Dashboard vs static report: dashboard is live + queryable + interactive; report is a point-in-time snapshot for documentation / compliance / shared "version of truth"

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.

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.

Source: Domo, ThoughtSpot framings (industry-consensus across BI vendors).

Confidence: Industry-consensus.

Caveat: All sources are BI vendors.

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 benchmark — a majority of agencies still send static reports to clients while relying on live dashboards internally; live unfinal numbers invite client misinterpretation and R3 — For customer-facing reporting, default to the lightest delivery first: scheduled PDF or shared reporting link; embed only when the four-condition narrow band holds.