How to Use Dashboards

Dashboards consists of three interfaces; Organizer, Designer and Read.

• Organizer - a centralized repository of dashboards with thumbnails, user favorites and search functionality. Thumbnails can be customized for each dashboard to represent the data they store.

• Designer - create dashboard elements and design layouts using drag and drop functionality. You can add charts, text, tables and filters as elements into the dashboard. Dashboard designer enforces secured access to hierarchies and data.

• Read - enables slicing and dicing of data and provides insights into the data. You can drill down to the lowest levels of the hierarchy and change filters that immediately reflect across all dashboard elements.

When you click Dashboards, you are directed to the dashboard last accessed.

Dashboard Organizer

Use the Organizer to view your favorite dashboards, all dashboards, to search dashboards, and to view dashboards based on the date modified.

Only the dashboards that you own or those shared with you are displayed in the Organizer.

You can use Dashboards in browser full screen mode by clicking the icon (shown below) located at the top right corner. This action hides the top banner and the left navigation. Press the ESC button on your keyboard or click the icon to exit full screen mode.

Viewing All or Favorite Dashboards

Click the All or Favorites links to toggle back and forth between the two views. To make a dashboard a favorite, click the star icon so that it displays in a yellow color as shown above for the Sales Dashboard.

Setting Default Page

Click the Set Default Page option to set your dashboard landing page preference.

• Last Viewed Dashboard - When you set this as your preference and navigate to the Dashboard section, you will view the previously accessed dashboard on your dashboard landing page. This option is selected by default.

• Dashboard Listing - When you set this as your preference and navigate to the Dashboard section, you will view all the dashboards you can access listed on the dashboard landing page. All or Favorites page is displayed based on the last user access.

Understanding More Options

Click More Options to edit , duplicate , delete , or share a dashboard. You can also click Upload Thumbnail to upload an image if one does not already exist. If a thumbnail exists, the Edit Thumbnail and Remove Thumbnail options are available.

In Practice :Accessing the Reporting Role Option

1. Go to Maintenance > Admin > User and Role Management , and click Add. The Add User window appears.

2. You can view the Reporting Role option along with other necessary parameters needed to add a new user.

3. Select an appropriate Reporting Role from the list. Following are the options available:

Regular User: When you assign this role to anyone, they can access the Reports or Dashboards which they have created on their own or when someone has shared the Report or Dashboard with them.

Reporting Administrator: When you assign this role to anyone, they can access any Report or Dashboard (existing and new) available in Planful.

Editing a Dashboard

Select to edit a dashboard directly from the dashboard thumbnail and the dashboard will open in Edit mode. This option reduces clicks and is available for users with Edit or Full access to the dashboard.

In Practice

1. Open Dashboards.

2. Click More on a dashboard tile.

   

3. Select Edit. The dashboard opens in Edit mode.

   

Duplicating a Dashboard

You can duplicate a dashboard from the organizer, designer or read interfaces.
To duplicate a dashboard from the Organizer:

1. From the Organizer, click More Options and select Duplicate.

2. A message will appear indicating that the duplication was successful.

3. The dashboard will appear last in the Organizer.

Deleting a Dashboard

You can delete a dashboard from the organizer, designer or read interfaces. When you delete a dashboard, all charts and other dashboard elements and their metadata and settings are removed from the application.

Sharing a Dashboard

To share a dashboard:

1. From the Organizer, click More Options and select Share.

2. The Share Selected page appears. Enter user or user group names in the search field and select the user or user group that appears as you type.

   

3. For the newly selected user or user group, select from the following options:

• Full Control - user or user group can organize, delete, and share the dashboard.

• Can Edit - user or user group cannot make layout changes to the dashboard nor can the user or user group duplicate, delete or share the dashboard. However, the user or user group can edit the dashboard.

• Can View - user or user group can view the dashboard and modify the filters.

4. Click Share.

Reset User Preferences

You can use this option to reset the selections made by the users with whom the dashboard is shared and reset the values that you have set in Global and Chart filters. When you select this option, all the filter selections (Global and Chart level) made by other users in the dashboard are cleared, and when they run the dashboard, the latest Global and Chart filters set by you are applied to their Charts until further modification.

In Practice :Accessing the Reset User Selection option

1. Go to Dashboards and select any dashboard.

2. Click Edit.

3. Update the Global or Chart level filters.

4. Click the More Optionsicon in the Menu Bar.

5. Select the Reset User Selectionoption so that the changes you made are reflected in other users' dashboard.

   

Exporting a Dashboard

To export a dashboard:

1. From the Organizer, click More Options and select Export. The Export Selected pop-up window is displayed.

2. Select the required format from the drop-down list and click Export.

   

Limitations

• When you export any Dashboard:

  • The dimension member label may not be displayed accurately. The workaround is to increase the chart size.

  • The space above the chart filter name gets reduced.

  • The complete filter name is not displayed. The workaround is to increase the chart size.

  • Table borders are not displayed properly.

The above limitations may not occur every time you export any Dashboard.

Best Practice

• If the rendering of the exported dashboard is an important requirement, utilize the export while building the dashboard and adjust the dimensions of the various objects on the dashboard to achieve the most accurate export.

• You need to zoom the exported file for better visibility.

Exporting a Chart in a Dashboard

When you open any dashboard and hover over the charts, you can view an Export icon on the top right corner of the chart. You can use this option to export the corresponding chart in PDF, PNG, JPEG/JPG formats. The Export option is available in all the Dashboards containing charts. This option is applicable for all the chart types and tables.

When you export a chart, all the Chart filters, titles, subtitles, formatting, labels, and chart settings are preserved in the exported chart, and you can view the chart as it is displayed in the Dashboard. You can also export any chart in a dashboard in drill-down mode.

Uploading a Thumbnail

Every dashboard is initially displayed with a default thumbnail. When you click Upload Thumbnail, the Upload Thumbnail Image page displays where you can drag and drop a .jpeg , .jpg or .png image or click browse to locate the image.

Overriding Substitution Variables

The Substitution Variables icon shown below is available when:

• Substitution variables are used in filters (both dashboard and chart level)

• Substitution variables are used in charts

• Substitution variables are used on horizontal or vertical axis

• Substitution variables are used on secondary axis

• Substitution variables are used in tables

• Substitution variables are used in text areas

• Substitution variables are used in KPIs

• Substitution variables are used in titles, subtitles, or descriptions

• Substitution variables are used in custom members

For detailed information on using Substitution Variables in Dashboards, see the Substitution Variable section in the Dashboards Admin Guide.