Dashboards vs. Reports

Knowing What Stakeholders Really Need

Stakeholders don’t want raw data. They want answers — answers that help them make decisions quickly and with confidence. But one of the most common challenges for data teams is deciding how to deliver those answers:

• Should you build an interactive dashboard?
• Or deliver a static report?

The truth is, neither is “better” in all cases. Each serves a different purpose. Understanding when to use dashboards and when to use reports is critical for saving time, building trust, and delivering real business value.

In this blog, we’ll break down the differences, use cases, and best practices for both — and end with a practical decision framework you can apply in your own work.

What Are Dashboards?

Think of dashboards as control panels. Just like the dashboard of a car gives you a real-time view of speed, fuel, and temperature, data dashboards give business users an interactive window into their metrics.

Key Features

• Interactivity: Users can filter by time periods, drill down into regions, or slice data by customer segments.
• Real-time or near real-time updates: Dashboards are often connected directly to…