How to Create an Accounts Payable Dashboard in Google Analytics with AI
Building an Accounts Payable dashboard is a smart move for tracking your company's financial health, but you've likely found that Google Analytics isn't the right place for it. This article will show you a more effective way to create a powerful AP dashboard using the right tools from the Google ecosystem, and how to use AI to make it even smarter.
First, Why Doesn't Google Analytics Work for Accounts Payable?
It's a common point of confusion, so let's clear it up. Google Analytics is a phenomenal tool designed to track website and app user behavior. It answers questions like, "Where do my website visitors come from?" or "Which pages do people spend the most time on?" It's all about user interactions, clicks, pageviews, and online conversions.
Accounts Payable, on the other hand, is a purely financial function. It tracks internal business data like vendor invoices, payment due dates, and cash flow obligations. This data doesn't live on your website and has nothing to do with web traffic.
Trying to force AP data into Google Analytics is like trying to use a map to bake a cake – you're using the wrong tool for the job. Luckily, a much better and still free solution exists within the Google suite of tools: Google Sheets and Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio).
The Winning Combo: Google Sheets + Looker Studio
Here’s the game plan: we'll use Google Sheets as a simple, flexible database to hold all your AP data. Then, we’ll connect that sheet to Looker Studio to build a dynamic, visual, and shareable dashboard. It's the perfect workaround that gives you full control and a professional result.
Google Sheets: Your AP Data Hub. It's accessible, collaborative, and easy to update. You can manually enter data or even use automation tools like Zapier to pull in invoice details from other software.
Looker Studio: Your Visualization Engine. It connects directly to your Google Sheet and transforms your rows of data into beautiful, interactive charts and graphs that update in real-time as you change the sheet.
Step 1: Structure Your Accounts Payable Data in Google Sheets
Organization is everything. Before you can build a dashboard, you need clean, well-structured data. Create a new Google Sheet and set it up with columns that capture all the essential AP information.
Essential Columns for Your AP Tracker
Your sheet should look like a simple database. Here are the columns we recommend starting with:
Invoice ID: A unique identifier for each invoice.
Supplier Name: Who you need to pay.
Invoice Category: (e.g., Marketing, Software, Office Supplies) for better analysis.
Invoice Date: When the invoice was issued.
Due Date: When the payment is due.
Invoice Amount: The total amount to be paid.
Payment Date: When you actually paid the invoice (leave blank if unpaid).
Status: The current state of the invoice (e.g., Unpaid, Paid, Overdue).
Pro Tip: Use Formulas to Automate Your Status Column
Instead of manually typing "Overdue," let Google Sheets do the work for you. You can use an IF formula in your Status column to update it automatically based on the Due Date and Payment Date. It saves time and prevents human error.
Here’s an example formula you can place in cell H2 (assuming 'Status' is column H, 'Due Date' is E, and 'Payment Date' is G):
This formula checks two things:
If the Payment Date cell (G2) is not empty, it marks the status as "Paid."
If it is empty, it then checks if the Due Date (E2) is in the past. If it is, the status becomes "Overdue." Otherwise, it remains "Unpaid."
Drag this formula down the entire column, and your status will always be up-to-date.
Step 2: Build Your Dashboard in Looker Studio
With your Google Sheet ready, it's time for the fun part: building the visual dashboard. If you've never used Looker Studio, don't worry. It's surprisingly intuitive.
Connecting Your Data Source
Go to lookerstudio.google.com and click Create > Report.
You'll be asked to add data. Select Google Sheets.
Find and select your AP tracker spreadsheet, choose the correct worksheet, and click Add.
That's it! Your data is now connected, and you have a blank canvas to build on.
Choosing and Visualizing Your Key AP Metrics
Now, think about the most important questions you want your dashboard to answer. These are your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). For each KPI, choose the best chart to represent it.
KPI 1: Total Amount Payable
Goal: See a top-level view of how much you owe right now.
Chart Type: Scorecard
How to build it:
From the Looker Studio menu, select Add a chart > Scorecard.
In the settings panel on the right, set the Metric to "Invoice Amount."
To show only what's unpaid, add a Filter where the "Status" field does not contain "Paid."
KPI 2: Overdue Payables
Goal: Immediately identify late payments that need attention.
Chart Type: Scorecard (styled in red)
How to build it:
Add another Scorecard.
Set the Metric to "Invoice Amount."
Add a Filter where the "Status" field contains "Overdue."
Go to the Style tab for the scorecard and change the font color to red to make it stand out.
KPI 3: Payables by Supplier
Goal: Understand which vendors you owe the most.
Chart Type: Pie Chart or Bar Chart
How to build it:
Select Add a chart > Pie Chart.
In the setup panel, set the Dimension to "Supplier Name."
Set the Metric to "Invoice Amount."
Add a filter to exclude invoices with the "Paid" status.
KPI 4: Upcoming Payments (Cash Flow Forecast)
Goal: See what payments are coming due in the next 7, 30, or 90 days.
Chart Type: Table or Bar Chart
How to build it:
Select Add a chart > Table.
Set your Dimensions to "Supplier Name" and "Due Date."
Set your Metric to "Invoice Amount."
Add a filter to only show "Unpaid" items. Then, add a date range filter to the dashboard for "Next 30 days" so you can plan your cash flow.
Step 3: Supercharge Your Dashboard with an AI Assist
Creating charts is one thing, but finding deeper insights is where things get interesting. This is where AI tools can dramatically speed up your analysis without requiring you to be a data scientist.
Using Prompts to Find Hidden Patterns
Generative AI tools can act as your personal data analyst. If you're unsure what other metrics to track or how to structure a complex formula, just ask.
Example Prompt for ChatGPT or Google's Gemini:
"I am creating an Accounts Payable dashboard. My Google Sheet has columns: 'Invoice Date', 'Payment Date', and 'Invoice Amount'. Give me ideas for five key metrics to visualize. For each, tell me how I would calculate it."
AI can suggest metrics like "Average Days to Pay" or "Vendor Payment Concentration," giving you fresh perspectives on your financial operations that you might have missed.
Getting Help with Advanced Formulas
Remember that automation formula we created earlier? What if you wanted something more complex? AI is your best friend here.
Example Prompt:
"Write me a Google Sheets formula that categorizes payment terms. If the days between the invoice date (column D) and due date (column E) is less than 15, call it 'Short Term.' If it's between 15 and 30, call it 'Net 30.' If it's more than 30, call it 'Long Term'."
Using AI for this saves you from looking up formula syntax and lets you build a more sophisticated data model with very little effort.
Final Thoughts
While an Accounts Payable dashboard in Google Analytics isn't feasible, creating one is absolutely achievable. By using Google Sheets to organize your financial data and Looker Studio to visualize it, you can build a professional, real-time dashboard that keeps you on top of every payment and lets you manage cash flow effectively.
Setting up these connections and building manual dashboards in tools like Looker Studio definitely works, but it can be time-consuming, especially when you have data in multiple places. At Graphed, we've focused on using AI to make this process instant. We allow you to connect all your data sources – from Google Sheets and QuickBooks to your sales and marketing platforms – in one place. You can then just describe the dashboard you want in simple English (like "show me all my overdue payments by supplier for this quarter"), and Graphed automatically builds the interactive, real-time visualization for you in seconds.