How do you make dashboards in SQL?
With a dashboard tool like Geckoboard, you can use SQL to select and visualize metrics and KPIs from databases like MySQL, Amazon Redshift, and Maria DB, and display them in one place, on a live dashboard. A single dashboard can display metrics from multiple databases, and even display metrics from other data sources like Google Analytics, Salesforce and Shopify.
SQL dashboards are used by many different teams, across many different industries, to display key metrics so that the entire team stays on the same page. These include, sales, marketing and customer support teams.
The only barrier to being able to create an SQL dashboard is that in order to query data held in a database, you must be able to write Structured Query Language (SQL). This is in contrast with the majority of Geckoboard’s 90+ integrations, where no coding is required.
However, for those who can write SQL (or have access to SQL queries from other places), creating a live dashboard with Geckoboard is a simple, straightforward process.
Examples of live dashboards
MySQL dashboard
This dashboard has been created with data from a MySQL database. However, it also includes data from Mixpanel and Google Sheets. It’s been designed by a member of the company leadership team to keep the organization informed about the company’s growth and financial performance.
Primarily the dashboard focuses on Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR), including how much MRR has changed recently, and which account changes have driven it.
The dashboard also includes some non-financial health metrics associated with the growth and performance of the company, including the number of new signups (including how many are still active on Day 2) and what proportion of the user base is active each day and each month.
Focus area
Company performance
Who looks at it?
Whole organization
How often?
Every day
- SQL DatabaseGoogle SheetsMixpanel
PostgreSQL dashboard
This dashboard has been built with financial data from PostgreSQL, however, it could easily be built in the same way with data from other databases such as Amazon Redshift, Snowflake and MariaDB.
The dashboard is designed to provide this SaaS company with a long term view of their financial performance.
Primarily, the dashboard tracks the net MRR change each month, ultimately showing if the value of the subscription base is growing or shrinking.
However, the dashboard also breaks down this figure into its constituent parts – MRR gained from new subscribers, upgrades and reactivations, as well as MRR lost from cancellations (churn) and downgrades.
Focus area
MRR
Who looks at it?
CEO, CFO, CMO, whole company
How often?
Several times a month
- SQL Database
Microsoft SQL Server dashboard
This dashboard is built with live data from Microsoft SQL Server. It also incorporates data directly from Salesforce, and Microsoft Excel.
The dashboard is designed to provide a view of the entire organizational performance, including key metrics from the Marketing team, Sales team, Installation team and Customer Support team.
This helps not only the CEO understand how her organization is performing overall, but also helps individual team members understand how their performance contributes toward the bigger picture.
Company dashboards like these can be a source of day-to-day motivation and common purpose, as the company aims to achieve their goals.
Focus area
Company & team KPIs
Who looks at it?
CEO, whole company
How often
Every day
- SQL DatabaseSalesforceExcelSpreadsheets
