When you create a template, it is defined as a 'User template'. I have created a dashboard called 'Sales' also, and here are the steps to allowing access for other users/teams:

1. From the dashboard screen, select 'Templates' then 'Dashboard Templates'

2. Select 'User templates', then select your dashboard:

Notice at this point, it is split by the users. When logged in as a system admin, as I am, I can see all templates, however, only the users that the dashboards are under can see them.

3. Once the dashboard you wish to make available to other users is selected, select 'Clone':

4.Once cloned, you will be re-directed to the template menu:

At this point you can rename it and give it a category etc.

5. Select 'Assigned Users' tab, and then the 'Assign' button:

6. Assign to the desired users:

Now when that user logs in, they can select the dashboard:

To set the report, so it filters to the logged on user, navigate to the report, and edit it:

Ensure that 'Filter by Current User' is selected for the report. Whoever views the dashboard, it will then only show data that is assigned to them (as long as you are basing this on the _assigneduserId field).

Hope that helps.

Thank you so very much. I am very grateful for your help!

I don't let dashboard get me down, I let things like car insurance premiums, poor food at service stations or how ridiculously over animated the people on 'Storage Hunters' are, occupy my mind.

1. Difference between a template and a dashboard

A template can be assigned to many users, a dashboard cannot.

2. Do I need a template then a dashboard or can I not bother with the template?

The above should help answer that, depends what you want to do with it.

3. What is the process from start to finish of creating what I trying to do above? The details of what is on the gadgets is not important as you can assume I have the correct reports.

Here is how I create a dashboard that I can then assign to many users:

Select the 'New' button

Give my dashboard a name and all that stuff

Once created, you will see it in the list of templates, you can then assign users, and modify the gadgets.

When an assigned user logs in, they then have the dashboard available to them:

To then amend them thereafter, go to the templates list, highlight the template you wish to amend, and then hit 'modify gadgets'.

4. If I want a gadget that shows "My open cases" for example, how do I tell the dashboard to filter on the current user?

Filter the report by the current user, it is a checkbox when creating the report.

Thanks Toby. Any chance you could rewrite the help files and add the images to them as pointers?

That is a great help!! Really :)

If Sage pay me to do it I would be all over that, don't work for free though, got 'Storage Hunters' to watch.

Thanks Lee for your detailed feedback. We have a suite of workbooks in the pipeline (including one for dashboards) and this is exactly the type of information we are looking for in order to write them - descriptions of your pain points so we can address them.

Thanks Toby for taking the time to answer Lee's questions so clearly and with such useful screenshots!

I'll be sure to let you both know when the Dashboard workbook is published.

Thanks

Emma

Hi Emma,

I look forward to those!

Having written manuals in the past, the thing I found is that as a writer who knows the subject matter, it is often easy to miss things that may seem obvious to the writer but aren't clear to the end reader who is trying to learn. Knowing your target market and understanding what they don't know is very important when writing a manual or guide.

Walkthroughs from start to finish, even as far as writing the SQL views (albeit without a full lesson in SQL coding!) would be great. Explanations of "why" and not just "how" are always good as it gives the reader a good understanding of why the system is the way it is rather than just "you do it this way".

The phrase "a picture is worth a thousand words" is a very apt point. Screenshots with nice arrows and highlighted areas help cement the principles being discussed as well.

We all know that documentation is very often the most overlooked part of any software but when you have such a complex system as this, accurately documenting how to use it and get the most from it is of prime importance.

Many thanks,

Lee

ps. Toby, many thanks again for your walkthrough as it did help me paint a picture in my mind of how it fits together which has certainly helped me get more out of the dashboards.