It is crucial for data scientists and analysts to be able to explain their findings to people who aren't experts in the field. They need to create and distribute visually appealing and user-friendly SaaS analytics dashboards.

‍

A SaaS analytics dashboard is a web-based tool used to monitor and visualize key performance metrics for a SaaS business. It provides a centralized location for viewing data about various aspects of the business, such as customer behavior, sales and revenue, marketing performance, and product usage. A SaaS analytics dashboard can help businesses make data-driven decisions, identify trends and insights, and track progress towards their goals. The data is typically displayed in the form of interactive charts, graphs, and other visualizations that can be easily understood and interacted with by stakeholders.

‍

There are different tools, such as Tableau, Kilipfollio, and Qlikview, that offer a user-friendly interface for creating such representations, but their technical licensing are somewhat pricey. In order to access the private content intended for the members' use alone, membership is required. However, you can also find a free, intuitive, and shareable interactive dashboard tool inside your Google Drive, called Google Data Studio.

‍

In this article, we will go through 5 steps you must follow to create a SaaS analytics dashboard.

‍

1. Identify the data sources

‍

When identifying data sources, consider the metrics and KPIs that are most important to your business. Some common data sources for SaaS analytics dashboards include:

‍

• User data: This can include data on user sign-ups, logins, engagement, and behavior.

‍

• Sales and revenue data: This can include data on transactions, revenue, conversion rates, and customer lifetime value.

‍

• Marketing data: This can include data on website traffic, lead generation, and customer acquisition costs.

‍

• Product data: This can include data on product usage, feature adoption, and customer feedback.

‍

• Infrastructure data: This can include data on server performance, uptime, and resource utilization.

‍

Once you've identified the data you want to collect, you'll need to determine where it will come from. Some common data sources for SaaS companies include databases, APIs, spreadsheets, and web analytics tools.

‍

2. Choose a dashboard tool

‍

Choose a dashboard tool that can integrate with your data sources and provides the features you need. You can evaluate each tool based on your specific requirements and choose the one that fits best.

‍

Here are some popular dashboard tools that you can consider:

‍

• Tableau: A powerful data visualization and reporting tool that integrates with a wide range of data sources.

‍

• Power BI: A business intelligence tool from Microsoft that allows you to create interactive dashboards and reports.

‍

• Looker: A cloud-based data analytics platform that enables you to build, explore, and share data insights.

‍

• Google Data Studio: A free, cloud-based data visualization tool that integrates with Google's suite of products, such as Google Analytics and Google Sheets.

‍

• Klipfolio: A cloud-based dashboard tool that integrates with over 100 data sources and offers a wide range of visualization options.

‍

• Metabase: An open-source, self-hosted dashboard tool that allows you to connect to a wide range of data sources and create interactive dashboards.

‍

3. Connect your data sources

‍

Connect your data sources to the dashboard tool, either through APIs, integrations, or manual data upload. Regardless of the method you choose, the goal is to get your data into the dashboard tool so you can start visualizing and analyzing it.

In more detail, to connect your data sources to the dashboard tool you can do the following:

‍

• APIs: If your data source provides an API, you can use it to extract the data programmatically and then push it into the dashboard tool. This is the most efficient method for getting data into a dashboard and is usually done using an integration or a script.

‍

• Integrations: Many dashboard tools offer integrations with popular data sources such as Google Analytics, Salesforce, or databases. You can use these integrations to connect your data sources and start visualizing the data in your dashboard without any manual data upload.

‍

• Manual data upload: If your data source does not provide an API or integration, you can still use it by manually uploading the data into the dashboard tool. This can be done by exporting the data into a CSV or Excel file and then uploading it into the dashboard tool.

‍

4. Design your dashboard

‍

Design your dashboard to present the key metrics and KPIs that matter most to your business. Consider using interactive charts, graphs, and other visualizations to make the data easy to understand.

‍

‍

Additionally, you can consider the following guidelines while designing your SaaS analytics dashboard:

‍

• Keep it simple: Don't overload the dashboard with too much information. Stick to the most important metrics and KPIs that are relevant to your business goals.

‍

• Use clear and concise visuals: Use clear, concise visuals such as bar graphs, line charts, or pie charts to represent data. Avoid using complex visuals that can be difficult to understand.

‍

• Make it interactive: Enable users to interact with the dashboard by allowing them to filter, sort, and drill down into the data.

‍

• Customize the layout: Customize the layout of the dashboard to fit your branding and make it appealing to your audience.

‍

• Optimize for mobile: Optimize your dashboard for mobile devices so it can be easily accessed from anywhere.

‍

• Automate notifications: Automate notifications for important events and trends to keep stakeholders informed and up-to-date.

‍

• Make it scalable: Make sure your dashboard is scalable and can grow with your business, so you don't have to create a new one every time you add a new feature or data source.

‍

5. Configure automated updates

‍

Configure your dashboard to automatically update with new data on a regular basis. By automating updates, you can ensure that your dashboard always has the latest data and that it is accurate and up-to-date. This makes it easier to make data-driven decisions and to track progress over time.

‍

To configure automated updates, you can do the following:

‍

• Set up an automated data refresh: Most dashboard tools have options to refresh the data at set intervals. This can be done through a scheduling tool, or by using APIs or integrations with your data sources.

‍

• Automate data extraction: To automate data extraction, you can write scripts that extract data from your data sources and upload it to your dashboard tool. This can be done using programming languages like Python or R.

‍

• Integrate with data pipelines: If you have a data pipeline set up, you can integrate your dashboard tool with it to automatically receive updated data. This will ensure that your dashboard is always up-to-date with the latest information.

‍

• Monitor data quality: Regularly monitor the quality of the data to ensure that it is accurate and consistent. This can be done by using data validation rules, quality checks, and notifications.

‍

Final Thoughts

‍

A SaaS analytics dashboard can be a powerful tool for businesses looking to monitor and improve their performance. By bringing together data from various sources and presenting it in an easy-to-understand format, a SaaS analytics dashboard can help businesses gain valuable insights into their operations and make informed decisions.

‍

By using a SaaS analytics dashboard, businesses can track key metrics and KPIs, monitor trends over time, and identify areas for improvement. Ultimately, a SaaS analytics dashboard can help businesses make better decisions, grow their revenue, and improve customer satisfaction.

‍