Dashboards give you a single visual page combining multiple reports, lists, and metrics for teams or managers. You'll build one from scratch and set up sharing so the right people see it by default.
Why dashboards replace scattered reports
Before dashboards, stakeholders had to hunt through multiple report URLs, bookmark individual widgets, or ask analysts to pull numbers manually. Managers couldn't get a quick pulse on team performance without opening five different screens. Teams couldn't share a common view of priorities or metrics. The people who build these dashboards — platform admins and report developers — were fielding constant requests for "just show me everything on one page."
How dashboards organize information
A dashboard is a container that holds widgets — reports, charts, lists, and other visual components arranged in rows and columns. You start by creating the dashboard structure, then add widgets from existing reports or build new ones inline. The key difference from homepages: dashboards live in Performance Analytics and support better sharing controls, while homepages are older technology tied to individual users. Most widgets come from reports you've already built, but you can create simple lists and charts directly on the dashboard.
Making dashboards useful for teams
A basic dashboard shows data. A production-quality one gets seen and used daily. The improvements that matter: setting it as the default landing page for specific roles, sharing with groups instead of individuals, and organizing widgets logically with clear titles. You can also create multiple tabs within a dashboard for different views of the same data, and set refresh intervals so metrics stay current without manual reloading.
Before you start
- •pa_admin role or admin role for dashboard creation
- •Existing reports to populate dashboard widgets
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Step by step
Navigate to dashboard creation
Go to Performance Analytics > Dashboards > View/Run. Click the New button to create a dashboard. Fill in the Name field with something descriptive like "IT Team Weekly Dashboard" — this name appears in the dashboard picker and sharing settings.
Configure basic dashboard settings
Set the Group field to the team that should manage this dashboard. Leave Public unchecked unless you want all users to see it. The Layout defaults to flexible grid, which auto-arranges widgets — keep this unless you need precise positioning.
Set the Group even if you're the only editor — it makes handoff easier later.
Add your first widget
Click Add Content, then choose Widget. Select "Report" as the widget type. Pick an existing report from the Report dropdown — this could be a chart, list, or metric you've already built. Set the Title to describe what the widget shows and click Add Widget.
Position and size the widget
Drag the widget corners to resize it. Most charts work well at 6 columns wide by 4 rows tall. Lists need more height — try 6 by 8. Drag widgets by their title bars to reposition them. The grid snaps widgets into place automatically.
Add additional widgets
Repeat the Add Content process for each report you want to display. Mix different widget types — put key metrics at the top, detailed lists below them. You can also add Text widgets for headers or explanations between data widgets.
Set up dashboard sharing
Click the Share icon at the top right. Add groups or roles that should see this dashboard. Check "Set as default" to make this dashboard appear when users in those roles visit the Performance Analytics homepage. Click Save to apply sharing settings and save the dashboard.
Test the dashboard view
Click the dashboard name in the breadcrumb to return to the dashboard list, then click your new dashboard to see it as users will. Check that widgets load correctly and data makes sense. If widgets look cramped or empty, return to edit mode and adjust sizing.
Best practices
Always set a Group owner on dashboards even if you're building them solo — it prevents orphaned dashboards when people change roles.
Don't make dashboards default for broad roles like "itil" unless the content applies to everyone in that role — users get frustrated seeing irrelevant metrics.
Keep widgets focused on a single metric or list — combining unrelated data in one widget makes dashboards harder to scan quickly.
Set widget refresh intervals based on how often the underlying data changes — hourly for incident counts, daily for monthly trend reports.
Use consistent sizing for similar widget types — all your metric widgets should be the same dimensions, all your lists should be similar heights.
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