How to Create Cycle Plots in Excel
To Chart Seasonal Sales Data

This chart displays eleven years of seasonal data in new way. It's called a Cycle Plot.

Here, the chart shows the trend for all sales in each of the twelve months. The green horizontal line shows the average sales for each month.

We show you how to create Cycle Plots of your own data.

New! Plug-N-Play
Excel Dashboard Reports

You can create your own Excel reports like these...today!

Our Plug-N-Play Excel Dashboard Kit #1 offers the quickest, easiest, and least-expensive way we know for average Excel users to generate magazine-quality Excel dashboard reports.

Versions are available for both Classic Excel (97 - 2003) and New Excel (2007).

The First Dashboard
Used in Spreadsheets

This figure shows two graphs from the first spreadsheet dashboard report, created using Lotus 1-2-3 in 1984. Each line of the charts consists of text in cells. We offer more examples of this report and offer a brief description of how it was created.

Review Our Growing Collection
Of Excel Dashboard Reports

Many people -- accustomed to standard Excel reports -- doubt that Excel can generate great looking reports. These sample Excel dashboards might change your mind.
 

Pablum Dashboards

Is your company spending many thousands of dollars for business dashboards that serve up your performance measures like pablum?

There's an excellent chance that you are. We provide several examples for your consideration.

Learn to Show Business Data
That Readers Can Understand

Only a few books explain general reporting techniques that can help readers understand business data more easily. We examine several recent books that offer excellent advice about ways to present your business data more clearly.

Dashboard Reporting With Excel

Compare Metrics by Category
Using Excel Dot Plot Charts

Management reports often must compare measures of performance by some type of category. Excel dot plots provide an excellent way to display this information clearly. We explain how you can bring dot plots to your own reports.

Charts & Cash Flow

You can use Excel to create great-looking magazine-quality reports. But can dashboards improve your bottom line?

Small Charts

We use real data in Excel to explain the benefits of using small charts for reporting.

Down With Gauges!

Using dashboard gauges for reporting typically is a mistake. We explain why, and show how Excel charts provide a more effective solution.

Dash Gallery

Most Excel don't know the power Excel offers for making dashboards. Here's a gallery of dashboard examples.

Free Dashboard

We'll email you a dashboard report like this for just about any company on a US exchange.

Getting Started

Are you ready to give dashboard reports to your managers? Here's how to begin.

Why Dashboards?

Excel is an excellent tool for dashboard reporting. But why should your company use dashboards in the first place?

Sample Reports

Check here to see a growing list of charts, tables, and dashboard reports.