{"id":1343,"slug":"dashboard-vs-static-report-definition","title":"Dashboard vs static report: dashboard is live + queryable + interactive; report is a point-in-time snapshot for documentation / compliance / shared \"version of truth\"","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","smb-owner","candid-team"],"topics":["dashboards"],"reference_body":"**Claim:** A **dashboard** shows live data that changes and supports interaction (filter, drill, refresh against a live source); a **report** is a frozen, time-stamped snapshot with methodology / context that can be referenced months later. They are **complementary, not competing**.\n\n**Test:** Do you need to interact with / drill into the data → dashboard. Do you need a frozen snapshot to reference later or for compliance → report.\n\n**Source:** Domo, ThoughtSpot framings (industry-consensus across BI vendors).\n\n**Confidence:** Industry-consensus.\n\n**Caveat:** All sources are BI vendors.\n\n**Why this matters for Candid:** Clarifies the right deliverable for each audience. For most customer-facing SMB use a *report* is honestly the right answer — see [[agencyanalytics-static-reports-still-dominant]] and [[rule-for-customer-facing-default-to-pdf-or-link-first]].","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-dashboards-smb-june-2026","title":"Research brief: dashboards for SMBs — what's worth showing, and when an embedded one earns its keep (June 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"internal-vs-customer-facing-dashboards","title":"Internal operational vs customer-facing dashboards — different metrics, different success criteria, different audiences","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"dashboard-sits-on-capture-layer-data-quality-determines-trust","title":"Dashboards sit on top of a capture layer (DB / warehouse / SaaS APIs / spreadsheets); data quality below the surface determines trust — abandonment frequently stems from numbers that don't reconcile, not from the visualization","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"refresh-cadence-real-time-vs-daily","title":"Refresh cadence: real-time matters for operational exception use (logistics ETAs, manufacturing downtime); daily suits most SMB KPIs; refresh frequency drives cost (Power BI Pro 8/day vs Premium Per User 48/day)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}]},"created_at":"2026-06-20T18:03:12.063Z","updated_at":"2026-06-20T18:03:12.063Z"}