Beginners Guide: create your first dashboard

Dashboards using advanced visualization allow users to compare and track various data metrics at a glance, providing a cohesive view of key insights from multiple data sources, etc.

Take a look at how a dashboard is created using our BHT training dashboard as an example.

Step 1 | Create a blank dashboard

• Go to My Space → Open/create a folder where the dashboard will be placed;

• Click on the + sign and select Dashboard ;

• Name a dashboard;

• Click on the ‘Create’ button.

You can skip this step and create a dashboard during the chart or table export (step 2), but in that case, the dashboard will be saved in the default folder, which is the same as the database folder.

Step 2 | Export charts and graphs

• Open a Database and create a crosstab/chart;

• Click on Export to Dashboard icon;

• Select the newly created dashboard;

• Click on the Export button.

• In the pop-up window, you can click CREATE NEW DASHBOARD and export a chart to a new dashboard. The created dashboard will be placed in the same folder where the database is located.

Step 3 | VIEW vs EDIT mode

Our dashboards have two modes: VIEW and EDIT.

Dashboard design settings, widget configuration, and control creation are done in EDIT mode. Control testing and dashboard presentation are done in VIEW mode. All dashboards open in VIEW mode by default. Only those users who have EDIT rights can enter EDIT mode.

The screen below shows the widget in EDIT mode.

To switch between the modes click EDIT or VIEW in the toolbar. If it says VIEW then you are already in EDIT mode and vice versa.

Step 4 | Create controls

Controls play a pivotal role in enhancing the interactivity of your dashboard - it is where you bring data to life. When you create a control, you create a ‘selector’, e.g., buttons, dropdown lists, tick boxes, etc. These allow your users to pick and view different audiences. 

What is selected on the controls:

• can be put on axes (rows, columns, splits);

• can work as filters;

• can mask the data;

• can highlight, pin, or sort the options,

• etc. The possibilities of controls and their functionality are very vast.

To create a control, click the ‘Create a control’ icon in the dashboard toolbar. You will be redirected to the control editor. You can adjust the look and feel of the control:

• Choose the type: buttons, dropdown, accordion, range, etc.

• Specify whether the selection of options should be single or multiple.

• Adjust the orientation, give the title, and more.

Next, we SAVE control to return to our dashboard canvas editor, and here we can link them with charts, using one of the many assignment options.

To assign the control, first select it. A control bar will then appear at the top of all charts on the dashboard. On the chart you wish to link, choose the appropriate assignment option from this bar.

Read more on how to create controls.

Step 5 | Dashboard Menu

You can create separate pages - tabs - on dashboards to avoid excessive scrolling. You can create an unlimited number of tabs on any dashboard. The tab hierarchy is organized as a dashboard menu.

You can choose 3 options for displaying the menu on dashboards (together or separately).

1. Horizontal tabs (all tabs are displayed above the dashboard);

2. Hamburger menu (tabs are hidden under the hamburger button and are accessed with a click);

3. Left panel (all tabs are displayed in the pane on the left of the dashboard).

To add tabs: In EDIT mode, go to Dashboard settings → Menu → Add Tab. New tabs are automatically 'hidden', so you can finish your work before making them visible.

Step 6 | Share your dashboard

To share your new dashboard with other users or non-users, go to the top right-hand corner toolbar and select the Share icon.

In the pop-up screen, you have two different sharing options:

Invitation sharing and Public sharing.

Invitation sharing is the most common method for sharing entities in DataTile. The dashboard owner maintains control over its users by granting them individual access. To share this way, enter the user's email address into the pop-up box, select their access level, and click ‘Invite’.

Public sharing allows you to share a dashboard via a public link, without requiring authentication. This means anyone with the link can access the dashboard in VIEW mode. Public links are ideal for openly publishing your data, such as on a website. If you need to secure your data and control access, it’s better to use invitation sharing.

Please, read this article to learn more about sharing entities like databases, charts, and dashboards or understand the different access levels and their associated rights.