Hey everyone! I’m trying to recreate a dashboard I made in Excel but in Google Sheets this time. The big problem I’m having is figuring out how to make something like Excel’s slicers work in Sheets.
I’ve tried using filters, but they’re not as user-friendly as Excel’s. I also gave some slicer add-ons a shot, but they’re pretty buggy. Right now, I’m using data validation as a workaround, but it’s making my dashboard super slow.
Does anyone know a good way to make slicer-like functionality in Google Sheets? Maybe using a combo of different functions? Or if you know any good guides on this topic, I’d love to check them out!
I’m really stuck here, so any help would be awesome. Thanks!
have u tried pivot tables? they’re not exactly like slicers but can do similar stuff. i use them for filtering data in sheets. there’s also some scripts u can find online to make custom dropdowns. might be worth a shot if ur dashboard’s getting slow. good luck!
I’ve been in your shoes, struggling with the Excel to Sheets transition. One workaround I’ve found pretty effective is using a combination of FILTER and INDIRECT functions. It’s not as sleek as Excel’s slicers, but it gets the job done without killing performance.
Here’s the gist: Set up a named range for your filter criteria, then use FILTER to pull the relevant data based on that range. INDIRECT helps make it dynamic. It takes some setup, but once it’s running, it’s smooth.
Another trick is leveraging Google’s Apps Script to create custom sidebars or menus. It’s a bit of a learning curve if you’re not familiar with JavaScript, but it opens up a world of possibilities for customization.
Just remember, Sheets has its own strengths. Sometimes rethinking the dashboard layout to play to those strengths works better than trying to force Excel’s approach into Sheets.
I’ve faced similar challenges transitioning from Excel to Sheets. While native slicer functionality isn’t available, I’ve found success using a combination of QUERY functions and data validation. This approach allows for dynamic filtering without significantly impacting performance. Additionally, exploring Apps Script to create custom UI elements can enhance interactivity. For complex dashboards, consider breaking data into separate sheets and using IMPORTRANGE to reference them, which can improve overall responsiveness. If you’re open to third-party solutions, there are some reputable add-ons specifically designed for advanced dashboard creation in Sheets that might be worth investigating.