The History and Evolution of Data Dashboards

 By T. Forcht Dagi, MD, DMed Sc, MPH 

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Note: This is the second installment of a three-part series. Part I provides an overview of data dashboards in the clinical setting; Part II reviews the history and evolution of dashboards; and Part III advises best practices for undertaking a dashboard project. 

Dashboards were initially proposed as a tool in the business world in the 1980s, around the time that disseminated desktop computing entered the market. They were promoted as a way to reduce the need for reports. They promised senior level executives non-technical ways to monitor the performance of a company using graphical interfaces. The metaphor was a NASA control room, as well as the more prosaic airplane cockpit and the automobile.

Financial analysts and accountants have long depended on certain ratios (e.g., debt/earnings, price/earnings, margins) trended over time to diagnose and predict the health and performance of companies, so the underlying concept was not new. Unfortunately, the initial promise of the dashboard could not be kept. Adoption lagged far behind projections.

In retrospect the early failure of dashboards can be attributed to a number of factors, chief among them were the following:

• the lack of adequate databases
• the lack of adequate data extraction
• the inability to transform data into usable form
• the lack of loading tools to obtain the data from their source(s)
• the inability to move data into a dashboard in an automated manner, and
• the inability to reliably display data in ways that were immediately meaningful.

The lack of automation meant that reports could not yet be replaced at reasonable cost and in a reasonable time frame. The far more important issue, however, was whether the dashboard could be reliably meaningful and whether it could substitute for the report in executive decision-making.

In 1989, Howard Dresner of the Gartner Group, an Information Technology (IT) consulting group, coined the term “Business Intelligence” (BI) to describe a process of improving decision making using fact-based support systems. [i] The idea was to coordinate business intelligence with planning and control in order to optimize business performance. The dashboard was envisioned as a central tool in support of BI. Because of its visual appeal and conceptual simplicity, at least from the perspective of the user, the dashboard became one of the most popular managerial tools. It was also integrated by many managers as an essential element of the strategy of BI.

It soon became clear that at least two critical components were necessary for the dashboard to be functional. The first was the data warehouse, a repository of electronically stored data, that would make it possible to gather, organize and share information from many sources. The second was a way of imposing logical tools, such as Online Analytic Processing (OLAP), to calculate against and aggregate data.

In the business world, the dashboard evolved through a number of development phases. The most important shift moved from simple monitoring, which was mostly display, to advanced monitoring which offered data drill down capabilities and the ability to display key metrics. The dashboard became interactive in that it allowed analysis and annotation as well as display. It could replace simple spreadsheet tables.

These capabilities also led to questions about data security. While data security and integrity had always been recognized as a key element in data processing, the dashboard rendered information in the vernacular. The authority to annotate and potentially change the meaning of data, if not the data themselves was more widespread. How to control that authority and protect the data while allowing the dashboard to function interactively was and remains an important concern.

It became clear that the dashboard had to be built around measurement tools in order to deliver the metrics that would underlie the relevance of the data and the analysis. Data had to be processed in ways that would support these measurement tools. How could that be accomplished? Many models were proposed.

One useful model took the following form:

• Data collection points, where data would be entered (this also represented the first point at which the integrity of the data could be monitored and assessed);
• A transaction database, where the detailed data would be stored;
• A data warehouse in which the data would be transformed, organized and stored;
• An OLAP system (or its equivalent) to aggregate data and calculate metrics; and, finally
• The dashboard, itself which would present information (rather than raw data) to the user within the interactive, analytical framework already described.

The benefits of this system depended upon the quality of the data and its relevance to the information that was sought. The benefits also depended on the logic applied to the information and how it would be used.

(Coming Soon … Part III: Best Practices for Undertaking a Dashboard Project)

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As Vice Chancellor and Dean of Health Informatics Management, Dr. T. Forcht Dagi oversees programs of study in Health Information Technology, Applied Health Informatics and Advanced Personal Training and Exercise Science at Bryan University. Dr. Dagi is a neurosurgeon who  holds an AB from Columbia University, and MD and MPH from Johns Hopkins University. In addition, he earned an MBA with distinction from Wharton School of Business, and was awarded an honorary doctor of medical science degree by Queen’s University Belfast for his contributions to medicine and public service. In addition to his role at Bryan University, he serves as a Distinguished Scholar and Professor at Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland, and lectures at Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Bryan University offers future-proof, industry-strong online degree programs in health and legal services. The university is committed to the personal and professional development of each student, providing an expansive educational experience in which preeminent industry experts teach, mentor, and lead the way to future success. For more information about the university and its programs of study, visit www.BryanUniversity.edu.

Media Contact: Drew Whitney, drew.whitney@bryanuniversity.edu, 480.772.5376

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