Online dashboards are becoming increasingly popular as they allow users to view data from different sources in real time. Constantly updated and easy to read dashboards can help you increase the efficiency of your business.
Today we will see how to create a dashboard using Klipfolio. A really interesting platform that combines a fully customised display of data with the ability to use data from different resources in a single chart.
Klipfolio: Structure and Operation
Klipfolio bases its operation on two main structures: Klip and Data Source.
The Klips are the single units that make up a dashboard, i.e. the individual graphs. They allow the display of data completely customised: you can use the widgets already set or create the klip from scratch with HTML code. Creating a Klip is like working with Excel; in fact, there are a series of functions that can be used to manipulate the available data.
Data Sources are the external resources that Klipfolio can connect to to extract and store data. The connectors present in Klipfolio are really countless, it is worth pointing out that you can connect with csv files, google drive files, SQL databases, RSS feeds and files sent via email. Once created the data source you can decide to update it automatically from every 15 minutes to every 24 hours, or you can decide never to update it.
Creating a step-by-step klip
Now let’s move on to the most interesting part of the article, the step-by-step guide to create the first klip of a hypothetical dashboard.
First of all, you need to create a new data source, which can extract, through API calls, the desired data. To do this, go to Library > Data Source > Create a New Data Source.
Then you will need to choose the connector. For this article we decided to connect to Facebook, the procedure, however, is more or less the same, regardless of the connector.
Once you have chosen the connector, you will need to authenticate your profile to allow Klipfolio to access the data resources. In our case we will be asked to authenticate your Facebook profile.
Once authenticated you will have to set the query. To help us in this process you can use the free Facebook Graph API Explorer tool, and all the documentation online.
Clicking on “Submit” will show the result of the call. If the result is the expected one we can switch to save the data source by clicking on the “Continue” button (bottom right). If the result does not coincide with the expected one we can modify the call as many times as we want until we get the desired data source.
At this point we can create the custom Klip. Pressing on “Build a Klip with this Data Source” > “Blank Klip” you will be directed to the Klip Editor, where you can customize the Klip.
At the top left there are all the widgets you can use: table, pie chart, bar chart, sparkline, images and much more. To use the widgets, simply drag them inside the klip itself. You can also insert several different widgets with the help of the “Layout Grid”. The “Layout Grid”, in fact, creates a grid, columns and rows of your choice, which you can fill with individual widgets.
Once you have chosen the most suitable widget for the visualisation, it will be possible to manipulate the data source data by using the many functions within Klipfolio.
We remind you that every single graphic is customisable for size, colours and style. Below is an example of customising the layout of a pie chart.
Finally, let’s take an example of Klip to show the development possibilities of this tool, really efficient!
