What is the Difference Between Dashboards and Reports?

Data is everything in today’s fast-paced business world. Business companies can evaluate their performance based on the data available. They can plan strategies and make decisions as well, depending on the data they collect.

There are two specific ways to analyze data, one is dashboards and the other one is reports.

In this article, we will help you understand their difference in simple terms and which one to pick when:

What is a Dashboard?

A dashboard is visual, it shows you live data as it changes. Dashboards can be customized to give you any information that you need. Dashboards are the control panels that give you real-time information.

For example, when you want to keep track of the everyday performance of your employees, a dashboard is perfect for them. It gives you the latest information with the latest numbers, so you can plan accordingly.

Also Read: What Is a KPI Dashboard & How to Create One With Examples?

What is a Report?

A report is more of a summary in detail of how things have gone over a period. Reports don’t update regularly like dashboards, they are prepared weekly, monthly, or quarterly and provide an in-depth analysis.

Reports are perfect when you want to have a look at performance over time to make long-term decisions by understanding trends and how things have flown for a certain period.

Create Professional Marketing Reports in Minutes – Automate data collection and generate insightful reports effortlessly.

When Should You Use Dashboard and Report?

Both dashboards and reports are useful depending on your requirements. They serve different purposes and you need to know when to use which.

Use a Dashboard When:

• You need real-time information
• You need to track continuous progress
• You need to give more control to your clients
• You want to detect problems early

Use a Report When:

• When you need to make long-term decisions
• You need a detailed summary of the performance
• Your focus is on getting better long-term results
• You need to share information from one department to another

Pro Tip: Use ViewMetrics’ dashboards and report templates to stay up-to-date on marketing performance.

Key Differences Between Dashboard and Reports

To be able to use the right platform to get adequate information, it is important to understand the difference between the two.

Here is a comparison to highlight how dashboards are different from reports.

Also Read: Marketing Reports: Definition, Benefits, & Elements to Include

How ViewMetrics Can Help You to Create Dashboards and Reports?

ViewMetrics gathers relevant data from all your marketing platforms. It saves you the hassle of manually collecting data automates the creation of marketing reports, connects to your marketing accounts, and generates reports automatically, saving you time and effort.

Conclusion

Both dashboards and reports are essential to understand business data and the progress of business. But the purpose they serve is different, as dashboards are relied on for minute-to-minute updates, whereas reports are relied on to see progress over time in detail. By simply understanding when to use which, you can run a successful business and make better and more informed decisions.