Report Generator fills PowerPoint shapes with dashboard data. It can only use what PowerPoint itself offers, so simple, clean slides give the most reliable results. Complex designer slides and hidden PowerPoint settings can cause unexpected results.
Below is a short summary of our recommended workflow.
Smart template rules
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Create a master slide with perfectly aligned elements and use it as a base for other slides. Use the ‘Grids and Guides’ option in PowerPoint.
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Keep all persistent elements: titles, legends, indicators, labels, filters, slide numbers, and section titles — in the same position on every slide.
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Headings look their best when they stay on one line.
Which PowerPoint shape for which dashboard element
|
On the dashboard |
In the template, use |
In the report you get |
|---|---|---|
|
Bar, column, line, area, pie, donut, funnel or radar chart |
A 2-D PowerPoint chart of the same kind |
An editable PowerPoint chart in your template's design |
|
Rank or Dot Plot chart |
A column or bar chart |
A regular column or bar chart |
|
Number (KPI) |
A text box (not a chart) |
The number with its prefix, suffix and significance marks |
|
Grid or table |
A PowerPoint table |
A PowerPoint table (see Tables) |
|
Control (filter) |
A text box |
The selected options, separated by commas |
|
Image |
A picture |
The image for the selected option (see Logos / Images) |
|
Word Cloud |
A picture, a table with 2 columns, or a text box |
An image of the cloud, a table of words and weights, or a list of words |
|
Raw data |
A text box |
Plain text, one row = one line |
|
Any chart or table |
A text box |
The content as text |
Not supported: Euler, Sankey and Tornado charts. Charts with mixed series types cannot be exported.
In PowerPoint, 3-D column and bar charts, treemap, waterfall and histogram charts are not supported. Use 2-D charts.
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Number charts in a text box are just text. For a graphic like the DataTile number chart with a diagram, use a pie chart with suitable settings.
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The only chart type that shows conversion in PowerPoint is the Funnel.
How to handle chart elements
The position, size, chart type and fonts come from the template. The data and the series colors come from the dashboard.
Series
All charts intended for export must have automatic axis settings enabled.
Although axis labels are exported from the dashboard, we strongly recommend planning their placement in the template based on real data to ensure that label length and size do not cause layout issues. A quick approach is to export the data from the dashboard or crosstab to Excel, copy the labels, and paste them into the data source file in PowerPoint.
Series colors are also defined on the dashboard. Avoid setting custom chart colors in templates; they will be replaced during export.
If the dashboard has more series or categories than the template chart, the extra ones copy the label format of the template's existing ones. Format at least one series fully in the template.
Title/subtitle
The chart title is exported, but the description is not.
To display a chart title with templated values, skip the built-in title and add a text box instead.
Text Blocks
In text blocks, you can insert control values and even the entire content of tables and charts in text form, using the same syntax: ${Element_ID}.
For example, the Word Cloud chart can be exported as text.
Best uses for text boxes include:
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Slide and chart titles,
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Subtitles with variables (e.g., KPIs),
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Significance legends,
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Any technical information that needs to be presented (base, indicators, explanations).
For exports to work, all related controls, charts, and tables must be created on the dashboard first.
Below is an example of how a chart title from the template appears after export.
Tables
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Draw the table with the same number of rows and columns as on the dashboard. Missing rows and columns are added by copying the template's rows and columns, so stripes and colors repeat. Extra ones are removed.
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The total table width stays as in the template. The height is not limited: a long table can run off the slide. Leave space below, or show fewer rows on the dashboard.
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Empty cells show
x.
Logos / Images
Images are exported from the dashboard and are presented according to the selected control options. To enable this, an image bundle is uploaded and bound with controls on the dashboard.
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In the template, insert any placeholder picture and place it where the logo should appear.
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Give it the same proportions (width : height) as your logos. The image always fills the frame exactly, so a frame with other proportions stretches the logo.
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Right-click the picture → View Alt Text → enter the image element's ID as
${image element ID}.
The report shows the image that matches the selected control option, just like the dashboard.
Split charts
When exporting splits, you can create and adjust several placeholders for them.
If placeholders are not created, the system will automatically duplicate the existing chart, creating a separate slide for each split. It may be acceptable, but in most cases, all splits should appear side by side.
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Create the first placeholder with legend and axis labels. Remember the tips for adjusting labels.
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Create a text box above it as the chart title. Leave space between the split title and the bars.
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Copy the first chart and delete everything that should not repeat for each split.
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Create the other placeholders and align them. Note that the title alignment differs for the first chart and for the others.
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Give every chart placeholder the same Alt Text:
${chart ID}of the source chart. -
Give every title text box the same Alt Text:
${control ID}of the split control.
Enable splitting in chart settings only if you intend to export a split chart.
Something looks wrong? See troubleshooting.