Introduction to Automate Dashboards#

Overview#

Dashboards are a collection of configurable widgets on a single page that can serve as a default landing page and can also be made available on a user menu. The widgets can allow for the easy access of frequently used tasks and for a quick view - as a counter, table or chart - of data in the system.

Note

  • Where dashboard widgets show data, the hierarchy at which the dashboard containing the widget is displayed, will filter data values and counts accordingly in the respective widgets.

  • Dashboard fields showing the item hierarchy (similar to Located At) are updated only when a full sync runs. For example, if you’ve added users to the system and then moved them to a site, any charts, counters, or tables showing a count of users (at that site or at the system level), will only reflect the correct number of users once a full sync runs and not when simply refreshing the dashboard or widget in a real-time sync. In this case, until you run the full sync, the hierarchy fields for these users display on dashboard charts, tables, or widget counters as with no (empty) hierarchy value. See Dashboard Sync and Refresh.

  • Dashboards can also be accessed by URL links containing the dashboard name - in the following format:

    /portal/#/admin/dashboard;name=<dashboard_name>

    If <dashboard_name> contains spaces, use URL encoded spaces, e.g. :

    /portal/#/admin/dashboard;name=Dashboard%20Call%20Groups

    This link format allows support for cross-launching from portals where the name of the dashboard is known.

Administrator users with roles referring to Access Profiles that allow for the creation and update of dashboards, can design and add dashboards to menus. For details, see: the Dashboard Permissions section in Access Profiles: Access Profile Permissions and Operations.

Landing Page Conversion to Dashboards in Release 24.1#

When upgrading to Automate release 24.1, existing landing pages on VOSS Automate are converted to dashboards: new data/Dashboard records are created from data/LandingPage records.

In particular:

  • Landing page welcome headers are converted to a Text widget using Markdown, with the header prefix as ## and the text prefixed with ###.

  • Landing page Sections are converted to dashboard Links widgets.

    Where a landing page link setting had Set default Model Type enabled for a link, this setting is also enabled in the dashboard links widget for each corresponding link.

    Long lists of links may result in a scrollbar showing on the widget. In this case, the number of links can divided into multiple widgets by modifying the converted dashboard.

  • Landing page Counters are converted to individual counters dashboard widgets, grouping 3 counters into a single widget at a time. The counters use Automate models as source.

    The layout of the converted counter widgets can be modified as required.

  • Landing page chart Widgets are not converted.

    Examples are:

    • Cisco Headset Summary

    • Number Inventory Chart

    • Cisco UCCX Agent Stats Chart

    • Usage Growth Chart

    • Webex Teams License Chart

    These can be created and added as a dashboard chart widget if required - see: Introduction to Automate Dashboards.

  • Saved Searches have been moved to the user’s Settings > Account page.

  • For default and custom landing pages in the system, the conversion process retains replaces any landing page indication LP suffix in the name with a dashboard equivalent Dashboard.

  • For other custom landing pages found on an upgraded system that included landing page conversion, the original landing page names are retained after conversion as instances of dashboards with the same name.

  • Where landing pages allowed a Condition to be set at section level, the converted Links dashboards only provide conditions for each individual link.

  • Where landing pages allowed a Condition to be set as well as a Condition at section level, the converted Links dashboards provide both conditions for each individual link - joined with a logical AND.

These dashboards allow for the same functionality as existing landing pages, but have an enhanced editing interface where for example a wide variety of chart widgets can be added to enrich dashboards. It is recommended that the dashboard conversions be inspected and edited if needed.

For details on dashboards, their maintenance and initial sync requirements after the addition of dashboard widgets, see: Introduction to Automate Dashboards.

A new database and resource model for its data has also been added: Insights reporter resources (data/ReporterResource).

As a part of the landing page to dashboard conversion during upgrade, the following related elements are also migrated:

  • Role: assigned landing pages are replaced with equivalent dashboards.

  • Access Profile: landing page type-specific permissions are replaced with equivalent, newly created dashboard permissions to Insights reporter resources. For details, see the Dashboard Permissions section in Access Profiles: Access Profile Permissions and Operations.

  • Menu Layout: menu items containing landing pages as type are replaced with dashboard and the converted dashboard is matched and added. Any landing page display_as entries are also coverted to dashboard entries.

  • Configuration Template: references to landing pages are replaced with the dashboard equivalent.

  • Field Display Policy: groups and field_overrides roles containing references to landing pages are replaced with matching dashboards.