Dashboard designer

The Dashboard Designer allows users to aggregate multiple analytical elements into a single, cohesive visual display. It provides a canvas to arrange interactive charts, tables, structured reports, and descriptive text into responsive executive dashboards.

Dashboards are built by adding and arranging modular Blocks on the canvas. Each block serves a distinct visual or analytical purpose:

Simple Charts & Tables

Purpose: Quick visual analytics and baseline metrics.

Use Cases: Simple time-series trends (e.g., net sales over time), quick breakdown bar charts, or raw data tables without requiring a full underlying report pipeline.

Previously Designed Reports

Purpose: Advanced data modeling and complex visualizations.

Use Cases: Embeds fully compiled reports built using the Report Designer. This enables advanced database joins, metal-level SQL aggregations, and post-processing formulas (Fn utilities) to drive high-density visualizations (such as location performance matrix views or stock aging summaries).

Formatted Text

Purpose: Contextual documentation and narrative.

Use Cases: Rich text blocks for section headers, executive summaries, operational instructions, or dynamic key performance indicator (KPI) commentary.

1: Initiate a New Dashboard

Navigate to the side menu and select "New dashboard."

You'll be taken to a blank dashboard with a date range, owner information, sharing status, and a filter configuration panel.

2: Add a Block to Your Dashboard

Click "Add block" to add empty block to the layout, then click on the empty block to start the content creation wizard.

3: Choose Your Content Type

In the wizard, select what type of content you want to add:

New chart or table: Build a new visualization directly from your data sources.
Existing report: Embed a complete, pre-built report that is already saved in the system.
Custom text: Add formatted text using Markdown for titles, descriptions, or links.
Custom report: Upload and embed a previously created report from a local file (exported report file).

4A: Configure a New Chart

If you selected "New chart or table":

Select Data:

Choose your data source (e.g., "Apply Sales").
Define the X-Axis (e.g., "Agent Name").
Click "ADD Y-AXIS" to define a value.
For each value, select the metric (e.g., "Sales Cost") and aggregation (e.g., "Sum").
Set the Time filter by selecting the appropriate date/datetime column.

Click Next. Select Visualization type:

Select how to display your data (e.g., bar chart, line chart, table).
A preview of the resulting table or chart will appear

4B: Embed an Existing Report

If you selected "Existing report":

Select Report:

Browse and select a saved report from the list (e.g., "DEMO REPORT").
You can reload the report or view its code if needed.

4C: Add Custom Text

If you selected "Custom text":

Enter Content:

Type or paste your text into the editor.
Use Markdown to format text, create headings, add bold/italic, and insert hyperlinks to other reports or dashboards (e.g., [Report](//#/reports/existing-report)).

4D: Upload a Custom Report

If you selected "Custom report":

Upload Report File:

You will be prompted to upload a previously created and exported report file from your local computer.
This allows you to import complex reports that were built externally or in a different instance.

5: Finalize and Save

After configuring your block, click "NEXT" through the wizard until you reach the final "Done!" step.
Enter a Block Caption for your new visualization in the dashboard's configuration panel.
Give your dashboard a title, click the "Save" button, and confirm to publish it.

Complex Logic: If your visualization requires logic beyond simple aggregations (like calculated fields, complex joins, or conditional formatting), use the Report Designer to build your logic, save the report, and then embed it into your dashboard using the "Existing report" option.
Sharing & Visibility: By default, your dashboard is private and visible only to you. To collaborate, use the "Sharing enabled" feature. Once shared, the dashboard becomes visible to your team, allowing others to view and interact with it.
Portability: Use the "Custom report" option to upload a previously exported report file. This is ideal for sharing complex reports between different system instances, teams, or for backup and migration purposes.

Unified Global Context & Filter Alignment

All blocks placed on a dashboard are bound to a single, unified Global Context. This ensures that changing a filter at the top of the dashboard dynamically re-evaluates all underlying blocks in unison.

Key Context Controls

Global Date Range Selector: Sets the active evaluation timeframe (e.g., 01/07/2026 - 31/07/2026) across all simple charts and embedded reports.

Dropdown Filters: Applies global dimension slicing across the dashboard (e.g., filtering by Location, Store Category, or Product Group).

Filter Mapping Requirement

To ensure consistent data rendering, all embedded blocks must be covered by the dashboard's global filters.

Example: If an embedded report references a location filter parameter in its underlying Data Editor query or Fn formula, a corresponding Location dropdown filter must be configured on the dashboard layout. Missing filter mappings can result in un-sliced or orphaned dataset calculations.

Excel Workbook Export

Dashboards can be exported directly into an organized Microsoft Excel Workbook for offline analysis or executive distribution.

Structure: The export engine converts each dashboard block into a dedicated worksheet tab (one block per sheet).

Preserved Context: The exported workbook honors the active global date range and filter selections applied at the time of export.

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