The Book of Dash

Build Dashboards with Python and Plotly

by Adam Schroeder, Christian Mayer, and Ann Marie Ward

September 2022, 224 pp.

ISBN-13:

9781718502222

Covers: Python 3.x, Dash 2.x

Download Chapter 4: FIRST DASH APP

Look Inside!

A swift and practical introduction to building interactive data visualization apps in Python, known as dashboards. You’ve seen dashboards before; think election result visualizations you can update in real time, or population maps you can filter by demographic. With the Python Dash library you’ll create analytic dashboards that present data in effective, usable, elegant ways in just a few lines of code.

The book is fast-paced and caters to those entirely new to dashboards. It will talk you through the necessary software, then get straight into building the dashboards themselves. You’ll learn the basic format of a Dash app by building a twitter analysis dashboard that maps the number of likes certain accounts gained over time. You’ll build up skills through three more sophisticated projects. The first is a global analysis app that compares country data in three areas: the percentage of a population using the internet, percentage of parliament seats held by women, and CO2 emissions. You’ll then build an investment portfolio dashboard, and an app that allows you to visualize and explore machine learning algorithms.

In this book you will:

Create and run your first Dash apps
Use the pandas library to manipulate and analyze social media data
Use Git to download and build on existing apps written by the pros
Visualize machine learning models in your apps
Create and manipulate statistical and scientific charts and maps using Plotly

Dash combines several technologies to get you building dashboards quickly and efficiently. This book will do the same.

Author Bio

Adam Schroeder has been teaching Plotly Dash for over two years on YouTube as @CharmingData. His videos have over 60 thousand views per month. Adam is passionate about helping people learn data visualization. He has an M.A. in Government and Conflict Resolution and currently works at Plotly.

Christian Mayer has a PhD in computer science and is the founder of the popular Python site Finxter.com, an educational platform that helps more than 3 million people a year learn to code. He has published a number of books, including the Coffee Break Python series, and is the author of Python One-Liners (No Starch Press, 2020).

Ann Marie Ward is a Dash contributor and a moderator on the Dash community forum. Ann Marie has a BA in Economics and is a retired CEO. She discovered Dash when searching for a better way to analyze financial data and was so amazed by what's possible to create with Dash that she started to learn Python, JavaScript and R. Her contributions to Dash include improving documentation, fixing bugs, and adding features.

Table of contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
PART I: CRASH COURSES
Chapter 1: Python Refresher
Chapter 2: PyCharm Tutorial
Chapter 3: Pandas Crash Course
PART II: BUILDING APPLICATIONS
Chapter 4: First Dash App
Chapter 5: Global Data Analysis: Advanced Layouts and Graphs
Chapter 6: Investment Portfolio: Building Larger Apps
Chapter 7: Exploring Machine Learning
Chapter 8: Tips and Tricks
Appendix: Python Basics
Index

View the Copyright page
View the detailed Table of Contents
View the Index

Reviews

"The bottom line is that [The Book of Dash] . . . is a convenient quick introduction that paves the way for Python programmers who are faced with the task of realizing a dashboard."
—Tam Hanna, Founder of Tamoggemon Software

“Very easy to understand . . . You can sense that the authors want to share their knowledge. . . . Overall [The Book of Dash] is an amazing book that data analysts must have when working with Python.”
—Tânia Frazão, Python Coder

“[The Book of Dash] fills the void of becoming master in Plotly Dash and Dashboards.”
—Sanjeev Sharma, Python Coder

“With [The Book of Dash], the authors have provided some great examples showing how easy and quickly it is to get a visualization up and running with just a few tools. While the book requires some familiarity with Python, it provides a refresher on basic programming topics in the first couple of chapters, then jumps into the topic at hand with some easy-to-follow examples. I’m looking forward to developing some of my own visual apps with what I’ve learned.”
—Scott Chouinard, Senior Gaming Analyst, Service Nova Scotia

"The understanding of Dash I gained in this book provided me with a whole new way to analyze and visualize data.”
—Jordan Marshal, Python Developer

“Just the book I’ve been looking for. This is the perfect next step for any Python student seeking to pivot into the Data Science niche. Easy to follow, and practical examples left me with the confidence to start on my own projects. Highly recommended.”
—Peter Rubio, Python Author

"My journey with Dash began when I stumbled upon one of Adam's videos by accident. After a lot of trial and error and digging through pages of documentation and blog posts, this is the book I wish I had when I first started. It is thorough and covers quite a number of often challenging topics and techniques with ease."
—Brad Bartram, Founder of Darksbian Data Services

Extra Stuff

Download the book's resources via GitHub.

Updates

View the latest errata.