Software

Five web-based business dashboard apps

By // October 20, 2014, 7:18 AM PST

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  • Introduction

    In this era of big data, companies are gathering tons of information. But much of that data is stored in ways that make it difficult for employees and managers to access it. One solution has been to write reports to share critical information. However, reports usually tell only one story or display just one piece of information.

    Enter dashboards. Dashboards provide one spot to display key pieces of information at the same time to a common group of information consumers. Creating dashboards can be a cumbersome task, but luckily, there are tools that make it easier and deliver great results.

    Let's take a look at five web-based dashboard apps that connect to a variety of data sources and offer a variety of "look and feel" choices to suit your needs.

    Note: This gallery is also available as an article.

    Image: Antuan Goodwin/CNET

  • Dashzen

    Dashzen connects to a variety of data sources.It uses a clean, black work surface.

    Wally

  • Dashzen

    Oddly enough, Dashzen supports connection to World of Warcraft data, displaying basic character statistics.

    Wally

  • Dashzen

    In addition to WoW, Dashzen displays things like RSS feeds and YouTube video stats.

    Wally

  • Ducksboard

    Ducksboard's interface has several backgrounds to choose from, including the default, which looks like a wood floor.

    Wally

  • Ducksboard

    Ducksboard contains widgets for many web sites and service. You can also build your own connection using its API.

    Wally

  • Ducksboard

    For example, Salesforce Desk allows you to display help desk statistics.

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  • Ducksboard

    Custom data sources, such as Google Sheets, are easy to set up.

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  • Ducksboard

    Here's a look at the results of the Google Sheets widget setup.

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  • Klipfolio

    A new account on Klipfolio looks busy and cluttered; instead of giving you a blank canvas to work with, it provides several examples.

    Wally

  • Klipfolio

    One of the examples is this full dashboard for a marketing team.

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  • Klipfolio

    Building your own "Klips" is easy. Start by specifying a data source (or build your own).

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  • Klipfolio

    Once you've selected your data source, you build your chart or graph. Klipfolio lets you specify nearly every property of a visualization.

    Wally

  • Leftronic

    New Leftronic accounts start with a wizard to help you add your first chart to your dashboard. Leftronic has many service connections available to choose from.

    Wally

  • Leftronic

    You can use a Google Sheets connection to graph in various ways, grouped into categories.

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  • Leftronic

    Here's a dashboard with several widgets, including line graph, YouTube video views, stock prices from Yahoo Finance, and an RSS feed to TechRepublic.

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  • Leftronic

    This is the previous dashboard switched to Display Mode, which hides the grid layout.

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  • Dash

    Dash has a simple, clean-looking interface. There are several choices for widgets, including some unique ones like static images and text as well as clock and weather widgets.

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  • Dash

    Adding a widget is easy;  just answer a few questions.

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  • Dash

    This dashboard includes an RSS feed from TechRepublic, a clock, and a tables of sales figures.

    Wally

Introduction

In this era of big data, companies are gathering tons of information. But much of that data is stored in ways that make it difficult for employees and managers to access it. One solution has been to write reports to share critical information. However, reports usually tell only one story or display just one piece of information.

Enter dashboards. Dashboards provide one spot to display key pieces of information at the same time to a common group of information consumers. Creating dashboards can be a cumbersome task, but luckily, there are tools that make it easier and deliver great results.

Let's take a look at five web-based dashboard apps that connect to a variety of data sources and offer a variety of "look and feel" choices to suit your needs.

Note: This gallery is also available as an article.

Image: Antuan Goodwin/CNET

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