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How To Build Custom Dashboards to Visualize Data in Smartsheet Platform

Dashboards in Smartsheet provide real-time visibility into critical data to help teams make informed decisions quickly. With easy-to-configure widgets displaying live data from sheets and reports, Smartsheet dashboards enable you to:

Benefits of Smartsheet Dashboards

  • Centralize information in one place for at-a-glance insights
  • Surface real-time data to drive confident decision making
  • Boost transparency and alignment across teams
  • Customize to meet specific business needs
  • Share broadly to ensure stakeholders have access

Before You Build

When planning your dashboard, first determine:

Purpose

  • What decisions do you need to drive?
  • Who needs these insights?

Data Sources

Dashboards gather data from:

  • Sheets: Consolidate totals, averages, and other metrics
  • Reports: Display specific rows/columns across multiple sheets
  • Links: Connect to other Smartsheet items or external sites

Identify which data sources you already have and which you need to create.

How to Build a Dashboard

Create New Dashboard

From the Solution Center, select Create > Dashboard/Portal. Name it and click OK.

Add/Edit Widgets

Click Edit Dashboard to add/configure widgets:

  • Charts
  • Metrics
  • Calendars
  • Images
  • Links
  • Reports

Customize Display

Tailor the look and feel under Dashboard Settings:

  • Background color
  • Font selection

Design Best Practices

  • Simplify – Avoid clutter. Present only the most critical insights.
  • Spotlight – Draw attention to key metrics with colors/sizing.
  • Flow – Organize widgets logically for intuitive consumption.
  • Refresh – Configure automatic data updates.
  • Optimize – Use dashboard settings to improve performance.

Share Your Dashboard

Determine who needs access to your dashboard and set sharing permissions. Some options:

  • Share dashboard only
  • Share underlying sheets/reports
  • Control editing rights

With thoughtful design and relevant data sources powering your dashboard, your team will stay aligned through shared visibility. The ability to customize layouts and share access means your Smartsheet dashboard can evolve with your business over time.

More Tips for Success

  • Use dashboard folders to organize related dashboards
  • Make a portal to centralize resources
  • Add dashboard tabs to segment by topic
  • Connect data sources with automations

Start building your own Smartsheet dashboards today!

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