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Salesforce Dashboard: Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Dashboard in salesforce | 2024

Salesforce dashboards are powerful tools that allow you to visualize and analyze data in a meaningful way, enabling informed decision making and better insight into your business performance. Whether you’re a sales manager, marketing professional, or business analyst, building a Salesforce dashboard can help you gain instant actionable insight. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you build your own Salesforce dashboard.

Step 1: Log into Salesforce Dashboard

Start by logging in to your Salesforce account. Once you’re in, you’ll be able to access all the tools and features, including the dashboard.

Step 2: Navigate to Dashboards

In the navigation menu, you will find the “App Launcher” icon (grid icon). Click on it to open the App Launcher. Then, find and click on “Dashboard”.

Step 3: Create a New Dashboard

Click on the “New Dashboard” button. You will be asked to provide a name and description for your new dashboard. Choose a name that reflects the purpose of the dashboard and add a description if necessary. Click “Create” to proceed.

Step 4: Select a Dashboard Type

Salesforce offers two types of dashboards: “metrics” and “summary.” Choose the type that best suits your data visualization needs. The metrics dashboard allows you to display data in a grid format, while the summary dashboard provides a snapshot of your key metrics.

Some Dashboard types for reference :

COMPONENT TYPEIMAGEDESCRIPTION
ChartPie chart componentUse a chart when you want to show data graphically. You can choose from a variety of chart types.
GaugeGauge componentUse a gauge when you have a single value that you want to show within a range of custom values. For example, to create a dashboard that measures where your current closed opportunity amounts fall within a range of values, set the Minimum ValueBreakpoint #1 ValueBreakpoint #2 Value, and Maximum Value for the gauge. The ranges that you set can indicate poor, acceptable, and good performance. Set appropriate colors for each of these ranges to visually indicate progress. To create a gauge with only two ranges, leave Breakpoint #2 Value blank.Select Show Percentage or Show Total to display those values on the gauge. Values exceeding the maximum are shown as greater than 100%.
MetricMetric componentUse a metric when you have one key value to display. For example, if you have a report showing the total amount for all opportunities in the ClosedCommit, and Base Case stages in the current month, you can name that value and use it as a revenue target for the month displayed on the dashboard.
TableTable componentUse a table to show a set of report data in column form. For example, to see the top 20 opportunities by amount, set Maximum Values Displayed to 20. Then click Customize Table and select opportunity name, amount, and other columns to display, choose the sort order, and set conditional highlighting. Available columns include all chart groupings and report summary fields, as well as the second-level grouping defined in the report.

Step 5: Add Components

Once your dashboard is created, you need to add components to it. Components are individual elements that display data in various formats such as charts, tables, and metrics.

  1. Click on the “Add” button within your new Dashboard.
  2. Select the type of component you want to add. You can choose from chart components like bar charts, pie charts, and line charts, as well as table components and metrics components.
  3. Configure the component settings by selecting the data source (report), grouping, and summarization options.

Step 6: Customize Component Data

For each component you add, you must choose a data source, which is usually a Salesforce report. Select an existing report that contains the data you want to visualize or create a new report specifically for the dashboard.

Step 7: Configure Filters and Parameters

Filters and parameters allow you to control which data is displayed in your dashboard components. You can filter data based on specific criteria such as date ranges, product categories, or regions. This customisation ensures that your dashboard shows the most relevant insights.

Step 8: Arrange Components

Drag and drop components within your dashboard to organize them into a logical and visually appealing layout. Consider the flow of information and the story you want to tell with your dashboard.

Step 9: Save and Share

Once you are satisfied with your dashboard setup, click on the “Save” button. You’ll have the option of saving it to a folder and sharing it with specific users or groups within your Salesforce organisation.

Step 10: View and Interact

Your dashboard is now ready to be viewed and interacted with. You can click on different components to delve deeper into the data, adjust filters to view specific subsets of information, and gain insights that can inform your decisions.

Conclusion

Creating Salesforce dashboards empowers you to turn complex data into actionable insights. With a clear understanding of your business goals and the steps for creating a dashboard, you can efficiently organize, visualize, and analyse your data, contributing to better decision making and better business outcomes.

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