How to import excel in Dashboard at runtime/preview

How to import excel in Dashboard at runtime: There is no standard functionality available for importing excel in the dashboard at preview time. So I have done some workaround for the same. Hope you like it.

Please follow the steps to achieve this thing.

Step : 1 – Create your excel file

 

Step : 2 – Now convert your excel file into XML, as we have to use XML connection in Dashboard.

–     You can achieve this by 2 methods.

a) From any online editor which can covert your excel into XML

b) You can create macro and convert your excel into XML

Step : 3 – Open Dashboard / Xcelsius, add XML data connection – enable load, give the name as sheet name (in our example – abc)  and define range in embedded excel of Xcelsius. The range is dependent on the no of records of imported excel.

Step: 4 – Add one textbox to give the path of the XML file

Step: 5 – Add one push button in dashboard – Upload

Step: 6 – Refresh the XML connection on trigger cell of destination of push button

Step: 7 – Run the dashboard and import the url of your xml file and click on upload button. You can see the Excel’s data in the dashboard.

Step:8 – Now, whenever you want any changes in the Excel, do the changes in XML itself,if format will remain same or do the changes in Excel, convert it in XML and upload the same like mentioned in Step:7. For example I have changed abc’s values to 30 in XML and you can see the updated changes in the dashboard instantly.

So by this approach, you can do the changes in the data source (Excel) and see the changes instantly. Here for example purpose only, I have used spreadsheet. But for better analysis, you can create a dashboard on static excel and same excel can change the in future so one can directly upload the same file in dashboard and see the changes.

I hope you like this blog. Please share your comments.

Regards,

Niket Talati