Excel Dashboards and Reports, 2nd Edition

Book Description

Learn to use Excel dashboards and reports to better conceptualize data Updated for all the latest features and capabilities of Excel 2013, this go-to resource provides you with in-depth coverage of the individual functions and tools that can be used to create compelling Excel reports. Veteran author Michael Alexander walks you through the most effective ways to present and report data. Featuring a comprehensive review of a wide array of technical and analytical concepts, this essential guide helps you go from reporting data with simple tables full of dull numbers to presenting key information through the use of high-impact, meaningful reports and dashboards that will wow management both visually and substantively. Details how to analyze large amounts of data and report the results in a way that is both visually attractive and effective Describes how to use different perspectives to achieve better visibility into data, as well as how to slice data into various views on the fly Shows how to automate redundant reporting and analysis processes Walks you through creating impressive dashboards, eye-catching visualizations, and real-world What-If analyses Excel Dashboards and Reports, Second Edition is part technical manual, part analytical guidebook, and exactly what you need to become your organization's dashboard dynamo!

Table of Contents

Part I: Getting Started with Excel Dashboards
Chapter 1. Introducing Dashboards
Chapter 2. Table Design Best Practices
Chapter 3. Using Excel Sparklines
Chapter 4. Chartless Visualization Techniques

Part II: Introducing Charts into Your Dashboards
Chapter 5. Excel Charting for the Uninitiated
Chapter 6. Working with Chart Series
Chapter 7. Formatting and Customizing Charts
Chapter 8. Components That Show Trending
Chapter 9. Components That Group Data
Chapter 10. Components That Show Performance Against a Target

Part III: Advanced Dashboarding Concepts
Chapter 11. Developing Your Data Model
Chapter 12. Adding Interactive Controls to Your Dashboard
Chapter 13. Macro-Charged Reporting

Part IV: Pivot Table Driven Dashboards
Chapter 14. Using Pivot Tables
Chapter 15. Using Pivot Charts
Chapter 16. Adding Interactivity with Slicers
Chapter 17. Using the Internal Data Model and Power View

Part V: Working with the Outside World
Chapter 18. Integrating External Data into Excel Reporting
Chapter 19. Sharing Your Work with the Outside World

About The Author

John Walkenbach

John Walkenbach, a.k.a. Mr. Spreadsheet, is arguably the world's foremost authority on Microsoft Excel. His fifty-plus Excel books include Excel 2013 Power Programming with VBA, Excel 2013 Formulas, and the bestselling Excel 2013 Bible, all published by Wiley. He has also written hundreds of articles and software reviews, and created the award-winning Power Utility Pak add-in for Excel. John lives in Tucson, Arizona. He also plays the banjo - but don't let that prevent you from buying his books.

Michael Alexander

Mike Alexander is a Microsoft Certified Application Developer (MCAD) and author of several books on advanced business analysis with Microsoft Access and Excel. He has more than 16 years’ experience consulting and developing Office solutions. Mike has been named a Microsoft MVP for his ongoing contributions to the Excel community. You can visit Mike at www.datapigtechnologies.com, where he regularly shares Excel and Access tips and techniques.