When is it most effective to use connected data sources in a dashboard?

Using connected data sources in a dashboard is most effective when you need to merge insights across multiple datasets. This approach allows for a more comprehensive view of the data, enabling users to identify relationships, trends, and patterns that may not be visible when analyzing datasets in isolation. By integrating multiple sources, you can create a cohesive narrative around the data, leading to deeper insights and more informed decision-making.

For instance, a business might want to analyze sales performance alongside customer feedback and marketing campaign data to understand not just the sales numbers, but also the factors driving those numbers. With connected data sources, you can combine these different dimensions and create visualizations that highlight correlations and insights, facilitating a more holistic analysis.

On the other hand, creating separate dashboards for each dataset does not take advantage of the potential insights that cross-analysis can provide. Limited datasets would not necessitate the merging of insights, and displaying only text data does not leverage the full potential of analytics that connected data sources can offer. Thus, the focus on merging insights across datasets effectively underscores the utility of connected data sources in enhancing analytical capabilities.