How to Create a Dashboard in six easy steps

Step 1: Define the purpose of the dashboard

Before diving into design or data, start with clarity: Why are you creating this dashboard? Is it for tracking sales performance, monitoring website traffic, managing project timelines, or analyzing customer support efficiency?

When you define the goal, it becomes easier to choose relevant metrics, set priorities, and keep the dashboard focused. Avoid trying to display too much. A dashboard that tries to do everything often ends up being confusing and less actionable.

Step 2: Collect and prepare the data

Once the purpose is defined, identify where your data lives. This could include CRMs, marketing platforms, financial systems, spreadsheets, or databases. Bring all relevant data into one place.

Data preparation is just as important. Clean your data, remove duplicates, format values consistently, and ensure the data is up to date and analysis-ready. The quality of insights directly depends on the quality of your data.

Zoho Analytics supports 500+ data sources including Zoho CRM, Google Ads, HubSpot, and many more. You can also use built-in data preparation tools to clean, blend, and transform data before visualization.

Step 3: Design the layout and structure

A well-designed layout helps users understand the information quickly.

• List down the list of reports and KPI metrics that need to be added to the dashboard. Start by placing high-level metrics (like KPI widgets) at the top, followed by supporting charts and reports below.

• Group similar metrics together. Choose the right visualization types: line charts for trends, bar charts for comparisons, pie charts for proportions, and tables for granular details.

• Tailor the dashboard to suit specific roles, such as executives, sales reps, marketers, or support teams.

A logical and intuitive layout upfront saves time and reduces back-and-forth during the build phase.

Step 4: Create data visualizations

With the data and layout ready, it’s time to build.

Create the reports and charts you’ve planned. Add forecast lines, trend analysis, or anomaly detection if needed.

Zoho Analytics offers three simple ways to create data visualizations

• Use the drag-and-drop builder
• Ask Zia, the AI agent, to generate charts for you
• Let Zia auto-generate contextual dashboards based on your data

Step 5: Build the dashboard

Now bring it all together into a single dashboard. Use Zoho Analytics’ builder to:

• Add charts, KPIs, pivot tables, and custom widgets
• Apply filters for time ranges, geographies, or product segments
• Use conditional formatting to highlight values that need attention
• Set up alerts for metrics that cross a defined threshold

This step is where your dashboard starts to take shape as a cohesive, interactive tool.

Step 6: Embed or share the dashboard

Once your dashboard is ready, it’s time to share it.

With Zoho Analytics, you can:

• Share dashboards securely with teams or clients
• Schedule automated email reports
• Embed dashboards in websites, portals, or apps
• Control access with fine-grained user-level permissions