Dashboards help visualize data and enable you to make informed decisions based on real-time insights. This article will walk you through the process step-by-step, ensuring you can efficiently create and customize dashboards tailored to your program.
Creating a dashboard
You can create a dashboard in two ways:
- Save a report visualization to a new dashboard
- Open a folder and add a new dashboard
Creating a Dashboard from a Look or Explore
To create a new dashboard from a Look or Explore:
- Create or open a report with the data you want to add to a new dashboard and choose a visualization type.
- Go to the cog in the top right corner and select Save > As new dashboard.
- Enter a title for the dashboard and choose a folder location to save it in.
- On the Filters tab, choose whether you want to use the current filters as the dashboard filters. Custom filters can't become dashboard-level filters, but can filter tiles.
- Select Save to save the report visualization as a tile on the dashboard.
Creating a new dashboard in a folder
To create a new dashboard in a folder:
- Go to My folders and open the folder where you want to save the dashboard.
- Select New > Dashboard in the top right corner to create a new dashboard.
- Enter a name for your dashboard and select Create Dashboard. Choose a clear, descriptive name that reflects the data or insights the dashboard will provide. Your new blank dashboard will appear.
- Select Edit Dashboard from the Dashboard actions three-dot icon menu or in the center of the dashboard pane.
You can now add more tiles to the dashboard.
Adding tiles to a dashboard
When you have created a dashboard, you can start adding visualizations and other components. Select Edit Dashboard from the Dashboard’s three-dot icon menu, then go to the Add dropdown and choose one of the following components.
Visualizations
You can add report visualizations to a dashboard that are saved only there and can't be found in your folders. Editing the report will only affect the version found on the dashboard.
- Select Add > Visualization to start adding your data to the dashboard.
- Choose a product Explore, add data fields and filters, and choose a visualization type to add as a dashboard tile. Learn more about creating a report visualization.
- Select Run to generate results and Save it when you’re ready to add it to the dashboard.
Text
Enter text that will appear in a dashboard tile and apply formatting. You can use text tiles on a dashboard to describe the other tiles and to help viewers understand the information that those tiles present.
Markdown
Markdown tiles support a limited version of the Markdown markup language in text tiles, which gives you options for formatting your text in HTML and adding links and images that can make your dashboards pop. We recommend using Text tiles for simple text additions to the dashboard.
Button
Enter a hyperlink for the button and label it along with a description. You can also style the button in the Design tab.
Adding a saved Look to a dashboard
You can add a saved Look as a tile on a dashboard. A single Look can be referenced in many different dashboards. If you edit a Look, it will affect tiles on other dashboards that reference the same Look. You can see other affected dashboards at the top of the Edit Look window.
To add saved Looks to a dashboard:
- Navigate to the folder where your Look is saved.
- Go to the cog in the top right corner and select Save > To an existing dashboard.
- You can also save to a new dashboard.
- Locate the existing dashboard in your folders and select it. The Look tile will appear on your dashboard.
Customizing tiles
You can customize every tile when in the dashboard Edit mode.
To customize a tile, select the three-dot icon on it and choose one of the following options:
- Edit: opens the tile in edit mode. For visualizations, you can update the data, filters and the visualization type. If you edit a Look, it will affect tiles on other dashboards that reference the same Look.
- Hide title: hides the visualization title from the dashboard.
- Add note: add a note to the visualization and decide where it appears.
- Duplicate tile: creates a new tile with the same configuration or text as the original.
- Move tile: choose a direction to move the tile on the dashboard. You can also move tiles by selecting the grid icon in the top left corner of the tile and dragging and dropping the tile in the desired location.
- Resize tile: choose a standardized size from the option list or customize the size by selecting and dragging the bottom right corner of the tile to your preferred size.
- Delete: removes the tile from the dashboard.
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View:
- Expanded: a pop-up with an expanded view of the tile. You can select the next or back arrows to navigate through other tiles.
- Full screen: opens the tile in full-screen mode. You must select the X icon in the top right of the screen to exit.
Quick layout
In edit mode, select Quick layout in the toolbar at the top to set all tiles to the same size. The five options for tile size are as follows:
- XS — Six tiles fit in a row on the dashboard.
- S — Four tiles fit in a row on the dashboard.
- M — Three tiles fit in a row on the dashboard.
- L — Two tiles fit in a row on the dashboard.
- XL — One tile fits in a row on the dashboard.
Applying Dashboard Filters
Report visualizations can be saved with their own filters, but you can also apply filters to the entire dashboard to focus on specific data. These dashboard filters can impact all tiles or just selected ones, allowing you to view only the data you’re interested in.
To add filters, your dashboard must include at least one visualization. In edit mode, select Filters > Add Filter and search for a field to filter by. Learn more about configuring dashboard filters.
Note that if you add more visualization tiles after you’ve added dashboard filters, you’ll need to go back and edit the filter to include the new tiles to update. The exception to this is when a tile is duplicated as all filters are automatically applied to the duplicated tile.
Configuring Dashboard Settings
You can configure dashboard settings to customize its appearance, functionality, and the way data is presented to users. In edit mode, select Settings in the blue toolbar.
General
Run on Load
If enabled, dashboard data loads automatically upon opening the dashboard. If disabled, data appears only after selecting the reload data icon.
Allow Full-Screen Mode for Visualizations
If enabled, you can allow viewers to see dashboard tiles in full-screen or expanded formats. Disabling this option removes the full-screen view capability.
Autorefresh
Enable autorefresh to ensure your dashboard displays up-to-date data. You can set a refresh rate for the dashboard or specify refresh rates for individual tiles. Avoid short intervals for the best performance.
Performance Considerations:
- Refresh intervals: We suggest setting refresh intervals based on when you need to check the data. Keep in mind that less frequent refreshes improve performance. The shortest recommended interval is 1 hour.
- Shared access performance: If a dashboard is shared directly with multiple users, you may experience performance issues if they refresh the dashboard at similar times. Consider creating the dashboard and sharing the URL with users to avoid performance issues.
Filters
Default filters view
You can choose how filters appear by default on the dashboard:
- Expanded: The filter bar shows on page load and filters are shown by default.
- Collapsed: The filter bar does not show on page load and filters are hidden by default.
This setting specifies the default state of the filter bar. Dashboard viewers can temporarily change the filter bar back and forth between collapsed and expanded by selecting the filters icon on the dashboard.
Filters location
You can choose the location of filters on the dashboard:
- Top: The filter bar appears at the top of the dashboard.
- Right: The filter bar appears at the right of the dashboard.
Saving and sharing your dashboard
Before you save your dashboard, make sure that you add a description that others can read for more context if you share the dashboard with them. In edit mode, select the three-dot icon in the top right corner and Show dashboard details. Enter a dashboard description. You can now save and share your dashboard.
Save Your Dashboard: after adding and arranging your tiles, make sure to save your dashboard. Select Save at the top of the dashboard editor.
Share Your Dashboard: you can share dashboards with your team or other users. Select the dashboard three-dot icon and choose one of the following:
- Get Link copies a direct link to the dashboard. You can share this link with other users that have access to Reporting Studio.
- Get embed URL allows you to share the dashboard outside of the Reporting Studio. For example, in your internal share site. Users can only see the dashboard if they can log in to Reporting Studio.
Creating dashboards with your data is a straightforward process that can significantly impact how your team accesses and interacts with data. By following these steps and utilizing the tips provided, you’ll be able to create insightful, dynamic dashboards tailored to your organization's needs. Remember, experimentation and practice are key to mastering the Reporting Studio’s full potential!