Buyers Guide

Table of Contents

• What is Dashboard Software?
• What are the common features of Dashboard Software?
• What are the benefits of Dashboard Software?
• How much does Dashboard Software cost?
• What are the key considerations when Purchasing Dashboard Software?

What is dashboard software?

Dashboard software is an information management tool that visually tracks, analyzes, and displays key performance indicators (KPIs) to help businesses make informed decisions and improve productivity. Data analysts and business owners can use this tool to track business performance, visualize financial data, and monitor marketing campaigns’ performance.

Dashboard tools gather data from multiple data sources, including application programming interfaces (APIs) and databases, in one place. The best dashboard software also offers dashboard templates to help users create a data dashboard.

What are the common features of dashboard software?

• Data connectors: Connect and integrate data from multiple data sources, such as databases, spreadsheets, and cloud storage, into the dashboard. These connectors help pull data in real time for analysis purposes. Data connectors may also include data transformation capabilities, allowing data analysts to clean, aggregate, and manipulate data to create meaningful visualizations.
• Key performance indicators (KPI) monitoring: Track the performance of key metrics that reflect critical aspects of a business and its operations. Users can monitor various metrics, including revenue, customer satisfaction, website traffic, conversion rates, and others, to help the business make informed decisions relevant to achieving its goals.
• Single page view: View all important information and visualizations on a consolidated page or screen. This screen displays all key metrics, charts, graphs, and other visual elements, making it easy for users to access and understand important data at a glance. Single page view feature in dashboard software ensures simple navigation where users need not click on different sections to find information.
• Search and filter: Find specific data points within the dashboard using relevant keywords or filters, such as data ranges and categories. Users can search for particular data using custom-defined parameters. The feature is handy when dealing with large datasets or complex dashboards with numerous data elements.
• Data visualization: Represent complex data using multiple visualization options, such as tables, graphs, maps, and charts. Data analysts can select the most appropriate visualization type for their data to understand trends, patterns, and insights. The feature also allows them to customize the appearance of these layouts using different color schemes, labels, and titles.

What are the benefits of dashboard software?

• Facilitates real-time data monitoring: Dashboard tools allow businesses to track real-time data. These data sets typically include website analytics, social media metrics, sales and revenue, and financial metrics. Consistent data monitoring enables businesses to analyze metrics and set emergency alerts to make informed decisions.
• Helps predict future outcomes: Dashboards are data-driven platforms enabling businesses to analyze historical data, identify trends, and make accurate predictions. The historical data in a dashboard solution can be presented in various ways, including charts, graphs, and trend lines, making it easier to identify cycles, patterns, and data anomalies that can impact future outcomes.
• Saves time and resources: A dashboard tool automatically pulls data from multiple sources, including databases and spreadsheets, eliminating the need for manual data collection. This helps businesses minimize errors associated with manual data handling. The tool offers real-time updates, eliminating the need for refreshing data or compiling reports manually. Additionally, a dashboard solution provides a centralized location for accessing data, reducing the time spent locating specific information.

How much does dashboard software cost?

Most data dashboard software products on the market are priced “per month,” and their entry-level pricing plan ranges from $5 to $249+*. An enterprise product that’s priced higher may include additional features such as customizable branding, templates, predictive analytics, embedded analytics, and sales trend analysis.

Key considerations when purchasing dashboard software

• Consider mobile responsiveness. For professionals and business owners who are always on the go, the business dashboard should be accessible and responsive across various devices, including smartphones and tablets. Consider a tool that automatically adjusts its layout to fit the device screen space without compromising the content’s readability. Responsive dashboards may also employ navigation patterns specifically designed for mobile devices, such as collapsible menus, swipe gestures, and adaptive fonts and texts on small screens.
• Assess the available data visualization options. Depending upon the software’s functionality, data visualization options in a dashboard tool usually include charts, graphs, geospatial visualizations, tables, KPI widgets, combination charts, animations, and custom visualizations. Selecting the right visualization type depends on the nature of the data and the insights users wish to convey to the targeted audience, including analysts, executives, and customers.
• Look for artificial intelligence (AI) based features. AI-based features in business dashboard software leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities to enhance data analysis. The best dashboard software may offer features such as predictive analytics, natural language processing (NLP), anomaly detection, image recognition, language translation, and smart data exploration to create a more engaging user experience while making it easier to derive insights.