How to Create Data Dashboards

Data Dashboards turn your agency's messages, events, clients, contacts, cases, payments, and opt records into charts you can publish on their own web address. You build each dashboard from components, and you decide whether the dashboard stays a draft, stays private, or goes public.

### Overview

- **What it is:** A hosted, chart based view of your eCourtDate data, made up of components that you configure individually.
- **Why it matters:** A dashboard gives your agency a shareable link, a QR code, and an embed code for the data you already collect, without exporting anything by hand.
- **Who uses it:** Staff who work in **Analytics** > **Dashboards** and want to publish agency metrics to colleagues, partner agencies, or the public.
- **Expected outcomes:** A dashboard at your chosen subdomain and domain, with the components you created, set to draft, private, or public.

### Prerequisites

Before you create a dashboard, make sure you have the following:

- Access to the **Analytics** section of the top navigation bar
- At least one agency to assign to the dashboard (a dashboard with no agencies shows a "No agencies found" warning)
- Data in the source you plan to chart: **messages**, **events**, **clients**, **contacts**, **client_cases**, **payments**, or **opts**
- (Optional) A logo URL and an icon URL for branding
- (Optional) A custom domain aliased to courtdashboards.com, if you do not want to use courtdashboards.com itself

### How-To Steps

#### Step 1: Create the dashboard

1. Click **Analytics** in the top navigation bar.
2. Click the **Dashboards** tab.
3. Enter a name in the **Name** field of the **Create Data Dashboard** card.
4. Select a **Data Source**. The form starts on messages.
5. Select a **Status** of draft, private, or public. The form starts on private.
6. Click **Create**. eCourtDate opens the new dashboard's edit page.

#### Step 2: Configure the dashboard

Work in the **Edit Data Dashboard** card on the left of the dashboard page.

1. Enter a **Subdomain** for the dashboard address.
2. Select a **Domain**. The list holds courtdashboards.com plus any of your domains aliased to it.
3. Enter a **Description** that tells visitors what the dashboard shows.
4. Paste your agency logo address into **Logo URL**.
5. Paste your agency icon address into **Icon URL**.
6. Enter a **Contact Email** for dashboard questions.
7. Confirm the **Data Source** and the **Status**.
8. Set the options you need from the table below.
9. Click the button that shows the agency count (for example **0 Agencies**) to open **Choose Agencies**, then select every agency whose data belongs on the dashboard.
10. Click **Save**.

| Option | What it does |
|--------|--------------|
| **Simulate Data** | Builds the dashboard from simulated data instead of live agency data. |
| **Hide PII** | Hides personally identifiable information from source data, such as client age or reference. |
| **Read Only** | Marks the dashboard read only. The **Data Dashboards** table shows a green dot for read only dashboards. |
| **Allow Downloads** | Allows downloading source data as a CSV export. |
| **Restrict Data Access** | Holds comma separated emails and domains allowed to access source data. Leave it blank to allow anyone with access to the dashboard. |
| **Custom CSS** | Holds custom CSS for the dashboard. |
| **Theme** | Sets the dashboard theme to auto, light, or dark. |

![Demo Dashboard Settings](https://s3.amazonaws.com/ecdassets/images/articles/example-dashboard-edit.png)

#### Step 3: Add a component

Components are the individual charts on the dashboard. You create them on the dashboard page and configure them on their own page.

1. Enter a name in **Component Name** in the **Create Component** card.
2. Click **Create**. The component joins the components list below the card.
3. Click **Edit** next to the component to open its page.

#### Step 4: Configure the component

Work in the **Edit Dashboard Component** card.

1. Enter a **Name** for the chart.
2. Enter a **Description** that appears under the chart title.
3. Select a **Data Source** to override the dashboard's data source, or leave it blank to inherit the dashboard's.
4. Select **Show Legend** and **Show Source Data** as needed. A new component starts with both on.
5. Select a **Type** of count, sum, or rate.
6. Enter a **Sum Field** if you selected the sum type, or select a **Data Compare** datapoint if you selected the rate type.
7. Select a **Date Filter**. The options come from the data source, so messages offers scheduled_at and created_at, while client_cases offers file_date and created_at.
8. Select a **Group By** value. The options come from the data source, and **Any** is always available.
9. Add the values you want in **Data Groups**, which appears once **Group By** holds a value. The list starts empty, so click **Add Custom**, enter a value, then click **Add Custom Group** for each one. **Add All** and **Remove All** change every group at once.
10. Enter an **X axis Title** and a **Y axis Title**.
11. Enter a **Sort** number. Components load in ascending sort order.
12. Click **Add Filter** in the **Filters** list to the right of the card for each filter you need, then set **Filter Field**, **Filter Operator** (=, !=, contains, not contains, <, <=, >, >=), and **Filter Value**.
13. Click **Save**.

![Example Dashboard Component](https://ecdassets.s3.amazonaws.com/images/articles/example-dashboard-component.png)

#### Step 5: Share the dashboard

1. Set **Status** to private or public on the dashboard page, then click **Save**.
2. Click **Data Dashboard Link** to open the dashboard in a new tab.
3. Share the QR code next to that button, which opens the same address.
4. Copy the **iFrame Embed Code** from the **Embed and Share** card to place the dashboard in an external website, dashboard, or mobile app.
5. Click **Open Dashboard** in the **Data Dashboards** table to reach any dashboard from the list.

### What to Expect

Creating a dashboard confirms with a "Data Dashboard created" message and sends you straight to the dashboard's edit page. Every **Save** applies immediately and confirms with "Data Dashboard updated", and creating a component confirms with "Component created". The **Data Dashboard Link** button, the QR code, and the address in the **subdomain** column of the **Data Dashboards** table appear only once the status is private or public, so a draft dashboard has no address to share. Saving a dashboard with the public status turns **Hide PII** on for you.

### Best Practices

- **Assign every agency whose data belongs on the dashboard.** A new dashboard starts with your current agency, and a dashboard with no agencies shows a red warning at the top of the edit page.
- **Build with Simulate Data, then turn it off.** Simulated data lets you shape components before the dashboard shows real agency records.
- **Give every component a Sort number.** Components load in ascending sort order, so the numbers decide the reading order of your charts.
- **Fill in Restrict Data Access whenever Allow Downloads is on.** Left blank, anyone with access to the dashboard can reach the source data.
- **Set a component Data Source only when it differs from the dashboard.** Left blank, the component follows the dashboard, which keeps the **Date Filter** and **Group By** options consistent.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Where do I find Data Dashboards?**

A: Go to **Analytics** > **Dashboards**. Dashboards are not under **Admin** > **Settings**, and **Reports** is a neighboring tab rather than a parent.

**Q: Which data sources can I chart?**

A: Both the dashboard and each component offer messages, events, clients, contacts, client_cases, payments, and opts.

**Q: Can one dashboard cover more than one agency?**

A: Yes. Click the agency count button on the dashboard page and select every agency you need in **Choose Agencies**, then click **Save**.

**Q: Can I change a dashboard from public to private later?**

A: Yes. Change the **Status** field on the dashboard page and click **Save**. Moving to public also turns **Hide PII** on.

**Q: Can a component use a different data source than its dashboard?**

A: Yes. Set **Data Source** on the component page and that source wins. Leave it blank and the component uses the dashboard's data source.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** The dashboard page shows a "No agencies found" warning.

**Symptoms:** A red alert reads "No agencies found. Assign agencies to this dashboard below." and the agency count button reads **0 Agencies**.

**Solution:** Click the agency count button, select the agencies in **Choose Agencies**, then click **Save**.

**Issue:** The **Date Filter**, **Group By**, and **Data Groups** fields have nothing to select.

**Symptoms:** **Date Filter** holds only a blank option, **Group By** offers nothing beyond **Any**, and **Data Groups** never appears.

**Solution:** Select a **Data Source** on the component or on its dashboard, since both option lists are built from the data source. **Data Groups** appears only after you select a **Group By** value, and you fill it yourself with **Add Custom**.

**Issue:** You cannot find a link or QR code for the dashboard.

**Symptoms:** The **Data Dashboard Link** button and QR code are missing from the dashboard page, and the **subdomain** column in the **Data Dashboards** table is empty.

**Solution:** Change **Status** from draft to private or public, then click **Save**.

### Related Articles

- [How to Create Reports](/how-to-create-reports)
- [How to create datapoints](/how-to-create-datapoints)
- [How to explore data source options](/how-to-explore-data-source-options)
- [How to Create a Custom Domain](/how-to-create-a-custom-domain)
- [How to generate qr codes](/how-to-generate-qr-codes)