The Future of Dashboards: Building Automated BI with Claude Code & Streamlit
Hey everyone, let me know what you think of this deep dive. Hope this is helpful.
Honestly, the world of business intelligence (BI) & data visualization is going through a pretty massive shift. For years, we've been locked into GUI-based tools like Tableau or Power BI. You know the drill: drag, drop, click, repeat. & while those tools are powerful, they can also feel a bit… rigid. & expensive.
But here's the thing: a new way of building dashboards is emerging, & it's called "BI-as-Code." The idea is to treat your dashboards like software – with version control, automated testing, & the ability to reuse code. It’s a game-changer for anyone who's ever had to manually update 50 different widgets on a dashboard. (I’ve been there, & it’s not pretty.)
This is where things get REALLY interesting. With the rise of AI coding assistants like Anthropic's Claude Code, the barrier to entry for BI-as-Code has been obliterated. You don't need to be a Python guru to build a stunning, interactive dashboard anymore. In fact, you can do it in minutes, with ZERO coding.
So, in this post, I’m going to walk you through how to use Claude Code & Streamlit to build your own automated dashboards. We’ll cover everything from the basic setup to deploying a fully functional app. Let's get into it.
What is BI-as-Code, Anyway?
Before we dive into the "how-to," let's quickly touch on the "why." What's the big deal with BI-as-Code?
Simply put, it’s a more flexible, scalable, & cost-effective way to build & manage your dashboards. Instead of being locked into a specific vendor's ecosystem, you're using open-source tools like Python & Streamlit. This gives you UNLIMITED customization options.
Here are a few of the key benefits:
- Faster Iteration: With AI coding assistants, you can prototype & build dashboards at lightning speed.
- Version Control: Your dashboards are just code, so you can use Git to track changes, collaborate with your team, & roll back to previous versions if something breaks.
- Reusability: You can create modular components & reuse them across multiple dashboards, which saves a TON of time & ensures consistency.
- Cost Savings: Open-source tools are free, & you have more control over your hosting costs.
Now, let's get our hands dirty.
Building Your First Automated Dashboard with Claude Code & Streamlit
This is where the magic happens. We're going to use Claude Code to generate a fully functional Streamlit app for data analysis. & the best part? We're going to do it all with a single prompt.
Step 1: Install & Initiate Claude Code
First things first, you’ll need to install Claude Code. It's a simple, one-line command in your terminal: