Conditional formatting automatically changes a cell's appearance -- color, icon, or data bar -- based on its value, so you can instantly see, for example, every expense over a budget threshold highlighted in red without manually scanning the sheet. A simple dashboard combines a few PivotTables, charts, and key number summaries onto one sheet so a manager or stakeholder can see the most important metrics at a glance, instead of digging through raw data. Good dashboard design keeps it to the handful of numbers that actually matter for a decision, groups related visuals together, and uses consistent colors -- a dashboard trying to show forty metrics on one screen usually communicates nothing clearly.