Dropdown menus in Google Sheets - Dashboard Guide

Dashboard Mode - Dropdown menus

Goal

Help a small store manager choose a product category from a dropdown menu to see the total sales for that category.

Sample Data

Product	Category	Sales
Apples	Fruits	120
Bananas	Fruits	150
Carrots	Vegetables	100
Broccoli	Vegetables	80
Milk	Dairy	200
Cheese	Dairy	180
Bread	Bakery	90

Dashboard Components

• Dropdown menu (cell E2): Data validation list with options: Fruits, Vegetables, Dairy, Bakery.
• Total Sales (cell E4): Formula to sum sales for selected category:
  =SUMIF(B2:B8, E2, C2:C8)
  This adds sales only for the category chosen in the dropdown.
• Category label (cell D4): Text label "Total Sales for:" to clarify the number shown.

Dashboard Layout

+----------------------+------------------+
| Select Category: [▼] |                  |
|       (E2)           |                  |
+----------------------+------------------+
| Total Sales for:     |  [Total Sales]   |
|       (D4)           |      (E4)        |
+----------------------+------------------+

Interactivity

The dropdown menu in cell E2 lets the user pick a category. When the user changes this selection, the formula in E4 recalculates the total sales for that category automatically. This updates the dashboard number instantly without extra steps.

Self Check

If you select "Dairy" from the dropdown in E2, what number appears in E4?

Answer: 380 (200 for Milk + 180 for Cheese)

Key Result

A simple dashboard with a dropdown to select product category and shows total sales for that category.