Tables & KPI Cards
Not everything is a chart — a card shows one big number, and a table shows the exact rows.
What you will learn
- Add a card for a single key number
- Build a table visual with several columns
- Know when numbers beat charts
When a number is better than a chart
Charts are great for patterns, but sometimes people just want the number. “What were total sales?” deserves one big, bold figure — not a chart. That is what a card is for.
The Card visual
A card shows a single value, large and clear. To make one:
- Click the Card icon in the Visualizations pane.
- Drag a measure — say Total Sales — into its Fields well.
┌────────────────────┐
│ Total Sales │
│ │
│ 11,750 │
└────────────────────┘Note: Output: The card displays 11,750 in big text with the label “Total Sales” underneath. Cards like this are the headline figures at the top of almost every dashboard — total sales, order count, average value — so the most important numbers are seen first.
Cards showing important business numbers are often called KPIs — Key Performance Indicators. They are simply the few numbers that matter most.
The Table visual
When someone needs the exact detail, use a table visual. It looks like a spreadsheet inside your report. Click the Table icon and drag several fields into the Columns well, for example:
| Product | Region | Total Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Keyboard | North | 1200 |
| Monitor | North | 8900 |
| Mouse | South | 450 |
| Keyboard | East | 1200 |
A table automatically groups repeated categories and totals the measure for each row — and usually adds a grand total at the bottom.
Tip: Put a few cards at the top of your dashboard for the headline KPIs, and a table at the bottom for people who want to dig into the exact figures. Charts go in the middle.
Watch out: Do not crowd a card with several fields — a card is meant for one number. If you need many numbers side by side, use a table instead.
Q. What is a Card visual best used for?
✍️ Practice
- Add a card showing Total Sales and another showing Order Count.
- Build a table with Product, Region and Total Sales and find the grand total row.
🏠 Homework
- Create three KPI cards for a dataset (e.g. Total Sales, Average Sale, Order Count) and arrange them in a row at the top of the page.