Reporting and dashboards
Automate reporting and recurring analyses
The monthly report usually follows the same routine: export data from two or three systems, merge it in Excel, update the KPIs, rebuild the charts, paste everything into a template and send it out. Anyone who does this regularly knows how much time goes into steps that have nothing to do with the actual analysis.
I automate that routine: the data is merged and validated, the KPIs are calculated according to documented rules, and the result is delivered in the form that's actually needed – an updated Excel file, a PDF report or a dashboard.
Not every report needs a dashboard. The output format follows the need, not the other way around.
Typical starting points
- The monthly or weekly report is assembled by hand from several exports.
- KPIs live in different Excel files and nobody is sure which version is current.
- Charts and tables for management are rebuilt every time, even though only the numbers change.
- An analysis is so laborious that it's done less often than it should be.
- Two departments calculate the same KPI differently and the numbers don't match.
Who this is for
Business teams and companies that produce reports and analyses on a regular basis: controlling, sales, management, project management, administration. This service is for people who produce or read reports, not for data teams with their own infrastructure.
What can be automated
Merging data
Automatically combine exports from several systems, Excel files and APIs into one consistent data basis.
Validating data
Automatically check completeness, plausibility and cutoff dates so errors are caught before they land in the report.
Calculating KPIs traceably
Every KPI gets a documented definition that applies to everyone. The calculation is reproducible and can be traced back to the source.
Generating recurring reports
Automatically fill and distribute Excel files, PDF reports or presentation slides based on your existing templates.
Dashboards
When numbers are needed continuously and different people need different views, an interactive dashboard with automatic updates is the right form.
Visualization
Charts that make the decisive point visible, instead of cramming as many numbers as possible onto one page.
Report or dashboard? How I decide
An auto-generated report is the right choice when the analysis is needed at fixed intervals, the recipients read it rather than work in it, and there's already a template everyone is used to. A report like that can be emailed, filed and archived.
A dashboard pays off when numbers are needed continuously, different people want different views, or follow-up questions should be answered right in the data. It needs a live data connection and someone to maintain it.
Often the best solution is a combination: one automated data basis that feeds both the monthly report and a live overview. Which tools get used – Excel, Power BI, a web view or something else – depends on what you already have in house.
If a report on your side is stitched together from several files every time, it's worth looking at the workflow together. Whether the result is a dashboard or an auto-generated report settles itself along the way.
Talk reporting automationWhen does it make sense?
Makes sense when …
- the same analysis is produced regularly and the rules behind it are known.
- the data exists, but assembling and preparing it takes most of the time.
- several people work with the same numbers and there's no single source of truth.
- reports arrive too late to still influence decisions.
Less suitable when …
- the analysis is a one-off or the question changes every time.
- the underlying data isn't right yet – then data collection needs to be sorted out first.
- an existing BI system already meets the requirement and only adoption is missing.
How I work
- 01
Understand the report and its sources
We walk through today's report: What numbers does it contain, where do they come from, who reads it, which steps take the longest? This usually also reveals which KPIs are vaguely defined.
- 02
Build the data basis
Merging and validating the data is automated and every KPI gets a fixed definition. This is the part that replaces most of the manual work.
- 03
Build the output
Report, dashboard or both, built in the environment you already use wherever that makes sense. Existing templates are kept.
- 04
Updates and handover
Scheduled updates are set up. You receive documentation, KPI definitions and a walkthrough.
What you get
- An automated data basis that merges and validates your exports
- Documented KPI definitions that apply to every report
- Auto-generated reports, a dashboard or both, in the agreed format
- Scheduled updates, documentation and a walkthrough
Limits
- Automation makes reports faster and more consistent, not smarter. Which KPIs matter is your call.
- If source data is incomplete or contradictory, the reporting will show the problem. Only the source can fix it.
- A dashboard with a live data connection needs operation and maintenance. For infrequent reports that's often more effort than it saves.
Frequently asked
- Which reports can be automated?
- Any report produced regularly by the same rules: monthly and weekly reports, KPI overviews, sales and project analyses, management reports, reconciliations between systems. The prerequisite is that the data is accessible and the calculations can be described.
- Can data from several Excel files be merged?
- Yes, and it's one of the most common cases. The files don't have to be structured identically; different column names or layouts are standardized as part of the merge.
- Do I need a dashboard for automated reporting?
- No. If a report is read at fixed intervals, an auto-generated Excel or PDF file is often all you need. A dashboard pays off when numbers are needed continuously or different people want different views.
- How often can reports be updated?
- As often as the source data allows: daily, weekly, monthly or on demand at the push of a button. With a live data connection, a dashboard can refresh several times a day.
- Can our existing report templates be reused?
- Yes, in most cases. A proven Excel or PowerPoint template is filled automatically instead of being rebuilt. That makes adoption easier because recipients keep the format they know.
Next step
Which report costs you the most time every cycle?
Describe where the numbers come from and who reads the report. You'll get an assessment of which steps can be automated and whether a dashboard is even needed.