How to create a dashboard from a spreadsheet
Create a dashboard, add your sheets, then build it out with chart, data table, KPI and text widgets.
Turn spreadsheets into a live dashboard
Spreadsheets, screenshots and slide decks make it hard to answer “how are we doing?” quickly. A dashboard puts your charts, tables, key metrics and notes on a single page that stays up to date, and InstaCharts makes building one fast and fully no-code.
TLDR: Sign up for a free account and build your first dashboard in minutes!
1. Create the dashboard
Start by creating a new dashboard. Pick a theme and give your dashboard a title. This choice does not need to be final, since you can retheme the entire dashboard at any time (more on that below).
2. Add a sheet
Every dashboard is powered by your data. Add a sheet to the dashboard by either:
- Picking an existing sheet from your workspace, or
- Uploading a new sheet from a spreadsheet file
InstaCharts supports many file types, including Excel, CSV, TSV, JSON and Google Sheets. For a full walkthrough of uploading data, see our guide on how to create a chart from a CSV file.
Want to combine data from several spreadsheets? Just keep adding sheets. A single dashboard can pull from multiple sheets, so there’s no need to merge files first.
3. Add widgets
With your sheets in place, it’s time to build out the dashboard. Widgets are organized into rows, so your dashboard stays neatly laid out as it grows. There are four widget types to mix and match:
Chart widgets
Chart widgets are fully customizable, just like a regular InstaCharts chart. Pick the chart type, choose the columns to plot, and adjust the titles, labels and colors until it tells the story you want.
Data table widgets
Add a sortable data table of your sheet data right alongside your charts. You can choose to include only certain columns, so viewers see only the data that matters.
KPI widgets
Show your KPIs with dedicated KPI widgets. Set the value, label and an optional trend for each one, and they render as big, readable numbers for an at-a-glance summary row.
Text widgets
Numbers are easier to understand with context, and the text widget lets you add it directly on the dashboard through titles, explanations and takeaways.
Dashboards are also responsive and automatically resize for mobile.
4. Retheme your dashboard
You can retheme your dashboard at any time:
- Select Dashboard Settings, then Appearance.
- Choose a main theme.
- Check the checkbox Update widgets with new theme.
All widgets update with the new theme in one step, including chart color schemes and colors, so the whole dashboard matches.
Want finer control? Toggle on Customize theme to go further: pick a header color, background color, default chart color scheme and more.
5. Share your dashboard
When your dashboard is ready, share it! Dashboards are shared with your workspace members by default, so your team sees the latest numbers automatically. You can also share a dashboard publicly, or with certain other users (only if you have a paid account).
Because dashboards stay connected to your sheets, everyone always sees current data instead of emailed screenshots that go stale.
Give it a try
Building a dashboard from a spreadsheet takes five steps and requires no code, design skills or data team. Sign up for a free account and build your first dashboard today!
