How to Make a Google Sheets Dashboard [Includes Template]

Most small business owners don’t realize they are sitting on a goldmine of data visualization tools right inside their free Google account. Instead of spending a hefty chunk of finances on expensive SaaS subscriptions, you make your own powerful, dynamic Google Sheets dashboard.

Creating a dashboard in Google Sheets is one of the highest-leverage activities for a business owner. A reliable dashboard turns raw numbers into actionable insights, increasing productivity and pushing your company to new heights.

This article will explain how to build a custom dashboard from scratch and how to utilize our free templates to track your KPIs immediately.

We also have our own general template for a Google Sheets dashboard, so you can follow along with the tutorial below. If you want to practice with dummy data (shoe sales), you can copy our practice template here.

What Is a Google Sheets Dashboard?

A dashboard provides a bird’s-eye view of your entire project or business. It aggregates data from multiple sources and displays it in a single, digestible interface, helping you make future decisions based on real-time facts rather than gut feelings.

Unlike a standard spreadsheet, which is rows and rows of raw numbers, a dashboard consists of:

• Charts & Graphs: Visual representations of trends.
• Scorecards: Single-number summaries (e.g., “Total Revenue”).
• Slicers: Interactive buttons that let you filter data instantly.

Simply put, a dashboard makes data easier to read by making it appealing, colorful, and concise.

How to Create a Dashboard in Google Sheets (3 Steps)

There are 3 main steps to building a functional dashboard. Mastering these three phases will allow you to build anything from a simple tracker to a complex ERP system. Any of which can be accessed and shared across devices via Google Drive.

Phase	Key Functions
1. Import	IMPORTDATA, IMPORTHTML, Google Forms
2. Parse	QUERY, SORT, UNIQUE, SUMIF
3. Visualize	Pivot Tables, Slicers, Sparklines

Step 1: Importing or Gathering Data

Unless you’re manually typing data (which we don’t recommend), you need to import it. Here are the most efficient ways to automate collection from various data sources:

Using IMPORT Functions

Google Sheets has powerful built-in functions to pull data from the web:

• IMPORTDATA: Imports data from .csv or .tsv URLs.
• IMPORTRANGE: Pulls data from a different Google Sheet (crucial for keeping your dashboard separate from your raw data).
• IMPORTHTML: Scrapes tables or lists directly from a website.
• IMPORTXML: A flexible function for scraping specific data points using XPath.

Using Google Forms

For internal data, like employee feedback or inventory checks, Google Forms is your best friend. You can link a Form directly to your sheet. As soon as someone submits a response, your dashboard updates automatically.

Step 2: Parsing Data (The “Cleanup” Phase)

Raw data is often messy. Before you can graph it, you need to organize it. This is where intermediate formulas come into play.

Don’t just rely on basic sums. Use these powerful functions to structure your data for the dashboard:

• QUERY: The most powerful function in Sheets. It allows you to use SQL-like language to filter, sort, and select data arrays.
• SUMIFS / COUNTIFS: Essential for conditional totals (e.g., “Sum of Sales WHERE Region is ‘West'”).
• UNIQUE: Instantly creates a list of unique values from a column (great for creating dropdown menus).

Of course, there are many more formulas you can use based on your specific goals. These are just some of the more common calculations we’ve seen on common key metrics. Add-ons like visuals come next.

Step 3: Visualizing Data

This is the fun part. Once your data is clean, you can turn it into visuals. This can show progress on key performance indicators, sales growth, or parts of a whole.

Pivot Tables

A Pivot Table is the engine of most dashboards. It allows you to summarize thousands of rows of data into a neat table by dragging and dropping categories.

1. Select your data range.
2. Go to Insert > Pivot table.
3. Use the side editor to group data by rows (e.g., “Salesperson”) and values (e.g., “Total Revenue”).

Slicers (The Interactive Element)

A Slicer is a visual filter button. By adding a slicer to your dashboard, you allow users to click a button (like “2024” or “Q1”) and instantly filter all connected charts. This makes your dashboard interactive rather than static.

Sparklines

Charts can be bulky. A Sparkline is a tiny chart that lives inside a single cell. It is perfect for showing trends (like “Last 30 Days Sales”) next to a metric without taking up space.

Formula: =SPARKLINE(B2:B20)

4 Rules for a Professional Dashboard

1. Keep It Simple: Avoid 3D charts. They are hard to read. Stick to clean 2D bar and line charts.
2. Use a Strict Color Palette: Use one primary color (like blue) and shades of grey. A dashboard with 10 different bright colors looks unprofessional.
3. Tell a Story: Group related metrics. Put your “North Star” metric (like Total Revenue) in the top left, where eyes naturally go first.
4. Use Dynamic Ranges: Pro Tip: When selecting data for charts, use open-ended ranges like A2:A instead of A2:A100. This ensures that when you add new data later, your dashboard updates automatically.

Limits of Google Sheets Dashboards

While powerful, Google Sheets isn’t always the right tool. Be aware of these limitations:

• Data Volume: If you have 50,000+ rows of data, Sheets will become slow.
• Security: It is harder to lock down specific parts of a dashboard compared to BI tools like Tableau.
• Visuals: You cannot create custom shapes or highly advanced interactive visualizations easily.

For more complex needs, or if you simply need a specific layout, browse our full library of Google Sheets Templates to find a better starting point.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is a Dynamic Dashboard?

A dynamic dashboard updates automatically as data changes. By using formulas like IMPORTRANGE or Google Forms, you remove the need to manually copy-paste data every week. The dashboard “lives” and breathes with your business.

Can I Link My Google Form to My Dashboard?

Yes. When creating a Google Form, click the “Responses” tab and select the green Sheets icon. This creates a connected Sheet. Build your dashboard on a separate tab in that same file, and every new form submission will update your charts instantly.

The Bottom Line

Building a Google Sheets Dashboard is the most cost-effective way to bring business intelligence to your team. It forces you to organize your data and helps you communicate value clearly.

Don’t want to start from scratch? Access our free template to experiment today.

Related Resources:

• Free OKR Template for Google Sheets (Track Your Targets)
• How To Create a Custom Sidebar in Google Sheets
• Run of Show Template for Event Management
• Free Google Sheets Kanban Board Template