Welcome to the first installment of Domo Decoded, OneMagnify's essential guide for mastering Domo basics! If you're taking your first step with Domo, this blog is designed to help you unlock the full potential of business intelligence.
With Domo, you can access faster insights, foster better collaboration within your team, and empower data-driven decisions in real time. Today, we’ll walk you through the essentials:
- Connecting your data
- Creating your first card
- Building a dashboard
- Our best tip for dashboard design
Read on to start building a strong foundation for your Domo journey.
Connecting your first data source
The first step to harnessing Domo’s power is connecting your data. Domo offers several methods for importing data, including connectors, spreadsheets, API calls, and more.
Let's walk through one example - the Google Sheets connector:
- After logging into your Domo account, click Data in the top navigation bar.
- Select Connect Data and Connectors to see a list of available connectors.
- Choose the appropriate connector (e.g., Google Sheets) and follow the prompts to log into your account and authorize Domo.
- Input your spreadsheet URL (or relevant data source link).
- Fill out the requested information for the sheet name and cell range, if applicable.
- Set your data refresh schedule—update intervals can be as frequent as every 15 minutes or set to manual updates.
- Save and run your connection. Domo will pull in your data and display its structure, providing immediate access to columns, rows, metadata, and more.
Pro tip: Use the AI Readiness Tab to unlock Domo's AI-powered insights once your dataset is fully imported.
Check out the quick video walkthrough here!
Creating your first card in Domo
Now that your data is connected, it’s time to create visualizations—known as "cards"—in Domo. Cards can be charts, graphs, or tables used to present insights at a glance.
Follow these steps to create your first card:
- From you're newly connected dataset, click the Cards tab from the navigation menu and select Add Card.
- Use the Analyzer View to customize your card:
- Select your preferred chart type (e.g., bar, line, or area charts) in the "Chart types" section on the right sidebar.
- Adjust the X and Y axes (e.g., “Date” on X and “Sales” on Y) by dragging columns from the dataset on the left sidebar to the appropriate axis at the top of the card.
- Adjust "Chart Properties" to the left of the card, such as value scale, hover text, number formats, colors, and more. Take some time to explore the options here to customize every aspect of the data visualization.
- Save your card by selecting Save as, then name your card.
Your first card is complete! It’s now ready to be added to a dashboard for informative storytelling.
Watch the video tutorial below to learn more about creating cards.
Building a dashboard
Creating a dashboard allows you to bring together multiple cards into one comprehensive view. It’s the perfect way to display KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), trends, and other metrics in a visually compelling format.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to dashboard creation:
- After saving your card, choose to add it to a new dashboard by selecting Dashboards from the top navigation menu.
- Scroll down the left sidebar to Manage Dashboards and then select Add a Dashboard from the menu.
- Name your dashboard (e.g., "Sample Sales Dashboard") and save. Then, navigate to your new dashboard in the left sidebar.
- Customize your dashboard by selecting the wrench icon in the upper right corner and selecting Edit Dashboard:
- Drag and drop cards into the layout.
- Add headers, text areas, images, or app integrations for additional context.
- Refine the layout with spacers, dividers, or background colors for a polished look.
- Make sure to save your work!
- Once you save, adjust filters in the top bar to allow team members to view specific segments of the data (e.g., by date range or region).
- Review your completed dashboard, ensuring it contains key data points that matter most to your goals.
Domo dashboard pro tip:
Keep your dashboard simple. While it's tempting to add every possible metric, less is often more. Focus on KPIs that directly align with your objectives, such as revenue, user engagement, or supply chain efficiency.
Your dashboard is now live and ready to deliver actionable insights to your team.
Why simplicity matters in dashboard design
When building dashboards, simplicity is more than a design principle—it’s a necessity. Here’s why:
- Easier communication: Simple dashboards make it easier for stakeholders to grasp key metrics, fostering data-driven decision-making.
- Faster load times: Lightweight dashboards improve system performance, which is particularly important for large datasets.
- Focus on what matters: By prioritizing critical data points (like KPIs), you ensure that your team isn’t distracted by noise.
Aim to design dashboards that are intuitive and actionable. Always ask yourself, “Does this chart directly support a business goal?”
By sticking to simplicity, your dashboards will drive real insights and elevate your organization’s analytics capability.
Next steps
Congratulations! You've completed your crash course in Domo basics—it’s time to put your new skills to work.
With data connected, cards created, and dashboards designed, you’re already well on your way toward streamlined decision-making and enhanced collaboration within your organization.
For more advanced tips, stay tuned for the next episode of OneMagnify’s Domo Decoded series. We'll be covering how to automate data transformations and enable team-wide collaboration with real-time insights.