This way, your data will not only look good but also be easy to review quickly.

So in this beginner Excel dashboard tutorial, we’ll go over how to build an Excel dashboard to visually show your data.

What is an Excel Dashboard?

Dashboards in Excel generate a picture in the form of visuals from which you can quickly monitor your metrics and reports on every project. In other word, the Excel dashboard is a visual interface that consolidates and displays data from various sources in one place. It typically includes:

• Charts: For visualizing trends and comparisons.
• Tables: For detailed data breakdowns.
• Interactive Features: Like slicers or drop-down menus to filter data.
• Key Metrics: Highlighting the most important insights.

Dashboards are designed to simplify complex datasets and make data-driven decision-making easier.

Example:

Suppose you work for a small to medium-sized company that runs various local marketing campaigns across cities. For future budgeting and decision-making, you have to keep track of how much you spend vs the results (in leads or sales) for each city and campaign type.

Looking at the table below might leave you bored and confused, and you will need to put in a lot of effort to analyze and obtain results.

Let’s create a dashboard for quickly analyzing data.

Things to Consider Before Creating an Excel Dashboard

Before you create an Excel dashboard, you have to know why you need one. Why do you need to build it? Here are some things you could look up and consider before creating an Excel dashboard:

• Why do you need an Excel dashboard?
• Which audience will you be targeting?
• Which datasheets do you have to use to create a dashboard?
• What things do you have to track?

After having a thorough understanding of these concepts, you will be able to create the dashboard more quickly and efficiently. In this way, you can avoid future headaches and save time on revisions.

Clarity and a clear understanding of what you are doing can save you a lot of time and energy.

Step-by-Step Guide to Create an Excel Dashboard

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to quickly establish an Excel dashboard. 

Step 1: Define the Purpose of Your Dashboard

Before diving into Excel, clarify the purpose of your dashboard:

• What do you want to track? (e.g., sales, performance metrics, project milestones)
• Who will use it? (e.g., team members, stakeholders, yourself)
• What insights are most important?

Having a clear goal will help you design a focused and effective dashboard.

Step 2: Gather and Prepare Your data

Every effective dashboard starts with clean, well-structured data. Begin by importing and organizing the data. If the client has provided the data in a file, import it into your Excel worksheet (or copy the data from external sources into your Excel or link it directly using Power Query). Ensure the data sheet is labeled with clear and appropriate headings to make it easy to navigate and understand.

Step 3: Organize the Data using a Table

Convert your dataset into a table (Ctrl + T) so that your data has a consistent structure and formatting. Tables make your data dynamic and easier to manage.

Step 4: Clean your Data

Before or after transforming the data into a table, you should clean the raw data. Make sure all items are formatted consistently, including dates and numbers. Remove any duplicates or errors that could alter the final image.

If you only want to use specific values, you can use filters. To add a filter, first select the entire data sheet, then apply the filter from the Home tab.

After selecting the filter option, you will see a drop-down arrow on each column heading. To apply filters to any columns, simply click the drop-down arrow and select the cells you want to filter out. 

Step 5: Plan the Layout of Your Dashboard

After you’ve organized your data and defined your KPIs, create a new worksheet and call it “Dashboard.” This sheet will hold all of your charts, visualizations, and summaries. Decide how you want to organize the information:

• Top Section: Key metrics (KPIs) in summary cards.
• Middle Section: Charts and graphs for trends and comparisons.
• Bottom Section: Detailed tables or supporting data.

Keep the design simple and logical. Group related elements together and leave enough white space to avoid clutter.

Step 6: Build a Pivot Table to Summarize Data

Now, you have your structure in place, it’s time to begin analyzing. Pivot Tables are excellent for summarizing huge datasets. 

To make a PivotTable, first create another worksheet named “Pivot Reports” and then add a PivotTable to it. This will allow you to perform well.

How to create a Pivot Table: Example – Average ROI by City

1. Click any cell in the table.
2. Go to Insert > Pivot Table.
   

   

3. Choose to place it in “Pivot Reports”.
   

   

4. Set up:
   • Rows: City
   • Values: Average of ROI (%)
     

     

Similarly to how you created this pivot table, you can create others, such as in Budget & Revenue by Campaign Type, enter:

• Rows: Campaign Type
• Values: Sum of Budget Spent, Sum of Revenue Generated

And for Leads & Sales by Channel

• Rows: Channel
• Values: Sum of Leads Generated, Sum of Sales

Step 7: Insert Excel Charts for Data Visualization

Charts make your dashboard more visually engaging and easier to understand. Excel offers several chart types:

• Line Charts: For trends over time.
• Bar/Column Charts: For comparing categories.
• Pie Charts: For proportions.
• Combo Charts: For showing multiple data series.

Once your pivot tables are complete, start making charts to display the summary.

• Select your pivot table, then click the Insert > Chart and select a chart type that matches your data.

You can now follow the same steps to get Budget & Revenue by Campaign Type and Leads & Sales by Channel.

After you’ve built all of the charts and graphs, move them to a separate sheet named “Dashboard” that you have created before. So that your data remains organized. 

Right-click on the table, select Move Chart, then pick “Dashboard sheet”.

Step 8: Add Slicer or Filters 

After you’ve finished creating charts and graphs, you can make them more interactive by adding filters or slicers. Follow these steps to add Slicer and Filters.

Slicers:

• Slicers allow users to filter data visually.

To add slicer

• Click a Pivot Table
• Go to PivotTable Analyzer → Insert Slicer
• Add slicers for City, Campaign Type, and Channel.

Drop-Down Menus:

• Use Data Validation to create drop-down menus for user input.
• Steps:
  1. Select a cell.
  2. Go to Data > Data Validation.
  3. Choose “List” and enter your options.

Step 9: Add Final Touches

Now that the dashboard has been organized, let’s make the final adjustments. You can modify the text, color, and format of your charts to make them look better. You have full control to personalize them according to your preferences.

1. Create a New Worksheet:
   • Use this sheet as the dashboard interface.
2. Arrange Elements:
   • Position charts, pivot tables, and slicers logically.
   • Use text boxes for titles and annotations.
3. Add Visual Appeal:
   • Use consistent colors and fonts.
   • Group related elements using borders or shapes.

Example Layout:

• Top: Title and date range filters.
• Middle: Key metrics and charts.
• Bottom: Detailed table with slicers.

Step 10: Test and Refine

Before sharing your dashboard, test it thoroughly:

1. Check Interactivity:
   • Ensure slicers and filters work as intended.
   • Verify that charts update automatically when data changes.
2. Validate Accuracy:
   • Double-check formulas and pivot table calculations.
3. Seek Feedback:
   • Share a draft with colleagues or friends to gather input on usability and design.

Step 11: Protecting and Sharing Your Dashboard

You can protect the worksheet to keep users from mistakenly changing data or formulas.

• Go to the “Review” tab and select “Protect Sheet.”
• You can set a password and control what users can or cannot do.

If you want to share your dashboard with others, you can do so as an Excel file, template, or read-only PDF. This ensures that your ideas are shared securely and properly.

Common Mistakes to Avoid 

A few things can reduce the effectiveness of your dashboard. These include using too many bright colors, displaying too much raw data instead of summaries, and overcomplicating the layout. Another frequent mistake is forgetting to update or refresh data connections. Keep it clean, relevant, and user focused.

Bonus Tips for Beginners

• Keep It Simple: Focus on essential insights. Avoid overloading the dashboard with unnecessary details.
• Use Templates: Explore Excel’s built-in templates or download free ones online for inspiration.
• Learn Shortcuts: Keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl + Z (undo) and Alt + F1 (create chart) can save time.

How to Build an Excel Dashboard: Wrap Up

Creating your first Excel dashboard might feel intimidating, but with a clear goal and the right steps, it becomes a manageable and even enjoyable process. In this beginner Excel dashboard tutorial, you’ve learned how to prepare your data, use PivotTables, and insert Excel charts and visuals that help you better understand and present your insights. 

Whether you’re tracking campaign performance, managing budgets, or summarizing key metrics, building a dashboard lets you make smarter decisions faster.

As you continue to practice and experiment, you’ll find even more ways to create a dashboard in Excel that suits your unique needs. Just remember; keep it clean, focused, and visually clear for your audience. With time, building impactful dashboards will become second nature.

Whether you’re a student, business analyst, marketer, or data enthusiast, learning the stacked bar chart in Excel can help you improve your reporting and presenting skills.

In this comprehensive, step-by-step tutorial, we’ll walk through everything you need to know to create a professional stacked bar chart in Excel, from understanding its purpose to customizing its appearance.

What is a Stacked Bar Chart in Excel?

A stacked bar chart displays multiple data series layered within a single bar, either vertically or horizontally, to show both the total value and individual components across categories as well as each series’ specific contribution. In a stacked bar, you can represent information in horizontal bars where each bar represents a specific category or data point. Each segment of the bars is a different color, representing different values.

‍When we use a stacked bar chart, it becomes easier to understand the total value of each category. At the same time, you can also see how much each smaller part contributes to that total.

In one single bar, you can see two things:

1. The overall total
2. And the size of each part within that total

This type of Excel chart helps you to quickly compare which category has a bigger or smaller share and spot any trends or patterns.

How Can We Make a Stacked Bar Chart in Excel? Step-by-Step Tutorial

Step 1: Prepare Your Data

Before you begin creating your chart, your data should be organized in a tabular format. When you organize your data in a tabular format, the data points will be categorized into columns.

In the example above, you want to assess the quarterly sales of three different products and determine which product performed the best in each quarter. 

Step 2: Select the Data

Once your dataset is structured in a table layout, highlight the range you wish to visualize in the stacked bar chart. To do this, simply click and drag to highlight the full data range, including the headers.

As you can see, the selected data is highlighted by a border for visual confirmation.

Step 3: Insert the Stacked Bar Chart

1. To begin creating your stacked bar chart, click on the Insert tab in Excel’s ribbon.
2. This will open the charting tools you need.
3. Under the Charts section, choose the Bar Chart or Column Chart icon to proceed.
4. Choose a Stacked Bar or Stacked Column, depending on your preference. Excel offers multiple stacked bar chart formats, including 2D, 3D, and 100% stacked types. Choose the one that fits your data best.

Step 4: Adding Title and Legend

After inserting the stacked bar chart, you can add a title and a legend to make it more informative. Your chart’s title will represent its theme. The legend of the chart will represent the details about the categories specified by the various sections of the graph.

After you’ve created your stacked bar chart, an option for chart titles will appear. You can choose it and then edit it accordingly.

To add the legend to the chart, click the + sign in the top left corner of the stacked bar chart and then select legend.

After changing the title of the stacked bar chart, you will gain access to other options such as title background color, border, and other customization options. 

To get access to these customization options, you just have to click +, select the title option, click the dropdown arrow, and select more options. 

After customizing the title, you can modify the legend using the same steps as the title. You can adjust the legend’s position, text font, colors, background color, and other settings. 

Step 5: Customization of Your Stacked Bar Chart in Excel

After creating your stacked bar chart, you can quickly customize it to add a personal touch. You can change the colors, labels, axes scales, chart styles, and other elements to make it more visually appealing. 

1. Axis Titles

Follow these steps to modify the axis labels after creating your stacked bar chart. 

• In the upper-right corner of your chart, you will see a + icon; click it first.
• Check Axis Titles and label them appropriately (e.g., X-Axis: “Quarter”, Y-Axis: “Sales”).

2. Chart Styles

In Excel, you can pick from a variety of chart styles to customize your stacked bar chart. Customizing the design of your stacked bar chart will give your charts a more professional appearance and feel. To do this, simply follow these steps and apply the styles that suit what you like best.

• First, click the chart design menu and then click the drop-down menu to expand the chart style options. After finding your perfect style, just click it to apply to your stacked bar chart.

3. Color Scheme

If you don’t like the default color scheme, you can change it just by modifying the style.

• To do so, simply select the chart design menu and then the colors menu. Now, select the drop-down menu to expand the color options. At this point, you’re free to choose any color that suits your preferences.

4. Data Labels

You can also use data labels on your stacked bar chart to show the exact numbers within every segment of the bar.

To do so, simply follow these steps. 

• Click on the chart elements icon, then enable ‘Data Labels’ to show exact values on each segment. Now you can select the position of your data labels in each segment from the given options.

Step 6: Analyze and Interpret the Chart

Once your stacked bar chart is ready, it’s easy to interpret the data and draw meaningful conclusions. Now, you can see and assess which products did best in each quarter. You may track patterns over time and identify seasonal spikes or declines in sales.

At first sight, you might think that building a stacked bar chart is difficult, but it is not. Simply follow this Excel stacked bar chart tutorial to effortlessly design and modify it based on your own personal preferences. 

Step 7: Saving and Sharing

Now, after creating the stacked bar chart in Excel, you can easily save and share it. To share your chart visually, consider saving it as an image file. To save it as an image, simply right-click and select “save as picture” before selecting the file format and saving it in your selected location.

When to Use Stacked Bar Charts

Stacked bar charts are best used when:

• You want to compare multiple part to whole relationships
• They’re ideal when you need to break down each category’s contribution within a total value.
• You’re comparing data over time.
• You have limited categories to display.

Avoid using them when:

• You need to compare values across many series.
• You’re analyzing fine differences between similar values (a line or clustered bar chart may be better).

Tips for Working with Stacked Bar Charts

1. Use 100% Stacked Bar Charts

If you want to compare the percentage contribution of each item rather than the absolute value, choose a 100% Stacked Bar Chart.

Example: Use this to show what percentage each product contributed to total sales per quarter.

2. Sort Your Data for Better Clarity

Sorting your data (e.g., highest to lowest total) before plotting helps in better interpretation.

3. Add a Secondary Axis (If Needed)

When one category’s values are much higher than the rest, using a secondary axis can help maintain visual clarity.

• If a data series dominates the chart, right-click it, choose ‘Format Data Series,’ and enable the secondary axis for better balance.

4. Use Data Tables

Adding a data table below your chart is great for making raw numbers available alongside visuals.

5. Interactive Filters with Slicers

If you’re using Excel Tables or Pivot Charts, you can add slicers to filter by category dynamically.

6. Avoid Clutter

Too many data series can make your chart unreadable. Limit the number of stacked elements to 3–5 for clarity.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Overloading the Chart: Too many stacked segments can make it difficult to compare.
• Misleading Scales: Always use appropriate axis scaling.
• Inconsistent Color Use: Keep the same color for each series across different charts.
• Ignoring Labels: Always include data labels or legends to avoid confusion.
• Not Sorting Data: Unsorted data can make patterns hard to detect.

Limitations of Stacked Bar Chart in Excel

Despite all of the perks of using a stacked bar chart in Excel, there are certain restrictions that you will need to keep in mind. 

Customization is Limited

Excel provides only basic options for customizing your stacked bar charts. If you want to design something more complex or include interactive features, you will likely run into limitations.

Struggles with Big Data

If you work with larger data sheets and data sets, you may notice that Excel’s working speed slows down. This is because Excel cannot manage larger data sets, especially when creating and displaying stacked bar charts. You may encounter Excel performance issues and delayed chart rendering.

No Interactivity

Excel charts are static by nature. That means you can’t build interactive dashboards that allow users to filter or explore data dynamically, like switching between periods or datasets.

Manual Effort to Keep Charts Updated

If your data updates regularly, Excel won’t refresh charts automatically unless you set up complex formulas. Most of the time, you’ll need to manually update the chart.

Not Ideal for Team Collaboration

Real-time collaboration isn’t Excel’s strong suit. You’ll need to send files back and forth, which can lead to version control issues and messy workflows.

Conclusion

Now that you’ve followed this Excel stacked bar chart tutorial, you’re well on your way to creating clearer, more impactful visualizations. Whether you’re analyzing sales, tracking project progress, or presenting survey data, knowing how to make a stacked bar chart in Excel can seriously boost your data storytelling skills. You’ve covered the essentials of Excel charts—adding titles, labels, legends, and customizing the look to suit your preferences. And the best part? You can now confidently create an Excel bar chart with multiple series without feeling overwhelmed. So play around with styles, tweak the colors, and make your data pop. The more you experiment, the more polished your stacked bar charts will become!

But what exactly is a combo chart, and how can you use it to make your reports and presentations more effective? This guide will take you through everything you need to know about combo charts in Excel, from their purpose to practical applications.

What is an Excel Combo Chart?

A Combo Chart (Combination Chart) in Excel is a chart that combines two or more different types of charts into one. The most common combination includes a column chart and a line chart. This allows users to represent multiple sets of data in one chart while maintaining clarity and effectiveness.

Combo Charts are particularly useful when comparing two sets of data that have different scales. For example, if you want to compare sales revenue (in dollars) with the number of units sold (in thousands), plotting both on the same axis might not be meaningful. A Combo Chart helps by allowing one data set to use a secondary axis.

Benefits of Using a Combo Chart

1. Enhanced Data Visualization: A Combo Chart helps in presenting multiple data sets clearly, making it easier to interpret trends and comparisons.
2. Comparing Different Scales: When data series have different units or value ranges, a Combo Chart can accommodate them using a secondary axis.
3. Flexibility: You can mix and match chart types like line, column, area, and bar charts to create a more insightful representation of your data.
4. Improved Decision Making: By combining two types of charts, users can extract meaningful insights and patterns that would otherwise be hard to detect in separate charts.

When to Use a Combo Chart

You should consider using a Combo Chart in Excel when:

• You have two different data series with different units or scales.
• You want to emphasize a specific trend while keeping other data visible.
• A single chart type (like a bar chart or line chart alone) does not effectively represent your data.
• You want to compare a categorical and continuous dataset.

Examples of When to Use a Combo Chart:

• Sales Performance Analysis: Compare monthly revenue with the number of products sold.
• Budget vs. Actual Analysis: Show budgeted expenses as a column chart and actual expenses as a line chart.
• Financial Reports: Show revenue alongside profit margin percentage.
• Website Analytics: Display website traffic in one chart and conversion rates in another on the same graph.
• Market Trends: Compare the number of customers with revenue generated over time.
• Temperature vs. Rainfall Data: Represent temperature using a line chart and rainfall using a column chart.

How to Create a Combo Chart in Excel

Creating a Combo Chart in Excel is simple and can be done in just a few steps.

Step 1: Prepare Your Data

To create a Combo Chart, you need a well-structured dataset. Let’s take an example dataset:

Step 2: Insert a Combo Chart

1. Open Excel and enter your data into a worksheet.
2. Select the entire dataset, including column headers.
3. Go to the Insert tab in the Excel ribbon.
4. Click on Insert Combo Chart in the Charts group.
5. Select Custom Combo Chart.

Step 3: Choose Chart Types for Each Data Series

1. In the Insert Chart dialog box, you will see two data series: Sales Revenue and Units Sold.
2. Assign Sales Revenue to a Column Chart.
3. Assign Units Sold to a Line Chart.
4. Check the box for Secondary Axis for the Units Sold series to make the visualization clear.
5. Click OK to insert the chart.

Step 4: Customize the Combo Chart

Once the chart is inserted, you can improve its appearance:

• Change Chart Title: Click on the default title and replace it with a meaningful title like “Monthly Sales Performance.”
• Format Axes: Right-click on the vertical axis, choose “Format Axis,” and adjust the scale for better readability.
• Data Labels: Add data labels to make values clearer.
• Legend Positioning: Adjust the legend placement to avoid clutter.
• Change Colors: Use distinct colors for the column and line series to make them easily distinguishable.

Advanced Customization Options

1. Adding Data Labels

To add data labels:

• Click on the chart and then on one of the series.
• Go to the Chart Elements (+ icon in the top-right corner of the chart).
• Check Data Labels and choose a position (e.g., inside or above the bars for a column chart).

2. Changing Axis Scale

If your chart has a secondary axis, adjusting the scale can improve clarity.

• Right-click the secondary axis and select Format Axis.
• Modify the Minimum and Maximum values to better fit the data.

3. Adjusting Line and Column Width

• To change line thickness, right-click the line chart series, select Format Data Series, and adjust the Width under Line Options.
• To change column width, right-click a column and adjust Gap Width.

4. Adding a Trendline

If you want to show trends in the data:

• Click on the line series.
• Go to the Chart Elements (+ icon) and check Trendline.
• Choose the type of trendline (e.g., linear, exponential) that best fits your data.

Best Practices for Using Combo Charts

1. Keep It Simple: Avoid overloading the chart with too many data series.
2. Use a Secondary Axis Wisely: Only use it when data series have significantly different scales.
3. Label Clearly: Ensure axis labels, legends, and data labels are easy to understand.
4. Choose Colors Thoughtfully: Use contrasting colors to differentiate between series effectively.
5. Maintain Readability: Avoid cluttered elements that make interpretation difficult.

Conclusion

A Combo Chart in Excel is a powerful tool for comparing multiple data series with different scales. It is especially useful in business reports, financial analysis, and trend comparisons. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can create and customize Combo Charts to make your data more insightful and visually appealing.

Start experimenting with Combo Charts today and unlock the power of effective data visualization in Excel! If you want to master more Excel techniques, check out our Excel Tutorials for more expert tips!