Executive dashboards are vital tools for leadership, providing a high-level view of a company's financial health and operational performance. This article will guide you through setting up an executive dashboard in Cube, emphasizing key metrics that aid in strategic decision-making and long-term planning.
Learn more about building dashboards.
1. Prepare your data
Before diving into dashboard creation, ensure your Cube data is up-to-date and accurately reflects your business operations by importing data from your source systems and publishing updates from your spreadsheets. This preparation phase enhances the relevance and reliability of your dashboard insights.
To keep your dashboards current, turn on automated dashboard updates.
2. Plan for formulas
Many of the charts in this dashboard are constructed from calculations of your financial data. If you already have the formulas set up as dimensions in your Cube, simply locate these dimensions when filtering your data for each question.
If these formulas are not pre-set, you have two options:
- add new formula dimensions to your Cube
- use custom expressions when building dashboard questions
The examples below include the associated custom expressions for your reference.
3. Build the dashboard – A step-by-step guide
Note: The dimensions used in these examples may vary from the dimension names in your Cube. Verify the dimension levels and names with your dimensions in all question recipes and custom expressions.
This guide includes recipes for the following questions or dashboard visualizations. Click the links below to quickly navigate to a particular question.
- Trending revenue vs. target
- Trending growth percentage
- Gross profit margin trend
- EBIT trend
- Cash burn
- Gross margin
- Quick ratio
- Working capital
- Current ratio
Trending revenue vs. target
This visualization provides a clear comparison of actual revenue against predetermined goals, which is crucial for assessing business performance and guiding future revenue strategies.
Define your question
- Filters:
- Account: Revenue
- Date: Previous 12 months (or preferred time period)
- Scenario: Actuals
- Summarize: Sum of Value
- Group by: none
Visualization settings
- Visualization type: Progress
- Goal: target amount (in this example, it is $22,000,000)
Trending growth percentage
Tracking growth percentages over time helps identify trends, understand market dynamics, and plan for scalable growth.
Define your question
- Filters:
- Account: Revenue
- Date: Previous 12 months
- Scenario: Actuals
- Summarize: Sum of Value
- Group by: Date: Month
Visualization settings
- Visualization type: Trend
- Minimum number of decimal places: 0
- Add a prefix: $
Gross margin
Monitoring gross margin trends is essential for understanding profitability and operational efficiency changes.
Define your question
- Filters:
- Account: Revenue and Cost of Goods sold
- Date: Previous 12 months
- Scenario: Actuals
- Summarize: Custom expression named "Gross margin"
= SumIf([Value], [Account 2] = "Revenue") - SumIf([Value], [Account 2] = "Cost of Goods Sold") - Group by: Date: Month
Visualization settings
- Visualization type: Trend
- Minimum number of decimal places: 0
- Add a prefix: $
Gross profit margin trend
Understanding the trend of the gross profit margin is crucial for evaluating the company's profitability and financial health.
Define your question
- Filters:
- Account: Revenue and Cost of Goods Sold
- Date: Previous 12 months
- Scenario: Actuals
- Summarize: Custom expression named "Gross profit margin"
= (SumIf([Value], [Account 2] = "Revenue") - SumIf([Value], [Account 2] = "Cost of Goods Sold")) / SumIf([Value], [Account 2] = "Revenue") - Group by: Date: Month
Visualization settings
- Visualization type: Trend
- Multiply by a number: 100
- Add a suffix: %
EBIT trend
Analyzing EBIT trends offers insights into operational effectiveness, helping executives make informed decisions about cost management and investment strategies.
Define your question
- Filters:
- Account: Revenue and Operating Expenses
- Date: Previous 12 months
- Scenario: Actuals
- Summarize: Custom expression named "EBIT"
= SumIf([Value], [Account 2] = "Revenue") - SumIf([Value], [Account 2] = "Operating Expenses") - Group by: Date: Month
Visualization settings
- Visualization type: Line
Cash burn
Keeping an eye on the cash burn rate is vital for maintaining financial sustainability and avoiding liquidity issues.
Define your question
- Filters:
- Account: Operating Expenses, Capital Expenditures, Debt Repayments, Revenue, and Other Income
- Date: Previous 12 months
- Scenario: Actuals
- Summarize: Custom expression named "Cash burn"
= SumIf([Value], [Account 2] = "Ending Cash") - SumIf([Value], [Account 2] = "Operating Expenses") - SumIf([Value], [Account 2] = "Revenue") - SumIf([Value], [Account 2] = "Other Income (Expenses)") - Group by: Date: Month
Visualization settings
- Visualization type: Line
Quick ratio
The quick ratio provides a snapshot of the company’s ability to cover short-term obligations, indicating financial stability.
Define your question
- Filters:
- Account: Current Assets, Inventory, Current Liabilities
- Date: Previous 12 months
- Scenario: Actuals
- Summarize: Custom expression named "Quick ratio"
= (SumIf([Value], [Account 4] = "Current Assets") - SumIf([Value], [Account 4] = "Inventory")) / SumIf([Value], [Account 4] = "Current Liabilities") - Group by: Date: Month
Visualization settings
- Visualization type: Trend
Working capital
Tracking working capital helps assess the company’s short-term financial health and operational efficiency.
Define your question
- Filters:
- Account: Current Assets and Current Liabilities
- Date: Previous 12 months
- Scenario: Actuals
- Summarize: Custom expression named "Working capital"
= SumIf([Value], [Account 3] = "Current Assets") + SumIf([Value], [Account 3] = "Other Current Assets") - SumIf([Value], [Account 3] = "Current Liabilities") - Group by: Date: Month
Visualization settings
- Visualization type: Bar
Current ratio
The current ratio is a key liquidity indicator, helping gauge the company's ability to meet short-term liabilities with its short-term assets.
Define your question
- Filters:
- Account: Current Assets and Current Liabilities
- Date: Previous 12 months
- Scenario: Actuals
- Summarize: Custom expression named "Current ratio"
= (SumIf([Value], [Account 3] = "Other Current Assets") + SumIf([Value], [Account 3] = "Current Assets")) / SumIf([Value], [Account 3] = "Current Liabilities") - Group by: Date: Month
Visualization settings
- Visualization type: Trend
4. Finalizing your dashboard
Customizing your dashboard’s layout enhances its readability and ensures that the most critical information is immediately visible and comprehensible. Adding textual context to your dashboard can provide additional insight and clarity, making the data more actionable.
Learn more about best practices for building dashboards or how viewers interact with dashboards.
An executive dashboard in Cube is more than just a collection of charts and graphs; it's a strategic tool encapsulating vital business metrics. By following the guidelines outlined in this article, you can transform raw data into actionable insights, driving informed business decisions and fostering organizational growth.
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