Dashboard Designer Interface

The Dashboard Designer is a web-based UI for embedding reports, Ad Hoc views, and other objects into a single, interactive space. You can compile dashboards that include pre-existing elements, such as reports and views, and create new charts, tables, and crosstabs from your data sources directly from the designer.

 

The Dashboard Designer UI includes the following panels on the left-hand side of your screen:

Available Content: From here, you can drag content onto the Dashboard Canvas. This includes the following items:

New Content: lists the control elements you can create for your dashboard.

Existing Content: Lists the Ad Hoc views and reports you can access.

Filters: Lists all filters associated with any resource added to the dashboard.

 

Dashboard Canvas: This is where you create and edit your dashboard. It includes the following sections:

Title Bar: Displays the name of the dashboard.

Main Creation Area: Area where you build your dashboard.

Toolbar Buttons: See table below.

 

Icon	Name	Description
	Preview	Click to display current dashboard as viewed by the end-user.
	Save/Save As	Hover cursor over icon to open a menu of save options.
	Undo	Click to undo the most recent action.
	Redo	Click to redo the most recent undone action.
	Undo All	Click to revert the dashboard to the most recently saved state.
	Filter Manager	Click to open the Filter Manager.
	Dashboard Properties	Click to open the Dashboard Properties box.
	Show/Hide Grid	Click to display or hide a grid.

Each element on your dashboard is called a Dashlet. Dashlets have unique names and resource IDs, and editable properties that vary depending on the Dashlet type. Your permissions to access the repository may limit the content you can add.

 

Dashlets and Dashboard Elements

Each element added to your dashboard is called a Dashlet.

To add a Dashlet to your dashboard, simply select a content element and drag it onto the dashboard canvas.

Dashlets can include the following elements, which you can access from the Available Content section. In the previous section, we briefly covered the New Content, Existing Content and Filters sections; however, we will define them a little more in-depth below:

 

New Content

• Chart: Allows you to create a chart within the Dashboard Designer.

• Crosstab: Allows you to create a crosstab within the Dashboard Designer.

• Table: Allows you to create a table within the Dashboard Designer.

• Text: A free-form text entry field. Resizing this type of item changes the size of the font in the label. Use free-text items to add titles and instructional text to the dashboard.

• Web Page: Any URL-addressable web content. The dashboard can point to web content and include it in a frame in a webpage. As an example, you might include a frame that points to the logo on your corporate website; when the logo changes, the dashboard automatically updates to reflect the branding change.

 

Existing Content: Reports and Ad Hoc views that are accessible to you.

Filters: If a report you include on the dashboard is designed to use input controls or filters, you can add that capability to the dashboard. The server maps input controls to one or more frames. For example, if multiple reports include the same parameter, the server automatically maps the corresponding control to each of those reports when you add the input control to the dashboard. Controls can also be manually mapped to custom URL frames.

 

Note: In addition to the main element, your dashlet may contain a maximize icon , depending on how the dashlet properties are set. Click this icon to open the dashlet as a larger view.

 

Dashboard Properties

You may view and edit the basic appearance of all dashlets on your dashboard, and determine the refresh settings, through the Dashboard Properties.

 

On the dashboard toolbar, click to open the Dashboard Properties screen.

 

Figure: Dashboard Properties Screen

 

Edit the Dashlet Settings, if needed. The following options are available:

• Show dashlet borders: Select or deselect this to show or hide the thin lines around each dashlet.

• Dashlet outer martin in pixels: Enter the desired width, in pixels, of the margins between dashlets.

• Dashlet inner padding in pixels: Enter the desired width, in pixels, of the padding inside each dashlet.

 

Edit the Refresh Settings, if needed.The following options are available:

• Auto-refresh dashboard contents: Select or deselect this to enable to disable automatic refresh for your content.

• Refresh Interval: Enter the number of seconds or minutes between each content refresh, using the text entry and drop-down menu.

 

Dashlet Properties

You can view and edit the appearance of and basic information for each dashlet on your dashboard, and determine the refresh settings, through the Dashlet properties. The available properties vary based on the type of dashlet you are working with.

 

In order to view and edit the Dashlet properties:

1. Right-click (or double-click) on the dashlet and select Properties to open the Dashlet Properties screen.

 

Figure: Dashlet Properties Screen

 

2. Click Apply to view the changes, OK to accept the changes, or Cancel to discard the changes.

 

Properties for Dashlets containing charts, crosstabs, tables, reports, and Ad Hoc views include:

• Dashlet Name: Editable field for the displayed dashlet name.

• Resource ID: Non-editable ID taken from the original dashlet name.

• Source Data: Non-editable path of the source data.

• Show/Hide Dashlet elements: Select or deselect to show or hide the title bar, which includes the dashlet name, refresh button, and maximize button.

• Scale to Fit: Use the drop-down menu to determine how the element is scaled in the dashlet.

• Refresh Settings: Select or deselect to enable or disable auto-refresh, and use the text entry and drop-down menu to set the time between each content refresh. This setting overrides refresh properties set at the dashboard level.

 

Properties for Dashlets containing text include:

• Dashlet Name: Editable field or the displayed dashlet name.

• Resource ID: Non-editable ID taken from the original dashlet name.

• Text: Editable field for the text displayed in the dashlet.

• Font: Use the selection lists and buttons to set the font, font size, font style, alignment, and font color for the text displayed in the dashlet.

 

Properties for dashlets containing a Web Page include:

• Dashlet Name: Editable field for the displayed dashlet name.

• Resource ID: Non-editable ID taken from the original dashlet name.

• Web Page Address (URL): Editable field for the URL displayed in the dashlet.

• Show/Hide Dashlet elements: Select or deselect to show or hide the title bar, which includes the dashlet name, refresh button, and maximize button.

• Show scroll bars: Select or deselect to show or hide scroll bars.

• Refresh Settings: Select or deselect to enable or disable auto-refresh, and use the text entry and drop-down menu to set the time between each content refresh. This setting overrides refresh properties set at the dashboard level.

 

Properties for dashlets containing a filter include:

• Dashlet Name: Editable field for the displayed dashlet name.

• Resource ID: Non-editable ID taken from the original dashlet name.

• Show/Hid Dashlet buttons: Select or deselect to show or hide the Apply button or Reset button.

• Position of dashlet buttons: Use the drop-down menu to select bottom or right.

 

 

Related Topics

Reports Home

Creating a Report

Dashboard Processes

Tips for Designing Dashboards

Working with Legacy Dashboards

Filter Manager