Creating Dashboards

Overview

A dashboard is a visual display of key metrics and trends for records in your Practifi instance. The relationship between a dashboard widget and a report is predicated on the idea that every report can operate without a dashboard, but every dashboard widget will require a report. For a further understanding of the features available through dashboards, please consult our Understanding Reports & Dashboards article. 

• Dashboard Folders
  • Creating a New Dashboard Folder
  • Editing Folder Access
• Dashboards
  • Creating a New Dashboard
  • Adding Widgets 
  • Editing Widgets and Placement
  • Working with Dashboard Filters
    • Adding a Dashboard Filter
    • Applying a Dashboard Filter
    • Modifying or Deleting a Dashboard Filter
  • Saving and Editing Dashboards
  • Dashboard Properties
  • Refreshing and Downloading
  • Subscribing Team Members 

Dashboard folders

Dashboard folders determine how dashboards are accessed and who can access them to view, edit or manage them. 

Creating a New Dashboard Folder

To create a dashboard folder:

1. Click the caret button next to the Navigation menu and select the Dashboards option from the drop-down menu.
2. Select the New Folder button located in the upper right-hand corner of the Dashboards page. 
3. In the Folder Label field, enter the name of the dashboard folder. 
4. Click on the Folder Unique Name field. This value will auto-populate.
5. Select Save to finalize the creation of this folder.

Editing Folder Access

To share a dashboard folder:

1. On the Dashboards page, select All Folders from the left-hand side.
2. Locate the dashboard folder you would like to edit access and select the caret button for that record, located on the right-hand side of the table. 
3. Select Share from the drop-down menu.
4. In the Share With field, select the style of sharing. The options available are as follows:
   • Users
   • Roles
   • Role, Internal, and Partner Subordinates
   • Role and Internal Subordinates
   • Public Groups
     
     • Please note: If you are unsure which option to select from this list, please contact your CSM.
5. For the Name field, enter the name you want to match. The name must match the category selected in the Share With field. For example, if you select User as the category, specify the name of the user.
6. Select the access level from the Access drop-down field. The options available are as follows:
   • Can view - Users can only view the dashboards within the folder.
   • Can edit -  Users can edit and view dashboards saved to the folder.
   • Can manage - Users can edit and view dashboards and modify permission access to the dashboard folder.
7. Click Share. The change will then move the sharing settings to the Who Can Access list. Continue to add entries following the above steps as needed. You can share with users, groups, roles, divisions, or a combination.
   • Please note: The greatest permission is granted if a user is identified in multiple entities. For example, a group is added with view only, but a user in the group is also added with edit permissions. In this case, the edit permissions apply to that user.
8. To delete a Who Can Access entry, click X to the right of the entry. To modify the access level for an entry, select a new access level from the drop-down option beside the name in the Who Can Access list.

Dashboards

Creating a New Dashboard

To create a new dashboard:

1. If not already within Dashboards, use the Navigation menu and select Dashboards from the drop-down menu. 
2. On the Dashboards page, click the New Dashboard button on the screen's right-hand side. 
3. In the New Dashboard properties window, enter the dashboard name into the Name field.
4. Enter a short description of the report and its purpose to help your team easily identify the report in the Description field. While this information is not required, it is highly recommended.
5. Use the Select Folder button to select the save location for the dashboard. Once the folder is chosen, click the Select Folder button again. 
6. Select the Create button to finalize the dashboard creation. 

Adding Widgets

To add widgets to your dashboard:

1. Click the blue +Widget button located on the right-hand side, then select Chart or Table.
   Please note: Alternatively, you can add a text widget or image widget.
2. In the Select Report window, select the report from which the widget should draw information. The report name will be highlighted when selected. 
3. Click the Select button to choose this report.
   Please note: If the report is not grouped, you cannot access the Display As options described in the next step. For more information on grouping, see our Creating Reports article.
4. Set Display As to how you would like this information to be displayed visually. The options available are as follows:
   
   • Horizontal Bar Chart
   • Vertical Bar Chart
   • Stacked Horizontal Bar Chart
   • Stacked Vertical Bar Chart
   • Line Chart
   • Donut Chart
   • Metric Chart
   • Gauge Chart
   • Funnel Chart
   • Scatter Chart
   • Lightning Table
     • Please note: Depending on your report settings, some display options may not be applicable and will not be available for selection. If your report features a chart and you would like the dashboard to display the same chart, select the Use chart settings from report checkbox.
5. Set the Y-Axis, X-Axis, Sliced By or Display Units fields to the field names you would like the chart's information to be based upon. If using a Lightning table option, select the columns you want to display within the widget. 
6. In the Title field, enter the title for the dashboard widget if desired. This is not required but can help keep widgets organized when multiple widgets of similar types are displayed on the dashboard. 
7. The Subtitle field can add a smaller title that will display under the Title on the widget. This can be used if desired but is not required. 
8. Enter information in the Footer field if you want a small title to display at the bottom of the widget. This can be used if desired but is not required. 

9. Set the Widget Theme to either Light or Dark options. This will default to the dashboard's theme default. Dashboards support having a mix of themes between widgets and do not require having all set to one choice.

10. Once all aspects of the widget have been set, select the Add button to complete the creation of the widget. 

Editing Widgets and Placement

To make changes to widgets:

1. Select Edit on the dashboard if it is not already in edit mode to edit an individual widget. Then, select the pencil edit icon on the widget you want to edit.
2. Once the changes are made to the widget, select Update.
3. To change widget placement, click and drag the widget around the grid to the desired location. 
4. Widgets support resizing by selecting the edit squares located in the corners and sides of the widget. Click these blue squares and drag them to the desired size to modify the size of the widget.

Working with Dashboard Filters

Dashboard filters allow you to apply different data perspectives to a single dashboard. Filtering rules apply to fields from the dashboard’s source reports. After filters are defined, a user viewing the dashboard can select a filter to visualize the data of most interest. The filtered view is remembered - the next time the user visits the dashboard, the same filtered view is shown.

Adding a Dashboard Filter

To add a filter to a dashboard:

1. Click the Edit button to edit the dashboard, then click the +Filter button.
2. From the Selecd Field to Filter By dropdown, select a field to filter on. The dropdown shows fields that can be used to filter all the dashboard’s widgets. If there are equivalent fields for your selection, hover over the info icon to see them.
3. Give the filter a display name to identify it. If the filter has many equivalent fields, consider using a name that works for all widgets.
4. Click Add Filter Value, choose an operator and set a value. Optionally, modify the custom display text.
5. Click Apply.
6. Click Add. If equivalent fields are available for a widget, you can select which one to use to filter the widget.
7. Save the dashboard and close the dashboard builder.

Applying a Dashboard Filter

Once dashboard filters are created, you can apply them when viewing a dashboard. To apply a dashboard filter:

1. Open a dashboard.
2. Select a dashboard filter from the dropdown list. Each filter has one or more options that you can choose to narrow your selection.
3. To see data unfiltered, from the filter dropdown, select Clear Filter or All.

Modifying or Deleting a Dashboard Filter

To modify or remove an existing filter for a dashboard:

1. Click the Edit button to edit the dashboard.
2. Click the pencil icon to modify the dashboard filter or click the trash can icon to delete it.

Saving and Editing Dashboards

To save or edit a dashboard:

1. Once the dashboard is completed or ready for saving, select the Save button in the upper-right-hand corner of the dashboard builder.
2. Select Done to leave the dashboard builder and to see the completed dashboard.
3. To edit the dashboard, select the Edit button in the right-hand corner. This will return you to the dashboard builder. 
4. Once all changes have been made, select Save to finalize the changes on the current dashboard or select the caret button next to Save and select Save As to save as a new dashboard.

Dashboard Properties

1. Select Edit on the dashboard if not already in edit mode to edit the dashboard properties.
2. Select the Dashboard Settings cog located to the left of the Save button. 
3. Make any edits necessary to the dashboard properties. The properties available are as follows:
   • Name 
   • Description 
   • Folder
   • View Dashboard As - This sets the information the dashboard viewer can see. The options are as follows:
     • Me — Dashboard readers see data in the dashboard according to your access to data. For example, if you can only see clients in Canada, then dashboard readers will only see data about clients in Canada.
     • Another person — Dashboard readers see data in the dashboard according to the data access level of whomever you specify. For example, if you choose someone who can see clients from any country, dashboard readers can see data about clients from all countries.
     • The dashboard viewer — Dashboard readers see data as themselves, according to their access to data. These types of dashboards are often called dynamic dashboards.
       • Please note:  You can't follow widgets on dynamic dashboards, and they cannot be saved in a private folder. You can also not schedule refreshes for dynamic dashboards, so they must be refreshed manually.
     • Optionally, select Let dashboard viewers choose whom they view the dashboard as to enable a reader with appropriate user permissions to choose who they view the dashboard as. With the “View My Team’s Dashboards” user permission, the reader can view the dashboard as themselves or anyone beneath them in the role hierarchy. With the “View All Data” user permission, the reader can view the dashboard as anyone.
   • Dashboard Grid Size - Set the dashboard size to 12 or nine columns.
   • Dashboard Theme - Set the default for widgets as Light or Dark. If this is changed after the initial widget placement, it will change all widgets to match the newly selected theme. 
   • Dashboard Palette - Set the color theme for your dashboard. 
4. Once all changes have been made to the report properties, select Save on the properties menu. 
5. Select Save on the dashboard builder page to finalize the change. 

Refreshing and Downloading

1. If in the dashboard builder, select Done to view the run dashboard.
2. Select the Refresh button on the upper right-hand side of the dashboard to replenish your dashboard with the most recent data.
3. When dashboard data is being refreshed, the Refresh button will grey out until the refresh is completed. Depending on the complexity of your dashboard, the refresh may take up to ten minutes. If your dashboard data doesn't refresh after ten minutes, the refresh will automatically stop. If necessary, click Refresh again.
   • Please note: You cannot refresh a dashboard more than once per minute. 
4. To download the dashboard, select the caret button to the right of the Subscribe button. Select Download from the drop-down menu.

Subscribing Team Members

1. After selecting Done to view the completed report, select the Subscribe button next to Edit. This will open the Edit Subscription window to build all the relevant settings.
2. Set the Frequency to either daily, weekly or monthly. This selection determines how often the subscriber will receive a dashboard subscription email. 
3. Select the Days options to designate which days the email should be sent. When selected, the value will be highlighted. If you would like to remove a day from the selection, click on the day again to remove its selection. Multiple day options can be selected for one subscription.
4. Set the Time field to the time the email subscription should arrive. This will be based on the individual user's time settings and not your organization's locale settings.
5. Select the Receive new results by email when the dashboard is refreshed checkbox if you want the subscriber to receive an email notification each time the dashboard is refreshed. 
6. Select the Edit Recipients button and then search for users. Select Add to add the user to the list of recipients. They will now be displayed under the Subscribers section. To remove a subscriber, select the X button to the right of their name. 
   • Please note: The dashboard must be saved in a public folder to add users as subscribers.
7. Press Save to finalize this subscription.