How do you use dashboard features to implement dynamic metrics in a dashboard?

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Dashboard Guide: Dynamic Metrics 

Dynamic metrics can make your dashboards more engaging, interactive, and responsive to user input. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll be able to add dynamic metrics to your dashboards using any dashboarding tool. Let’s dive in! 

Step 1: Identify the Dynamic Metrics Elements  

First, determine which metrics on your dashboard should be dynamic. These could include:  

  • Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Updating KPIs based on user selections or applied filters. 
  • Aggregated Metrics: Displaying averages, sums, or other aggregated values based on user interactions. 
  • Conditional Metrics: Showing or hiding specific metrics based on user-defined conditions.

 

Step 2: Set up Data Connections and User Inputs  

To make your metrics dynamic, you’ll need to link them to the appropriate data sources and user inputs. This will typically involve: 

  • Connecting your dashboard to the relevant data sources, such as databases, APIs, or spreadsheets. 
  • Adding user input elements to your dashboard, like dropdown menus, sliders, or checkboxes. These will allow users to interact with the dashboard and change the displayed metrics.

 

Step 3: Define the Logic for Dynamic Metrics  

Next, set up the logic that controls how your metrics update based on user interactions. This might involve: 

  • Creating calculated fields or expressions to derive the dynamic metrics based on the user inputs and data sources. For example, if you want to display the average sales amount for a user-selected date range, you might create a calculated field that calculates the average sales within that range. 
  • Setting conditional statements to control when the metrics should update. For instance, you might only want to display a specific metric if a certain user input value is selected.

 

Step 4: Implement the Dynamic Metrics Elements  

With the logic in place, you can now add your dynamic metrics to the dashboard: 

  • Insert a metric element in your dashboard, such as a KPI card or a data table. 
  • Bind the metric element to the calculated field or expression you created earlier. This will ensure the metric updates based on the defined logic. 
  • Format the metric element as desired, including number formatting, color, and alignment.

 

Helpful Tips and Tricks 

  • Keep the dynamic metrics concise and clear to ensure users can quickly understand the information being presented. 
  • Test your dynamic metrics thoroughly to ensure they update as expected and don’t create confusion or misinterpretation. 
  • Use color, bold or italic formatting, or other visual cues to draw attention to the dynamic portions of the metric. 
  • If necessary, provide a legend or instructions to help users understand the purpose of the dynamic metrics and how to interact with them.
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