How To Create A Dashboard In SharePoint And Customization Options

SharePoint dashboards provide enterprise organizations with centralized views of key business data, project metrics, and operational KPIs without requiring users to leave their intranet environment. By combining native web parts, Power BI embedding, and custom development, you can build dashboards that serve everyone from executives tracking quarterly performance to project managers monitoring sprint velocity. This guide covers the complete process of creating and customizing dashboards in SharePoint Online.

Dashboard Planning and Design Principles

Effective dashboards start with clear objectives and user-centered design. Before building, define what questions the dashboard should answer and who the primary audience is.

• Define the audience — Executive dashboards focus on high-level KPIs and trends; operational dashboards show real-time metrics and actionable data
• Identify data sources — Determine whether data lives in SharePoint lists, Excel files, SQL databases, Power BI datasets, or external APIs
• Choose the right page type — Communication site pages are best for read-only dashboards; team site pages work for collaborative dashboards where users also contribute data
• Follow the 5-second rule — Users should understand the dashboard's key message within 5 seconds of viewing it
• Mobile responsiveness — Design with responsive sections so dashboards display properly on tablets and mobile devices

Creating a Dashboard with Native Web Parts

SharePoint Online's built-in web parts provide a no-code approach to building dashboards that can be assembled in minutes.

Step-by-Step Dashboard Creation

1. Navigate to your SharePoint site and click New > Page
2. Select a blank page or choose a template that matches your layout needs
3. Add sections with the desired column layout (one column for full-width charts, two or three columns for KPI cards)
4. Click the + icon to add web parts to each section
5. Arrange web parts in a logical visual hierarchy: summary KPIs at the top, detailed charts in the middle, lists and tables at the bottom
6. Click Publish when complete; set the page as the site home page if it serves as the primary dashboard

Essential Dashboard Web Parts

• Quick Chart web part — Create simple bar and pie charts from SharePoint list data without leaving the page editor
• List web part — Display filtered and formatted views of SharePoint list data (tasks, issues, inventory) with column formatting for visual indicators
• Highlighted Content web part — Dynamically surface documents based on search queries, content types, or metadata filters
• Power BI web part — Embed interactive Power BI reports and dashboards with full filter and drill-down capabilities
• Image web part with text overlay — Create KPI cards with large numbers and status indicators using image cards and call-to-action overlays
• Countdown Timer web part — Display countdowns to important dates like product launches, fiscal year end, or compliance deadlines
• Embed web part — Embed external dashboards from Tableau, Google Analytics, or custom web applications via iframe

Embedding Power BI Reports in SharePoint

For enterprise-grade data visualization, embedding Power BI reports in SharePoint provides the richest dashboard experience with interactive filtering, cross-highlighting, and drill-through navigation.

1. Publish your Power BI report to the Power BI service (app.powerbi.com)
2. In SharePoint page edit mode, add the Power BI web part
3. Paste the Power BI report URL or select from your recent reports
4. Configure the web part to show a specific report page and hide or show the filter pane and navigation
5. Users with Power BI Pro licenses can interact with the embedded report directly within SharePoint

For organizations with Power BI Premium, you can also use the Publish to web feature for internal dashboards or the Power BI Embedded service for custom applications that need to display data to users without Power BI licenses.

Advanced Customization with Column Formatting and JSON

SharePoint list views can be transformed into visually rich dashboard components using JSON column formatting and view formatting, creating KPI cards, status indicators, and progress trackers without any custom code deployment.

• Column formatting — Apply JSON formatting to individual list columns to display data bars, color-coded badges, icons, and conditional formatting
• View formatting — Transform entire list views into card layouts, board views (Kanban), or gallery views using JSON view templates
• Row formatting — Apply conditional formatting to entire rows based on column values (e.g., highlight overdue items in red)
• PnP templates — Use the PnP List Formatting repository for pre-built JSON templates covering common dashboard scenarios

Custom SPFx Dashboard Web Parts

When out-of-the-box web parts don't meet your dashboard requirements, the SharePoint Framework (SPFx) enables custom development of React-based web parts that connect to any data source.

• Chart.js or Recharts integration — Build custom chart web parts with advanced visualization types not available in native web parts
• Microsoft Graph data — Pull real-time data from Teams, Planner, Outlook, and other Microsoft 365 services into dashboard widgets
• External API connections — Connect to CRM, ERP, or monitoring systems through REST APIs to display live operational data
• Real-time updates — Use SignalR or Azure Functions with push notifications for dashboards that update without page refresh

Why Choose EPC Group for SharePoint Dashboard Solutions

EPC Group has over 29 years of experience building enterprise dashboard and reporting solutions across the Microsoft stack. As a former Microsoft Gold Partner (2003–2022, the oldest in North America) and current Microsoft Solutions Partner, our consultants combine deep SharePoint expertise with Power BI mastery to deliver dashboards that provide real business value. Our founder, Errin O'Connor, authored bestselling Microsoft Press books on both SharePoint and Power BI and leads a team of architects, developers, and data visualization specialists.

• SharePoint dashboard design using native web parts and Power BI embedding
• Custom SPFx web part development for advanced dashboard scenarios
• Power BI report design optimized for SharePoint embedding
• JSON column and view formatting for list-based dashboards
• Enterprise dashboard governance and role-based access control

Frequently Asked Questions