Advanced template design

Before you start

Two editing tools, one template

Think of the Ask Bar as describing the result you want, while Edit template lets you choose every setting yourself. Both update the same dashboard.

01

Use the Ask Bar for intent

Best when the change is easier to describe as a complete outcome: add a comparison, simplify a layout, or create several connected cards.

02

Use Edit template for control

Best when you already know the exact column, calculation, colour, relationship, or branding setting you want.

01

Ask Bar

Describe the finished change, not the clicks.

The Ask Bar sits below the dashboard preview. Write what should change in plain English. Use @ to select an exact card or CSV column when a name could be ambiguous.

A reliable instruction has four useful parts

Target: which existing card should change?
Measure: which column and calculation should it use?
Presentation: line, KPI, currency, colour, or width?
Outcome: what should the finished card communicate?

Type / to browse direct commands when you already know the action you want.

If csv.design asks a follow-up question, choose the intended card or column.That is safer than letting a similar name decide the target. Use Undo if the result is not what you meant.

Three edits, before and after

Pick a tab to see the instruction and what it changed on the dashboard.

Color @[review_status] using an intuitive scale. Use green for Completed and Scheduled, then progressively warmer colors as reviews become more overdue, ending with red for Overdue 90+ days.

Seven exact cell values colored by severity

BeforePerformance reviews

TeamReview statusPeople

EngineeringCompleted14

ProductScheduled9

SalesDue in 30 days22

Customer successOverdue 1 - 30 days11

MarketingOverdue 31 - 60 days6

FinanceOverdue 61 - 90 days4

OperationsOverdue 90+ days3

AfterPerformance reviews

TeamReview statusPeople

EngineeringCompleted14

ProductScheduled9

SalesDue in 30 days22

Customer successOverdue 1 - 30 days11

MarketingOverdue 31 - 60 days6

FinanceOverdue 61 - 90 days4

OperationsOverdue 90+ days3

More prompts to copy

Change a known cardOn @[Revenue trend], add profit as a second line and label it Gross profit.

Improve the layoutMove @[Outstanding balance] to the top and make @[Monthly collections] full width.

Create something newAdd a KPI showing average invoice amount, formatted as currency.

02

Related data

Connect rows that belong to the same record.

Related records work inside one CSV. When someone opens a row from All Records, the template can show other rows sharing the same customer, employee, project, or another stable value.

Related recordsShow matching rows in record details

Enabled

Table label: Invoices for this customer
Match column: customer_id
Matching: exact values

invoice_dateinvoice_numberamountstatus

Set it up in All Records

1
Choose Edit template, then edit the All Records table.
2
Under Related records, add a relationship and give its table a clear label.
3
Choose up to three match columns and the columns the related table should display.
4
Enable Show this related table, review one record, then save.

Prefer stable identifiers

customer_id is safer than a company name that people may type differently.

Choose matching deliberately

Use exact values for IDs. Ignore text case only for name-like values where capitalization may vary.

It is not a file join

Related records connect rows already present in the same CSV; they do not combine separate spreadsheets.

03

Dual-line charts

Compare two measures across the same timeline.

A second line is an extra measure - not a stacked category. Both lines share the same x-axis, while each measure can have its own calculation, label, and colour.

Add the second measure

1
Choose Edit template and edit an existing line chart.
2
Under Extra series, choose Add series.
3
Select the second value column and its calculation, then add a clear label and colour.
4
Check the legend and values table before saving.

Both lines use one scale.Revenue and profit are usually comparable. Revenue and number of customers may flatten one line and create a misleading comparison.

Revenue and profit by month•••

RevenueProfit

Independent extra series work on line, area, bar, and horizontal bar charts. Pie and stacked-bar charts use different comparison structures and do not accept extra measures.

04

Custom logo

Make the reusable template recognizably yours.

The template header can carry a company logo and an optional secondary title. Branding appears in the dashboard preview and the formats you download.

Company logo

AC

acme-logo.pngPNG · prepared for the template

Logo description

CancelSave changes

Edit the template header

1
Choose Edit template, then select Edit beside the dashboard title.
2
Choose or drop a PNG, JPG, or WebP logo no larger than 2 MB.
3
Add a short logo description for people using screen readers.
4
Preview the header at narrow and wide sizes, then save.

Use a simple, tightly cropped logo.Wide logos work best in the header. Avoid tiny text that becomes unreadable when the logo is reduced.

Putting it together

One CSV can support all four features.

Imagine a report with month, revenue, profit, and customer_id. Start with a revenue line, add profit as the second series, connect records using customer_id, ask the Ask Bar to move the comparison chart to the top, then add your logo to the header.

CSVUseful columns

ChartRevenue + profit

RecordsMatched customer rows

TemplateRefined and branded

Before downloading

Review the advanced details once.

Be specific
Name the card, columns, calculation, and format when they matter.
Match stable values
Use an ID or another dependable key for related records.
Compare like with like
Lines sharing one scale should use reasonably comparable measures.
Keep branding accessible
Use a clear logo file and write a useful logo description.

Browse the template-specific design guides

Go beyond the first draft of your template.