/build-dashboard - Build Interactive Dashboards

If you see unfamiliar placeholders or need to check which tools are connected, see

CONNECTORS.md

.

Build a self-contained interactive HTML dashboard with charts, filters, tables, and professional styling. Opens directly in a browser -- no server or dependencies required.

Usage

/build-dashboard [data source]

Workflow

1. Understand the Dashboard Requirements

Determine:

Purpose

Executive overview, operational monitoring, deep-dive analysis, team reporting

Audience

Who will use this dashboard?

Key metrics

What numbers matter most?

Dimensions

What should users be able to filter or slice by?

Data source

Live query, pasted data, CSV file, or sample data

2. Gather the Data

If data warehouse is connected:

Query the necessary data

Embed the results as JSON within the HTML file

If data is pasted or uploaded:

Parse and clean the data

Embed as JSON in the dashboard

If working from a description without data:

Create a realistic sample dataset matching the described schema

Note in the dashboard that it uses sample data

Provide instructions for swapping in real data

3. Design the Dashboard Layout

Follow a standard dashboard layout pattern:

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐

│ Dashboard Title [Filters ▼] │

├────────────┬────────────┬────────────┬───────────┤

│ KPI Card │ KPI Card │ KPI Card │ KPI Card │

├────────────┴────────────┼────────────┴───────────┤

│ │ │

│ Primary Chart │ Secondary Chart │

│ (largest area) │ │

│ │ │

├─────────────────────────┴────────────────────────┤

│ │

│ Detail Table (sortable, scrollable) │

│ │

└──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Adapt the layout to the content:

2-4 KPI cards at the top for headline numbers

1-3 charts in the middle section for trends and breakdowns

Optional detail table at the bottom for drill-down data

Filters in the header or sidebar depending on complexity

4. Build the HTML Dashboard

Generate a single self-contained HTML file using the base template below. The file includes:

Structure (HTML):

Semantic HTML5 layout

Responsive grid using CSS Grid or Flexbox

Filter controls (dropdowns, date pickers, toggles)

KPI cards with values and labels

Chart containers

Data table with sortable headers

Styling (CSS):

Professional color scheme (clean whites, grays, with accent colors for data)

Card-based layout with subtle shadows

Consistent typography (system fonts for fast loading)

Responsive design that works on different screen sizes

Print-friendly styles

Interactivity (JavaScript):

Chart.js for interactive charts (included via CDN)

Filter dropdowns that update all charts and tables simultaneously

Sortable table columns

Hover tooltips on charts

Number formatting (commas, currency, percentages)

Data (embedded JSON):

All data embedded directly in the HTML as JavaScript variables

No external data fetches required

Dashboard works completely offline

5. Implement Chart Types

Use Chart.js for all charts. Common dashboard chart patterns:

Line chart

Time series trends

Bar chart

Category comparisons

Doughnut chart

Composition (when <6 categories)

Stacked bar

Composition over time

Mixed (bar + line)

Volume with rate overlay Use the Chart.js integration patterns below for each chart type. 6. Add Interactivity Use the filter and interactivity implementation patterns below for dropdown filters, date range filters, combined filter logic, sortable tables, and chart updates. 7. Save and Open Save the dashboard as an HTML file with a descriptive name (e.g., sales_dashboard.html ) Open it in the user's default browser Confirm it renders correctly Provide instructions for updating data or customizing Base Template Every dashboard follows this structure: <! DOCTYPE html

< html lang = " en "

< head

< meta charset = " UTF-8 "

< meta name = " viewport " content = " width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0 "

< title

Dashboard Title </ title

< script src = " https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/chart.js@4.5.1 " integrity = " sha384-jb8JQMbMoBUzgWatfe6COACi2ljcDdZQ2OxczGA3bGNeWe+6DChMTBJemed7ZnvJ " crossorigin = " anonymous "

</ script

< script src = " https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/chartjs-adapter-date-fns@3.0.0 " integrity = " sha384-cVMg8E3QFwTvGCDuK+ET4PD341jF3W8nO1auiXfuZNQkzbUUiBGLsIQUE+b1mxws " crossorigin = " anonymous "

</ script

< style

/ Dashboard styles go here / </ style

</ head

< body

< div class = " dashboard-container "

< header class = " dashboard-header "

< h1

Dashboard Title </ h1

< div class = " filters "

</ div

</ header

< section class = " kpi-row "

</ section

< section class = " chart-row "

</ section

< section class = " table-section "

</ section

< footer class = " dashboard-footer "

< span

Data as of: < span id = " data-date "

</ span

</ span

</ footer

</ div

< script

// Embedded data const DATA = [ ] ; // Dashboard logic class Dashboard { constructor ( data ) { this . rawData = data ; this . filteredData = data ; this . charts = { } ; this . init ( ) ; } init ( ) { this . setupFilters ( ) ; this . renderKPIs ( ) ; this . renderCharts ( ) ; this . renderTable ( ) ; } applyFilters ( ) { // Filter logic this . filteredData = this . rawData . filter ( row => { // Apply each active filter return true ; // placeholder } ) ; this . renderKPIs ( ) ; this . updateCharts ( ) ; this . renderTable ( ) ; } // ... methods for each section } const dashboard = new Dashboard ( DATA ) ; </ script

</ body

</ html

KPI Card Pattern < div class = " kpi-card "

< div class = " kpi-label "

Total Revenue </ div

< div class = " kpi-value " id = " kpi-revenue "

$0 </ div

< div class = " kpi-change positive " id = " kpi-revenue-change "

+0% </ div

</ div

function renderKPI ( elementId , value , previousValue , format = 'number' ) { const el = document . getElementById ( elementId ) ; const changeEl = document . getElementById ( elementId + '-change' ) ; // Format the value el . textContent = formatValue ( value , format ) ; // Calculate and display change if ( previousValue && previousValue !== 0 ) { const pctChange = ( ( value - previousValue ) / previousValue ) * 100 ; const sign = pctChange = 0 ? '+' : '' ; changeEl . textContent = ${ sign } ${ pctChange . toFixed ( 1 ) } % vs prior period ; changeEl . className = kpi-change ${ pctChange = 0 ? 'positive' : 'negative' } ; } } function formatValue ( value , format ) { switch ( format ) { case 'currency' : if ( value = 1e6 ) return $ ${ ( value / 1e6 ) . toFixed ( 1 ) } M ; if ( value = 1e3 ) return $ ${ ( value / 1e3 ) . toFixed ( 1 ) } K ; return $ ${ value . toFixed ( 0 ) } ; case 'percent' : return ${ value . toFixed ( 1 ) } % ; case 'number' : if ( value = 1e6 ) return ${ ( value / 1e6 ) . toFixed ( 1 ) } M ; if ( value = 1e3 ) return ${ ( value / 1e3 ) . toFixed ( 1 ) } K ; return value . toLocaleString ( ) ; default : return value . toString ( ) ; } } Chart.js Integration Chart Container Pattern < div class = " chart-container "

< h3 class = " chart-title "

Monthly Revenue Trend </ h3

< canvas id = " revenue-chart "

</ canvas

</ div

Line Chart function createLineChart ( canvasId , labels , datasets ) { const ctx = document . getElementById ( canvasId ) . getContext ( '2d' ) ; return new Chart ( ctx , { type : 'line' , data : { labels : labels , datasets : datasets . map ( ( ds , i ) => ( { label : ds . label , data : ds . data , borderColor : COLORS [ i % COLORS . length ] , backgroundColor : COLORS [ i % COLORS . length ] + '20' , borderWidth : 2 , fill : ds . fill || false , tension : 0.3 , pointRadius : 3 , pointHoverRadius : 6 , } ) ) } , options : { responsive : true , maintainAspectRatio : false , interaction : { mode : 'index' , intersect : false , } , plugins : { legend : { position : 'top' , labels : { usePointStyle : true , padding : 20 } } , tooltip : { callbacks : { label : function ( context ) { return ${ context . dataset . label } : ${ formatValue ( context . parsed . y , 'currency' ) } ; } } } } , scales : { x : { grid : { display : false } } , y : { beginAtZero : true , ticks : { callback : function ( value ) { return formatValue ( value , 'currency' ) ; } } } } } } ) ; } Bar Chart function createBarChart ( canvasId , labels , data , options = { } ) { const ctx = document . getElementById ( canvasId ) . getContext ( '2d' ) ; const isHorizontal = options . horizontal || labels . length

8 ; return new Chart ( ctx , { type : 'bar' , data : { labels : labels , datasets : [ { label : options . label || 'Value' , data : data , backgroundColor : options . colors || COLORS . map ( c => c + 'CC' ) , borderColor : options . colors || COLORS , borderWidth : 1 , borderRadius : 4 , } ] } , options : { responsive : true , maintainAspectRatio : false , indexAxis : isHorizontal ? 'y' : 'x' , plugins : { legend : { display : false } , tooltip : { callbacks : { label : function ( context ) { return formatValue ( context . parsed [ isHorizontal ? 'x' : 'y' ] , options . format || 'number' ) ; } } } } , scales : { x : { beginAtZero : true , grid : { display : isHorizontal } , ticks : isHorizontal ? { callback : function ( value ) { return formatValue ( value , options . format || 'number' ) ; } } : { } } , y : { beginAtZero : ! isHorizontal , grid : { display : ! isHorizontal } , ticks : ! isHorizontal ? { callback : function ( value ) { return formatValue ( value , options . format || 'number' ) ; } } : { } } } } } ) ; } Doughnut Chart function createDoughnutChart ( canvasId , labels , data ) { const ctx = document . getElementById ( canvasId ) . getContext ( '2d' ) ; return new Chart ( ctx , { type : 'doughnut' , data : { labels : labels , datasets : [ { data : data , backgroundColor : COLORS . map ( c => c + 'CC' ) , borderColor : '#ffffff' , borderWidth : 2 , } ] } , options : { responsive : true , maintainAspectRatio : false , cutout : '60%' , plugins : { legend : { position : 'right' , labels : { usePointStyle : true , padding : 15 } } , tooltip : { callbacks : { label : function ( context ) { const total = context . dataset . data . reduce ( ( a , b ) => a + b , 0 ) ; const pct = ( ( context . parsed / total ) * 100 ) . toFixed ( 1 ) ; return ${ context . label } : ${ formatValue ( context . parsed , 'number' ) } ( ${ pct } %) ; } } } } } } ) ; } Updating Charts on Filter Change function updateChart ( chart , newLabels , newData ) { chart . data . labels = newLabels ; if ( Array . isArray ( newData [ 0 ] ) ) { // Multiple datasets newData . forEach ( ( data , i ) => { chart . data . datasets [ i ] . data = data ; } ) ; } else { chart . data . datasets [ 0 ] . data = newData ; } chart . update ( 'none' ) ; // 'none' disables animation for instant update } Filter and Interactivity Implementation Dropdown Filter < div class = " filter-group "

< label for = " filter-region "

Region </ label

< select id = " filter-region " onchange = " dashboard . applyFilters ( ) "

< option value = " all "

All Regions </ option

</ select

</ div

function populateFilter ( selectId , data , field ) { const select = document . getElementById ( selectId ) ; const values = [ ... new Set ( data . map ( d => d [ field ] ) ) ] . sort ( ) ; // Keep the "All" option, add unique values values . forEach ( val => { const option = document . createElement ( 'option' ) ; option . value = val ; option . textContent = val ; select . appendChild ( option ) ; } ) ; } function getFilterValue ( selectId ) { const val = document . getElementById ( selectId ) . value ; return val === 'all' ? null : val ; } Date Range Filter < div class = " filter-group "

< label

Date Range </ label

< input type = " date " id = " filter-date-start " onchange = " dashboard . applyFilters ( ) "

< span

to </ span

< input type = " date " id = " filter-date-end " onchange = " dashboard . applyFilters ( ) "

</ div

function filterByDateRange ( data , dateField , startDate , endDate ) { return data . filter ( row => { const rowDate = new Date ( row [ dateField ] ) ; if ( startDate && rowDate < new Date ( startDate ) ) return false ; if ( endDate && rowDate

new Date ( endDate ) ) return false ; return true ; } ) ; } Combined Filter Logic applyFilters ( ) { const region = getFilterValue ( 'filter-region' ) ; const category = getFilterValue ( 'filter-category' ) ; const startDate = document . getElementById ( 'filter-date-start' ) . value ; const endDate = document . getElementById ( 'filter-date-end' ) . value ; this . filteredData = this . rawData . filter ( row => { if ( region && row . region !== region ) return false ; if ( category && row . category !== category ) return false ; if ( startDate && row . date < startDate ) return false ; if ( endDate && row . date

endDate ) return false ; return true ; } ) ; this . renderKPIs ( ) ; this . updateCharts ( ) ; this . renderTable ( ) ; } Sortable Table function renderTable ( containerId , data , columns ) { const container = document . getElementById ( containerId ) ; let sortCol = null ; let sortDir = 'desc' ; function render ( sortedData ) { let html = '

' ; // Header html += '' ; columns . forEach ( col => { const arrow = sortCol === col . field ? ( sortDir === 'asc' ? ' ▲' : ' ▼' ) : '' ; html += `

; } ) ; html += '</tr></thead>' ; // Body html += '<tbody>' ; sortedData . forEach ( row => { html += '<tr>' ; columns . forEach ( col => { const value = col . format ? formatValue ( row [ col . field ] , col . format ) : row [ col . field ] ; html +=

` ; } ) ; html += '

' ; } ) ; html += '

${ col . label } ${ arrow }	${ value }

' ; container . innerHTML = html ; } window . sortTable = function ( field ) { if ( sortCol === field ) { sortDir = sortDir === 'asc' ? 'desc' : 'asc' ; } else { sortCol = field ; sortDir = 'desc' ; } const sorted = [ ... data ] . sort ( ( a , b ) => { const aVal = a [ field ] , bVal = b [ field ] ; const cmp = aVal < bVal ? - 1 : aVal

bVal ? 1 : 0 ; return sortDir === 'asc' ? cmp : - cmp ; } ) ; render ( sorted ) ; } ; render ( data ) ; } CSS Styling for Dashboards Color System :root { / Background layers / --bg-primary :

f8f9fa

; --bg-card :

ffffff

; --bg-header :

1a1a2e

; / Text / --text-primary :

212529

; --text-secondary :

6c757d

; --text-on-dark :

ffffff

; / Accent colors for data / --color-1 :

4C72B0

; --color-2 :

DD8452

; --color-3 :

55A868

; --color-4 :

C44E52

; --color-5 :

8172B3

; --color-6 :

937860

; / Status colors / --positive :

28a745

; --negative :

dc3545

; --neutral :

6c757d

; / Spacing / --gap : 16 px ; --radius : 8 px ; } Layout * { margin : 0 ; padding : 0 ; box-sizing : border-box ; } body { font-family : -apple-system , BlinkMacSystemFont , 'Segoe UI' , Roboto , sans-serif ; background : var ( --bg-primary ) ; color : var ( --text-primary ) ; line-height : 1.5 ; } .dashboard-container { max-width : 1400 px ; margin : 0 auto ; padding : var ( --gap ) ; } .dashboard-header { background : var ( --bg-header ) ; color : var ( --text-on-dark ) ; padding : 20 px 24 px ; border-radius : var ( --radius ) ; margin-bottom : var ( --gap ) ; display : flex ; justify-content : space-between ; align-items : center ; flex-wrap : wrap ; gap : 12 px ; } .dashboard-header h1 { font-size : 20 px ; font-weight : 600 ; } KPI Cards .kpi-row { display : grid ; grid-template-columns : repeat ( auto-fit , minmax ( 200 px , 1 fr ) ) ; gap : var ( --gap ) ; margin-bottom : var ( --gap ) ; } .kpi-card { background : var ( --bg-card ) ; border-radius : var ( --radius ) ; padding : 20 px 24 px ; box-shadow : 0 1 px 3 px rgba ( 0 , 0 , 0 , 0.08 ) ; } .kpi-label { font-size : 13 px ; color : var ( --text-secondary ) ; text-transform : uppercase ; letter-spacing : 0.5 px ; margin-bottom : 4 px ; } .kpi-value { font-size : 28 px ; font-weight : 700 ; color : var ( --text-primary ) ; margin-bottom : 4 px ; } .kpi-change { font-size : 13 px ; font-weight : 500 ; } .kpi-change .positive { color : var ( --positive ) ; } .kpi-change .negative { color : var ( --negative ) ; } Chart Containers .chart-row { display : grid ; grid-template-columns : repeat ( auto-fit , minmax ( 400 px , 1 fr ) ) ; gap : var ( --gap ) ; margin-bottom : var ( --gap ) ; } .chart-container { background : var ( --bg-card ) ; border-radius : var ( --radius ) ; padding : 20 px 24 px ; box-shadow : 0 1 px 3 px rgba ( 0 , 0 , 0 , 0.08 ) ; } .chart-container h3 { font-size : 14 px ; font-weight : 600 ; color : var ( --text-primary ) ; margin-bottom : 16 px ; } .chart-container canvas { max-height : 300 px ; } Filters .filters { display : flex ; gap : 12 px ; align-items : center ; flex-wrap : wrap ; } .filter-group { display : flex ; align-items : center ; gap : 6 px ; } .filter-group label { font-size : 12 px ; color : rgba ( 255 , 255 , 255 , 0.7 ) ; } .filter-group select , .filter-group input [ type = "date" ] { padding : 6 px 10 px ; border : 1 px solid rgba ( 255 , 255 , 255 , 0.2 ) ; border-radius : 4 px ; background : rgba ( 255 , 255 , 255 , 0.1 ) ; color : var ( --text-on-dark ) ; font-size : 13 px ; } .filter-group select option { background : var ( --bg-header ) ; color : var ( --text-on-dark ) ; } Data Table .table-section { background : var ( --bg-card ) ; border-radius : var ( --radius ) ; padding : 20 px 24 px ; box-shadow : 0 1 px 3 px rgba ( 0 , 0 , 0 , 0.08 ) ; overflow-x : auto ; } .data-table { width : 100 % ; border-collapse : collapse ; font-size : 13 px ; } .data-table thead th { text-align : left ; padding : 10 px 12 px ; border-bottom : 2 px solid

dee2e6

; color : var ( --text-secondary ) ; font-weight : 600 ; font-size : 12 px ; text-transform : uppercase ; letter-spacing : 0.5 px ; white-space : nowrap ; user-select : none ; } .data-table thead th :hover { color : var ( --text-primary ) ; background :

f8f9fa

; } .data-table tbody td { padding : 10 px 12 px ; border-bottom : 1 px solid

f0f0f0

; } .data-table tbody tr :hover { background :

f8f9fa

; } .data-table tbody tr :last-child td { border-bottom : none ; } Responsive Design @media ( max-width : 768 px ) { .dashboard-header { flex-direction : column ; align-items : flex-start ; } .kpi-row { grid-template-columns : repeat ( 2 , 1 fr ) ; } .chart-row { grid-template-columns : 1 fr ; } .filters { flex-direction : column ; align-items : flex-start ; } } @media print { body { background : white ; } .dashboard-container { max-width : none ; } .filters { display : none ; } .chart-container { break-inside : avoid ; } .kpi-card { border : 1 px solid

dee2e6

; box-shadow : none ; } } Performance Considerations for Large Datasets Data Size Guidelines Data Size Approach <1,000 rows Embed directly in HTML. Full interactivity. 1,000 - 10,000 rows Embed in HTML. May need to pre-aggregate for charts. 10,000 - 100,000 rows Pre-aggregate server-side. Embed only aggregated data.

100,000 rows Not suitable for client-side dashboard. Use a BI tool or paginate. Pre-Aggregation Pattern Instead of embedding raw data and aggregating in the browser: // DON'T: embed 50,000 raw rows const RAW_DATA = [ / 50,000 rows / ] ; // DO: pre-aggregate before embedding const CHART_DATA = { monthly_revenue : [ { month : '2024-01' , revenue : 150000 , orders : 1200 } , { month : '2024-02' , revenue : 165000 , orders : 1350 } , // ... 12 rows instead of 50,000 ] , top_products : [ { product : 'Widget A' , revenue : 45000 } , // ... 10 rows ] , kpis : { total_revenue : 1980000 , total_orders : 15600 , avg_order_value : 127 , } } ; Chart Performance Limit line charts to <500 data points per series (downsample if needed) Limit bar charts to <50 categories For scatter plots, cap at 1,000 points (use sampling for larger datasets) Disable animations for dashboards with many charts: animation: false in Chart.js options Use Chart.update('none') instead of Chart.update() for filter-triggered updates DOM Performance Limit data tables to 100-200 visible rows. Add pagination for more. Use requestAnimationFrame for coordinated chart updates Avoid rebuilding the entire DOM on filter change -- update only changed elements // Efficient table pagination function renderTablePage ( data , page , pageSize = 50 ) { const start = page * pageSize ; const end = Math . min ( start + pageSize , data . length ) ; const pageData = data . slice ( start , end ) ; // Render only pageData // Show pagination controls: "Showing 1-50 of 2,340" } Examples /build-dashboard Monthly sales dashboard with revenue trend, top products, and regional breakdown. Data is in the orders table. /build-dashboard Here's our support ticket data [pastes CSV]. Build a dashboard showing volume by priority, response time trends, and resolution rates. /build-dashboard Create a template executive dashboard for a SaaS company showing MRR, churn, new customers, and NPS. Use sample data. Tips Dashboards are fully self-contained HTML files -- share them with anyone by sending the file For real-time dashboards, consider connecting to a BI tool instead. These dashboards are point-in-time snapshots Request "dark mode" or "presentation mode" for different styling You can request a specific color scheme to match your brand