Data Guide

A data guide, also known as an information source or data dictionary, is a crucial component for ensuring a clear and unambiguous experience when using a dashboard. To provide users with an app-like experience and enhance their understanding of the information, a readily accessible data guide is indispensable. This guide offers comprehensive information about the fields displayed on the dashboard, including their meanings, underlying logic, and even a general description of the dashboard itself.

As a standard practice, we incorporate an overarching data guide into all our dashboards. This allows users to simply hover over the guide/info and obtain all the relevant information they need for a better understanding.

Benefits of data guides:

• Enhanced User Experience: Seamless and user-friendly experience when interacting with a dashboard. It acts as a guiding light, eliminating confusion and promoting a clear, intuitive interface.
• Clarity and Understanding: By providing concise and easily accessible information, users can decipher the meanings, significance, and context of the fields displayed on the dashboard.
• Dashboard Context: Beyond field descriptions, a well-crafted data guide often includes a general description of the dashboard itself. This contextual information helps users comprehend the dashboard’s overarching purpose and how it fits into their analytical or decision-making processes.
• Effortless Access: The user-friendliness of our approach is exemplified by giving users the ability to access information effortlessly. By hovering over the guide or designated info icons, users can promptly retrieve relevant details, reducing the learning curve and streamlining their data exploration journey.
• Chart-Specific Insights: Recognizing the diversity of data needs, our data guides extend to specific charts within the dashboard. This feature is particularly beneficial when dealing with custom fields that are exclusive to a particular chart.
• Data Governance: Data guides also serve as a crucial component of data governance. They maintain uniformity in terminology and meanings, ensuring that users interpret and utilize data consistently across different parts of the organization.
• Onboarding and Training: They serve as a comprehensive resource for those who are not yet familiar with the dashboard, reducing the time and effort required for them to become proficient.

In summary, a well-crafted data guide is an indispensable tool in the world of data visualization and dashboard design. It ensures transparency, user empowerment, and consistency, making data exploration a user-friendly, informative, and efficient process.

About Decision Foundry

Decision Foundry is a Salesforce, independent software vendor, managed services provider, and a certified award-winning Salesforce Marketing Cloud integration partner. Decision Foundry closes the gap between data accessibility, platform adoption and business impact. Our consulting services include the integration of Data Cloud, Account, Engagement, Personalization, Tableau, and Intelligence.