboard is updated to
show the latest information available. Because you’re the one responsible for
building and maintaining the dashboard, you should have a say in the refresh
schedules. Your manager may not know what it takes to refresh the dashboard
in question.
While you’re determining the refresh schedule, keep in mind the refresh
rates of the different data sources whose measures you need to get. You can’t
refresh your dashboard any faster than your data sources. Also, negotiate
enough development time to build macros that aid in automation of
redundant and time-consuming refresh tasks.
A Quick Look at Dashboard
Design Principles
When collecting user requirements for your dashboarding project, there’s a
heavy focus on the data aspects of the dashboard: The types of data needed,
the dimensions of data required, the data sources to be used, and so on.
This is a good thing — without solid data processes, your dashboards won’t
be effective or maintainable. That being said, here’s another aspect to your
dashboarding project that calls for the same fervor in preparation: the
design aspect.
Excel users live in a world of numbers and tables, not visualization and design.
Your typical Excel analyst has no background in visual design and is often left
to rely on his own visual instincts to design his dashboards. As a result, most
Excel-based dashboards have little thought given to effective visual design,
often resulting in overly cluttered and ineffective user interfaces.
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Part I: Making the Move to Dashboards
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