Monthly MIS Dashboard Creator - Excel Power Query Solution
Problem
This prompt teaches CAs to build a monthly MIS dashboard using Excel Power Query (no VBA needed) that imports Tally exports, transforms data, calculates KPIs, and creates visual dashboards. One-click refresh updates entire dashboard when new month's data is added. Saves 4-6 hours monthly per client, standardizes MIS delivery across practice.
Prompt Input
⚠️ BUILDING METHODOLOGY: No actual client data needed for learning. --- Guide me to create an automated MIS dashboard for this scenario: **CLIENT SCENARIO:** - Accounting Software: Tally Prime - Export Format: Excel (Trial Balance, P&L Statement monthly) - Frequency: Monthly MIS within 5 days of month-end - Dashboard needed: Revenue trend, Expense breakdown, Key ratios, Cash position **DATA AVAILABLE:** Tally exports 2 files monthly: 1. Trial_Balance_[Month].xlsx with columns: Ledger Name, Opening, Debit, Credit, Closing 2. PL_Statement_[Month].xlsx with Revenue and Expense details **KPIs TO SHOW:** - Revenue: Current month, YoY growth % - Gross Profit Margin % - Operating Expense Ratio - EBITDA - Cash & Bank Balance - Debtor Days - Creditor Days **VISUALS NEEDED:** - Line chart: Revenue trend (last 12 months) - Bar chart: Expense category breakdown - KPI cards: Key metrics with current value - Table: Month-wise summary **MY SETUP:** - Excel Version: [Microsoft 365 / 2021] - Skill: Comfortable with Excel, never used Power Query - Want: Fully automated refresh when I add new month's file **WHAT I NEED:** - How to connect Power Query to data files - Data transformation steps (M language or UI clicks) - How to create dashboard from Power Query - One-click refresh setup
Prompt Output
Complete Power Query MIS solution: (1) Folder structure setup: Create "MIS_Data" folder, subfolder for each month, place Tally exports here. (2) Power Query connection guide: Excel → Data tab → Get Data → From Folder → Select MIS_Data folder → Combine files. (3) Data transformation recipe (click-by-click in Power Query UI): Remove blank rows, Filter out totals/headers, Categorize ledgers (add Category column), Calculate derived metrics (Gross Profit = Revenue - COGS), Append historical months for trend analysis. (4) Load to Excel: Load Trial Balance query to Data Model, Create pivot tables for analysis. (5) Dashboard design: Insert pivot charts, Format as professional dashboard, Add slicers for month selection. (6) Refresh process: Add new month's file to folder → Data tab → Refresh All → Dashboard updates automatically. (7) Power Query M code (for reference, but can be done via UI clicks). (8) Sample dashboard layout image/description showing final output. (9) Video tutorial script (15 min walkthrough). Implementation time: 1-2 hours first time, then 5 minutes monthly refresh.