Dashboards & Reporting

Why should I be interested in Dashboards & Reports?

Dashboards & Reporting tools are widely used across various industries to present data in a visual format, allowing the users to understand their data with ease and have specific information available with very little effort. They facilitate decision-making by providing real-time insights, enable performance monitoring by tracking key metrics, help align activities with organisational goals and enhance communication and understanding across a business by providing a common, universal view of data. 

Dashboards

Dashboards are widely used across businesses of all sizes today. There are many options, some of the most popular being Tableau and Power BI. They provide visual representations of data that offer overviews of key metrics, performance indicators and other important information relevant to a specific organisation. Dashboards typically consist of various visual elements such as charts, graphs, gauges, tables and other widgets that display data in an easily understandable format. They can generally be customised to suit the needs of different users and can vary in complexity, from simple summaries to highly interactive and dynamic displays meaning they are more accessible to all.

You can read more about the Microsoft Power Platform here.

Reporting

Reporting tools are software applications or platforms designed to facilitate the creation, customisation and distribution of reports. Popular reporting tools include Google Analytics & Funnel. These tools typically provide functionalities for data extraction, transformation, analysis and visualisation, allowing users to generate insights from raw data and present them in a structured and meaningful way.

What's the difference?

Dashboards & Reporting have nuanced differences, some platforms offer both and they possess many similar attributes so it can be somewhat confusing to differentiate the two. However, they do differ in some aspects - 

Presentation -

• Reporting - Reporting typically involves the creation of structured documents or presentations that provide detailed insights, analysis and commentary on specific data sets or topics. Reports are usually static and can be lengthy, containing textual descriptions, tables, charts and graphs to convey information comprehensively. They generally require more specific expertise to pull together and present than Dashboards do.
• Dashboards - Dashboards offer a more dynamic and visual representation of data. They are designed to provide a snapshot or overview of key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics in real-time. They usually consist of interactive widgets, charts and graphs that allow users to explore data and track trends more quickly than they can do with reports.

Interactivity -

• Reporting - Because reports are generally static, they offer limited interactivity. Users can view and analyse the information presented in reports but usually cannot manipulate or interact with the data directly within the document.
• Dashboards - On the other hand, dashboards are highly interactive and allow users to drill down into specific data points, apply filters and customise the view based on their preferences. Users can interact with the dashboard elements in real-time, enabling them to explore data dynamically and gain deeper insights.

Granularity -

• Reporting - Reports cover a wide range of topics or data sets in a comprehensive, granular manner. They may include detailed analysis, trends and contextual information to provide a thorough understanding of the subject matter.
• Dashboards - Dashboards focus on presenting a concise and focused view of specific metrics or KPIs. They provide a high-level overview of performance in real-time, allowing users to monitor key indicators and track progress towards goals efficiently without the need to drill down into masses of data to understand the full context.

Audience and Purpose -

• • Reporting - Reports are often tailored for a specific audience, such as high-level executives, stakeholders or regulatory bodies. They are used to communicate detailed analysis, findings and recommendations for decision-making and strategic planning.
  • Dashboards - Dashboards are designed to be accessible to a more broad audience, including frontline employees, managers and clients. They are used for monitoring performance, identifying trends and facilitating data-driven decision-making in various departments and levels of the organisation.

How Can we Help?

We have worked with a variety of dashboard & reporting tools for many, many years including Excel, Oracle EBS and in-house custom-built tools. Whether you are looking for a newer solution for your existing dashboards and reports, a platform to start using dashboards and reporting or a custom built system to address specific needs relating to dashboards and reporting, we can help.

Whilst we have specific, and expansive expertise with Tableau and Power BI/Platform, we are constantly finding and learning new systems to improve the technology we can deliver to you. There is further information detailed below for the tools mentioned above but do get in touch if you want us to investigate your specific needs further.

We build bespoke solutions to your individual needs. One size rarely fits all, especially when we are talking about solutions to improve and develop your unique business.