Build a dashboard from CSV exports without a BI tool
Your shop, ad account or CRM exports a CSV, and you want a one-page view of how things are going without learning a BI tool. Attach the export and this prompt has your todo.is agent pick the key numbers, build charts and filters, and deliver an Excel dashboard or a simple web dashboard published with a link you can share.
The prompt
- Build a dashboard from the attached CSV [FILE NAME]. It is [WHAT THE DATA IS]. Show these KPIs at the top: [KPIS], each with the change versus the previous period. Below, add: a trend chart by [TIME PERIOD], a breakdown by [CATEGORY], a top 10 table and a short "What changed" text box with 3 bullet points. Format: [EXCEL OR WEB PAGE]. For Excel, put raw data, calculations and the dashboard on separate sheets, with slicers for date and category. For a web page, make one responsive HTML page with charts and a date filter, and publish it with a link. Tell me how to update it with next month's export.
What to change
- [FILE NAME]: Attach the CSV, e.g. "shopify_orders_sep.csv".
- [WHAT THE DATA IS]: e.g. "online store orders", "Google Ads campaign data" or "support tickets".
- [KPIS]: e.g. "revenue, orders, average order value, returning customer %".
- [TIME PERIOD]: e.g. "week" or "month".
- [CATEGORY]: e.g. "product type", "campaign" or "ticket topic".
- [EXCEL OR WEB PAGE]: "Excel dashboard" or "web page with a link". A web page is public to anyone with the link, so avoid sensitive data.
Example result
- Orders dashboard · September (example)
- Source: shopify_orders_sep.csv · 14,302 rows · Sep 1 to Sep 30
- KPI tiles
- • Revenue: 186,420 · up 8.4% vs August
- • Orders: 3,118 · up 3.1%
- • Average order value: 59.79 · up 5.1%
- • Returning customers: 34% · up 2 points
- Trend: revenue by week
- • Week 36: 38,900 · Week 37: 44,210 · Week 38: 49,880 · Week 39: 53,430
- • Line chart with last month as a grey dashed line
- Breakdown by product type
- • Candles 41% · Diffusers 27% · Gift sets 19% · Accessories 13%
- • Gift sets grew fastest (+31%), likely early holiday buying
- Top 10 products table
- • Columns: product, units, revenue, change vs last month
- • No. 1: Cedar & Fig Candle 300 g, 1,204 units
- What changed
- • Average order value rose after free shipping moved to orders over 50
- • Weekend orders now bring 38% of revenue
- • Diffusers dipped 4% while one size was out of stock
- Excel layout
- • Data: the raw CSV as an Excel Table
- • Calc: KPI formulas and the summaries behind the charts
- • Dashboard: tiles, 3 charts, top 10 table, slicers for date and product type
- How to update
- Paste next month's CSV over the Data table (same columns), then Data > Refresh All. Or send me the new export and say "update the dashboard".
- All figures are illustrative.
How to do it with todo.is
- Export your CSV, attach it and copy the prompt with your KPIs.
- Paste it on the Today screen in todo.is, or send it to your agent on Slack.
- Your agent builds the dashboard in Excel or as a web page and explains what changed.
- Make it recurring: "every 1st of the month, update the dashboard from the export I email you".
Tips for a better result
- Pick 3 to 5 KPIs. A dashboard with 20 numbers is a spreadsheet, not a dashboard.
- Always compare with a previous period. A number alone doesn't tell you if things are good.
- Keep raw data, calculations and visuals on separate sheets so updates don't break charts.
- Web dashboards are public to anyone with the link. Use Excel for anything with customer names or private figures.
dashboard from CSV: FAQ
- How do I make a dashboard from a CSV file? Load the CSV into Excel, summarize it with pivot tables or formulas, then add charts and slicers on one sheet. Your agent does all of this and hands you the file.
- Can it connect to my data live? No live connection. It builds the dashboard from the file you send. A recurring to-do can rebuild it each time you email a new export.
- Can I get it in Google Sheets or Looker Studio? Your agent delivers Excel and web pages. The Excel file opens in Google Sheets, though slicers may behave differently.
- How big can the CSV be? Uploads go up to 50 MB per file, which is hundreds of thousands of rows for most exports.
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