Generate report from dashboard
Turn an existing dashboard into a polished, AI-narrated report — exportable as PowerPoint or PDF.
Generate Report AI reads a dashboard, has the AI write a narrative for every chart, and arranges everything into a structured slide deck. The result is editable, themeable, and exportable.
[Screen video needed] Full flow from a configured dashboard through Generate Report AI click → progress overlay → landing in the report editor. ~75 seconds.
Steps
1. Get your dashboard right first
The report reflects the dashboard exactly as it is when you click Generate. Before generating:
Set the correct date range in the dashboard header.
Apply any filters you want represented (or remove ones you don't).
Hide charts you don't want in the report (Edit mode → toggle visibility on each widget).
Verify chart titles are clear — the AI uses them as narrative anchors.
[Screenshot needed] Dashboard in View mode with the date range set to "April 2026" and a regional filter applied, ready for report generation.
2. Pick a report theme (optional)
By default, the report uses your project's default report theme.
To customize:
Settings → Report Theme in the project.
Either upload a PowerPoint template (.pptx) and SMAQ extracts the style, or pick from the built-in themes.
Save.
You can also override per-report from the report page after generation. See Report themes.
[Screenshot needed] Settings → Report Theme tab with a custom uploaded template and preview pane.
3. Generate
Click Generate Report AI in the dashboard header. A progress overlay shows the AI working — usually 30–60 seconds.
When done, you're redirected to the report editor.
[Screenshot needed] Generate Report AI button highlighted in the dashboard header.
4. Edit the report
In the report editor:
Reorder slides by dragging.
Edit text — titles, body text, section headers.
Delete slides you don't need.
Re-run AI on a specific slide to regenerate its narrative.
Add new sections or text blocks.
[Screenshot needed] Report editor with the slide list, edit pane, and one chart preview visible.
5. Export
Click Export in the top-right. Choose:
PowerPoint (.pptx) — editable in PowerPoint, Keynote, Google Slides.
PDF — read-only.
The file downloads to your machine. The layout, fonts, and chart styles match your report theme.
[Screenshot needed] Exported .pptx opened in PowerPoint showing two slides.
Tips
Lock the date range before generating. A report based on "Last 7 days" reads completely differently from one for "Last 90 days." Pick deliberately.
Re-generate, don't rebuild. If the dashboard changes, click Generate Report AI again — it overwrites the previous report. Faster than editing slide by slide.
Don't use auto-generated reports as final, unedited. The AI's first draft is 80% there. Edit titles and key paragraphs for voice, accuracy, and your business's specific context before sending.
Use Re-run AI sparingly. Once a slide is well-edited, re-running discards your edits.
When to use Dashboard Summary instead
If you want recurring weekly/monthly summaries by email rather than a one-off polished deliverable, use a Dashboard Summary automation. Reports are one-shot, polished, exportable. Dashboard Summaries are recurring, narrative-only, email-only.
Related
Dashboard Summary — recurring alternative.
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