Dashboard

1 Open the dashboard

Click Dashboard in the top menu bar. The page keeps Status highlighted because the dashboard belongs to the Status group.

Top menu bar of SoftwareCentral with the Dashboard button between Applications and Patches, and Status highlighted below the bar. — Click **Dashboard** in the top menu bar.

Each dashboard is a tab. Click a tab name to show that dashboard. Its graphs are loaded below the tabs.

2 Set the dashboard collections

Two graphs use collections that you choose in the settings. Set them before you build your dashboards.

Go to Settings › SoftwareCentral › Interface Settings. Under this group, choose:

Setting	What it is used for
Dashboard - Workstation collection	The collection of workstations that the workstation graphs read from.
Dashboard - Server collection	The collection of servers that the server graphs read from.

Settings page with SoftwareCentral expanded and Interface Settings selected. The rows Dashboard - Workstation collection and Dashboard - Server collection show Select collection drop-downs. — Under **Interface Settings**, select a collection for **Dashboard - Workstation collection** and for **Dashboard - Server collection**, then press **Save Settings**.

Until both are set The graphs that need a collection are listed in the Add graph to dashboard list with a tooltip that says the collection is missing. See the troubleshooting table at the end of this page.

3 Interface overview

The page has a left menu, the dashboard in the middle, and an editing panel on the right.

Dashboard page with the Create new dashboard button at the top left, the dashboard tabs Client Information, Endpoint and Last scan times, several graphs and a general information grid, and the Edit, Delete and Export buttons at the bottom right. — The left menu has **Create new dashboard**. The bottom right has **Edit**, **Delete** and **Export** for the dashboard that is selected.

Button	What it does	Shown when
Create new dashboard	Starts a new dashboard with an empty editing panel.	Your role has the CreateDashboard menu button.
Edit	Opens the editing panel for the selected dashboard. The button then reads Save, and Delete reads Cancel.	Your role has the EditDashboard menu button.
Delete	Opens a confirmation window for the selected dashboard.	Your role has the DeleteDashboard menu button.
Export	Exports the selected dashboard to PDF (tooltip: Export to PDF).	Always, when there is a dashboard.

Each dashboard can contain a maximum of 6 graphs or grids. The dashboard adapts to the number of graphs and to the size of the browser window.

Six is the limit When the list already has six items, adding another is refused with Maximum 6 elements per dashboard. Remove an item first.

4 Filter a graph

Use the legend under a graph to hide the labels that hold most of the data.

Four graphs of a dashboard, each with a legend below it. The legend lists the labels and counts, for example Count: 1 - True and Count: 1 - False. — The legend below each graph lists its labels. Click a label in the legend to hide its data in the graph.

Not checked The hiding by clicking a legend label is the behaviour of the chart control; it was not tested on the current build for this page.

5 Detailed information

Click a part of a graph, or a row in a grid, to see the devices behind it.

Detailed View window with a grid of resource ID, computer name and the Is VM check box, a filter row above the grid, a tooltip True Count 1 and a Cancel button. — The **Detailed View** window lists the rows behind the part you clicked. The resource ID in this picture is masked.

The window has a CSV export button in its top right corner. Use it to take the data into a spreadsheet for further investigation.

Not while editing The detail window does not open while a dashboard is in edit mode. Press Save or Cancel first.

6 Create a dashboard

Click Create new dashboard. A new tab is added and the editing panel opens on the right.

Type a name in Dashboard name. The name can be up to 60 characters.
Choose a graph or grid in Add graph to dashboard. The drop-down can be filtered by typing. Each graph you choose is added to the list Change order of graphs.
Repeat step 2 for each graph, up to six.
Put the graphs in order with the up and down arrows beside the list, or by dragging them. Remove a graph with the X beside it.
Set the security roles (see Security roles), then press Save.

Editing panel of a dashboard with Dashboard name, Add graph to dashboard, the list Change order of graphs with five graphs, the Add to security role button, and Save and Cancel buttons at the bottom. — The editing panel. This picture is taken with **Edit** on an existing dashboard; **Create new dashboard** opens the same panel.

Save needs a name and a graph If the name is empty, Name is missing appears under the name box. If the list has no graph, pressing Save leaves the panel open without a message.

7 Dashboard variables

Some graphs need one more value before they can be added. The value is chosen in a small window.

When you choose such a graph, the window Select dashboard variabel opens. Select the value and press Save Dashboard. The graph is then added to the list.

Select dashboard variabel window with the text asking for a value, a Distribution Point Path drop-down and a Save Dashboard button. — Earlier version of the picture: the window and its **Save Dashboard** button. This picture is not recaptured yet.

To change the value of an item later, click the small icon at the right of the item in the list (tooltip Change variabel). The same window opens, and you can choose another value.

Change order of graphs list with several items, and the small icon at the right of one item marked with a red box. — Earlier version of the picture: the small icon at the right of an item is the **Change variabel** button. This picture is not recaptured yet.

8 Security roles

Choose which security roles can see a dashboard.

In the editing panel, press Add to security role. The window Select security roles opens with a list of all security roles.
Tick the roles that should see the dashboard.
Press Save Security Roles. Then press Save on the dashboard.

Select security roles window with the list of roles Application Manager, SoftwareCentral Administrators New, SCCM and Intune and Test Role, each with a check box, and the Save Security Roles button at the bottom. — The **Select security roles** window. Tick the roles, then press **Save Security Roles**.

A dashboard that has no role ticked is visible to every security role. A dashboard with one or more roles ticked is visible to those roles only.

New dashboards start with your role When you create a dashboard, the security role you are signed in with is ticked for you. If you untick it and no other role is ticked, the dashboard is visible to every role.

9 Edit a dashboard

Click the dashboard's tab, then press Edit in the lower right corner.

The editing panel opens as in Create a dashboard. The button Edit becomes Save, and Delete becomes Cancel. Press Save to keep your changes, or Cancel to leave the dashboard unchanged.

10 Delete a dashboard

Click the dashboard's tab, then press Delete in the lower right corner.

A confirmation window opens and asks whether you want to delete the dashboard. Press Delete in that window to delete it, or Cancel to keep it.

11 Best practice

Set the two dashboard collections first. Without them, the workstation and server graphs cannot show data (see the troubleshooting table).
Limit a dashboard to the roles that need it. A dashboard with no role ticked is visible to every role, so tick a role whenever the data should be restricted.
Give the three dashboard buttons only to the roles that manage dashboards. Create new dashboard, Edit and Delete are hidden from a role that does not have their menu button.
Keep dashboards focused. Six graphs is the limit; a second dashboard for another audience is easier to read than a crowded one.
Use the detail view before you act. Open the Detailed View window and export its CSV to check the devices behind a figure first.

12 Troubleshooting

Symptom	Cause	What to do
Tooltip Collection missing, go to the settings menu and select a dashboard workstation colelction (the spelling is as shown)	No collection is set for Dashboard - Workstation collection.	Go to Settings › SoftwareCentral › Interface Settings, select the collection and press Save Settings.
Tooltip Collection missing, go to the settings menu and select a dashboard server colelction	No collection is set for Dashboard - Server collection.	Set Dashboard - Server collection in the same place.
Maximum 6 elements per dashboard	The list already has six graphs.	Remove a graph with its X, then add the new one.
Name is missing	The Dashboard name box is empty when you press Save.	Type a name of up to 60 characters.
Pressing Save does nothing and no message appears	The list of graphs is empty.	Add at least one graph, then press Save again.
The Edit, Delete or Create new dashboard button is missing	Your security role does not have the matching menu button.	Ask an administrator to give your role the button in the menu-button setting.
A dashboard is missing from the tabs for a user	The dashboard has security roles ticked, and the user's role is not one of them.	An editor adds the user's role in Add to security role, or unticks all roles so the dashboard is visible to every role.