# How to Create Dashboards with External Data in Coda

> To build dashboards with external data, log in to Zapier, select your data source and specific data, connect your account, and test the trigger. Then, choose Coda as the action app, select an action, connect your Coda account, map the data fields, test the step, and your data will automatically visualize in Coda.

Canonical: https://livedemo.ai/tutorials/how-to-create-dashboards-with-external-data-in-coda/
Apps: Coda
Updated: 2026-10-05
Interactive demo: https://story-api.livedemo.ai/workspaces/62255d3d3304f17b8f5e2d03/stories/692a397dab56e05a00fdff0d/preview?step=1

## Steps

1. Log in to Zapier, click "Create", and select "Zaps".
2. Choose your preferred data source from the available options.
3. Select the specific data you want to import into Coda.
4. Connect your account.
5. Select the dataset you want to sync.
6. Click "Test Trigger."
7. Select Coda as the Action App.
8. Choose "Create Row" or "Update Row" as the action.
9. Connect your Coda account.
10. Map the external data fields to Coda table columns.
11. Click "Test step."
12. Your external data is now beautifully visualized in Coda and will update automatically.