Excel Dashboards and Reports

432 Pages·2013·35.03 MB·english

by  Michael Alexander

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Excel® Dashboards
and Reports
2nd Edition
by Michael Alexander and John Walkenbach
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Excel® Dashboards and Reports, 2nd Edition
Published by
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
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About the Authors
Mike Alexander is a Microsoft Certified Application Developer (MCAD) and author of several books
on advanced business analysis using Microsoft Access and Excel. He has more than 15 years experience
consulting and developing Microsoft Office solutions. Michael has been named a Microsoft MVP for
his ongoing contributions to the Excel community. In his spare time he runs a free tutorial site,
www.datapigtechnologies.com, where he shares basic Access and Excel tips with the Office
community.
John Walkenbach is a bestselling Excel author who has published more than 50 books on spread-
sheets. He lives amid the saguaros, javelinas, rattlesnakes, bobcats, and gila monsters in southern
Arizona — but the critters are mostly scared away by his clawhammer banjo playing. For more infor-
mation, Google him.
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Dedication
This is dedicated to the fans of DataPigTechnologies.com . . . all twelve of you.
Michael Alexander
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Author’s Acknowledgments
My deepest thanks to Katie Mohr and Pat O’Brien, for all the hours of work put into making this book
as clear as it can be. Thanks also to the brilliant team of professionals who helped bring this book to
fruition. Finally, a special thank you goes to my family for putting up with all the time spent away on
this project.
Michael Alexander
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Contents at a Glance
Introduction ........................................................................................ 1
PART I: Getting Started with Excel Dashboards
Chapter 1: Introducing Dashboards .................................................................11
Chapter 2: Table Design Best Practices ..............................................................29
Chapter 3: Using Excel Sparklines ...................................................................47
Chapter 4: Chartless Visualization Techniques .......................................................61
PART II: Introducing Charts into Your Dashboards
Chapter 5: Excel Charting for the Uninitiated ........................................................89
Chapter 6: Working with Chart Series ..............................................................107
Chapter 7: Formatting and Customizing Charts ....................................................131
Chapter 8: Components That Show Trending ......................................................171
Chapter 9: Components That Group Data ..........................................................193
Chapter 10: Components That Show Performance Against a Target .................................209
PART III: Advanced Dashboarding Concepts
Chapter 11: Developing Your Data Model ..........................................................225
Chapter 12: Adding Interactive Controls to Your Dashboard ........................................247
Chapter 13: Macro-Charged Reporting .............................................................265
PART IV: Pivot Table Driven Dashboards
Chapter 14: Using Pivot Tables ....................................................................281
Chapter 15: Using Pivot Charts ....................................................................311
Chapter 16: Adding Interactivity with Slicers .......................................................329
Chapter 17: Using the Internal Data Model and Power View ........................................343
PART V: Working with the Outside World
Chapter 18: Integrating External Data into Excel Reporting .........................................365
Chapter 19: Sharing Your Work with the Outside World ............................................381
Index .............................................................................................399
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