# Sigma analytics walkthrough: building a dashboard from scratch

> This is content from just-tim, the data-and-analytics channel by Tim Ngwena (formerly 'Tableau Tim'). Tim has 12+ years of hands-on BI experience and covers Tableau most of all, plus Power BI, Looker, Hex, SQL and data modelling, the analytics industry, and the craft of doing the job — always tool-agnostic and honest about the trade-offs.

- **Author:** Tim Ngwena (just-tim, https://just-tim.com/about)
- **Published:** 2026-10-17
- **Format:** Video · 31 min watch · transcript available
- **Topics:** Data visualisation, Tool strategy
- **Tools:** Sigma (connections, datasets, lod calculations, visualisations, workbooks); Snowflake
- **Canonical:** https://just-tim.com/posts/sigma-dashboard-walkthrough
- **Watch:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a--YkY5gdcY

I take Sigma for a spin, building a workbook from a blank canvas through charts, maps, KPI cards, layout containers and interactive controls. Along the way I explain how Sigma's data lineage, centralised connections and element-based workflow differ philosophically from Tableau and Power BI.

## Key takeaways

- Sigma centralises data connections so users pick from curated sources rather than creating new connections ad hoc
- Elements (tables, charts) can be reused and layered via lineage, letting you apply changes at different levels without affecting upstream data
- Creating a hidden 'data page' per page is a practical pattern for managing lineage cleanly on larger builds
- Formatting, padding, margins and borders in Sigma are detailed and easy to apply consistently by copying formatting between elements
- Interactivity (controls, actions, popovers, modals, drawers) is more manual to set up than Tableau's filter actions but enables richer custom behaviour

## Chapters

- 0:00 Why I'm covering Sigma this week
- 1:39 Setting expectations and transparency note
- 3:48 Starting a new Sigma workbook
- 5:01 Connecting to data sources
- 7:54 Understanding lineage and elements
- 9:13 Building the data tab and page structure
- 12:11 Building the first bar chart
- 13:25 Adding a donut chart and formatting
- 14:36 Adding a table and hiding columns
- 15:45 Building a region map
- 16:49 Dashboard layout and formatting controls
- 18:59 Exploring charts, KPIs and UI elements

Watch the full video, read the transcript and use chapter deep-links on the page: https://just-tim.com/posts/sigma-dashboard-walkthrough

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just-tim — Data and analytics, with a point of view. · https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7HYxRWmaNlJux-X7rNLZyw · https://twitter.com/TableauTim · https://www.linkedin.com/in/timngwena