Dashboard Creation > Dashboard Options

Dashboard Options

There are so many options to manage and configure dashboards. You will learn more about them below.

Manage Dashboards

Navigate to the toggle menu and then click on the Dashboards dropdown menu.

There are 4  main options to manage the dashboard.

  • Dashboards: You can use Dashboards to browse through the dashboards and perform operations such as list, delete, new folder, import, etc.
  • Playlists: It can be used to create a playlist with different dashboard settings.
  • Snapshots: You can view the dashboard snapshots here.
  • Library panels: You can view the library panels here.

Dashboards

Under Dashboard, the Manage Dashboards screen will appear and all the dashboards will be listed here.

The manage dashboards options under Dashboards include:

  1. New Dashboard: Click on it to create a new dashboard.
  2. New Folder: Click on it to create a new folder.
  3. Import: Click on it to import a dashboard.

New Folder

To create a new folder and add dashboards in it.

  1. Click on the New Folder button.
  2. Give a name to the folder.
  3. Click on Create.

Your newly created folder will look like this.

You can click on the +Create Dashboard button to create a new dashboard. in that folder.

You can also go to Manage Dashboards and add a dashboard to the folder from there.

Add Dashboards to Folder

Select the dashboards that you want to add, and click on Move.

You can now see that the selected dashboards are added to your newly created folder.

Import Dashboard

You can import a dashboard from outside sources by clicking on the Import button.

There are 3 ways to import a dashboard:

  1. Upload a . JSON file to import the dashboard.
  2. Import by loading a dashboard URL.
  3. Import via writing or pasting a JSON panel.

Dashboards Grouping

The dashboards can be grouped together in 2 different ways and then can be sorted alphabetically.

  1. Group by Folder: The dashboards will be grouped together folder-wise.
  2. Group by Dashboard: The dashboards will be grouped together as individual dashboards.
  3. Sort: The dashboards will be sorted by (A-Z) or (Z-A).

Delete

To delete a Dashboard, select a dashboard and click on Delete.

Edit Dashboard

Click on a Dashboard to further edit it.

Every time you edit and save the dashboard after making changes, you can add notes to remember the edits.

Dashboard Options

vuSmartMaps provides the following options to edit the Dashboard properties.

  1. Add a Panel: You can click on it to add another panel.
  2. Save Dashboard: Click on it to save the Dashboard.
  3. Dashboard settings: Click on it to access the Dashboard settings.
  4. Time settings: Click on it to select the time range.
  5. Time range zoom out: Click on it to zoom out the time range.
  6. Refresh Dashboard: Click on it to refresh the Dashboard.
  7. Cycle view mode: Click on it to cycle between the Dashboard views.

Show the Dashboard in full-screen

Click on the Cycle view mode to see the dashboard in full-screen.

Click on the Cycle view mode again to change the view modes.

You can click on Esc on your keyboard to exit the full-screen view.

Time Selection for Dashboards

vuSmartMaps provides several ways to manage the time ranges of the data being visualized, for the dashboard, panels, and also for alerting.

Time Units and Relative Ranges

It supports the following time units: s (seconds), m (minutes), h (hours), d (days), w (weeks), M (months), Q (quarters), and y (years).

The minus operator enables you to step back in time, relative to the current time.

The plus operator enables you to step forward in time, relative to the current time. For example, you can use this feature to look at predicted data in the future.

Relative Time Range

Select the relative time range from the Relative time ranges list. You can filter the list using the input field at the top.

The quick time ranges list includes:

  • Last 30 minutes
  • Last 12 hours
  • Last 7 days
  • Last 2 years
  • Yesterday
  • Day before yesterday
  • This day last week
  • Today so far
  • This week so far
  • This month so far

Absolute Time Range

You can set an absolute time range in the following ways:

  • Type values into the From and To fields.
  • You can type exact time values or relative values, such as now-24h, and then click Apply time range.
  • Click in the From or To field. It displays a calendar.
  • Click the day or days you want to use as the current time range and then click Apply time range.

This section also displays recently used absolute ranges.

Global Time Filter

A time filter present in the top right corner of the screen is used to select a time range.

Auto Refresh Dashboard

Click on the Refresh dashboard icon to immediately run every query on the dashboard and refresh the visualizations. It cancels any pending requests when you trigger a refresh.

By default, it does not automatically refresh the dashboard. Queries run on their own schedule according to the panel settings.

However, if you want to regularly refresh the dashboard, then click the down arrow next to the Refresh dashboard icon and then select a refresh interval.

You can select an interval and the Dashboard will automatically refresh at the set time period.

Dashboard Filters

Dashboard filters are an effective mechanism employed within dashboards to refine the dataset presented based on specific criteria. These filters serve multiple purposes, including the ability to concentrate on particular data subsets, facilitate data comparison, and enable the creation of configurable views tailored to specific requirements.

For instance, dashboard filters can be leveraged to observe and evaluate the performance of a targeted application or network device. A support engineer, for instance, can utilize a dashboard filter to access and scrutinize detailed information pertaining to a particular application or network device.

Variables

Variables in dashboards are placeholders for dynamic values used in metric queries and panel titles. They enable the creation of dynamic filters, allowing the filter to be modified based on the variable’s value. By changing the variable value, the metric queries in the dashboard can be adjusted accordingly. For instance, a variable like “$server_name” can be utilized in a metric query to filter CPU usage data for a specific server. Updating the variable value will automatically update the dashboard to display CPU usage for the newly selected server.

Variable Types

  1. Query

Query variables are utilized to populate dropdown lists with values retrieved from data sources based on specific queries. These variables enable users to select options dynamically, which are often employed in filters to refine data based on their selections. For instance, a query variable can be created to fetch a list of countries from a database, allowing the user to choose a specific country and display data pertaining only to that selection.

  1. Custom

Custom variables, on the other hand, are manually defined variables that offer greater control over available options. They can be populated with predefined values or criteria, and are commonly used in filters to restrict data based on specific requirements. As an example, a custom variable can be created with severity levels such as “Critical,” “Error,” “Warning,” and “Information,” which can then be used in a filter to display data relevant to the selected alert severities.

  1. Text Box

Text box variables provide users with the flexibility to enter free-form text values as filters within a dashboard. This type of variable allows for searching or filtering data based on specific text criteria. For instance, a text box variable can be employed as a filter in the dashboard to narrow down data by a specific transaction ID, such as “T1234-5678-9012-3456.”

  1. Ad-Hoc

Ad-hoc variables are dynamic filters that enable users to interactively apply filters on the fly while viewing a dashboard. They allow for quick exploration of specific subsets of data without requiring pre-configuration or predefined filters. For example, an Ad-hoc variable can be created as a filter in the dashboard to filter the last five days’ transactions for a particular customer using a query like “customer name = <name> AND @timestamp = last 5 days.”

Create a New Dashboard Filter

Select the Dashboard that you want to create filers for and follow the steps ahead.

  1. Go to Dashboard Settings > Variables > Add variable

  1. Click on the +New variable button to create a new filter.
  2. The Edit Variables page will open where you have to fill in all the details that are divided mainly into 3 sections:
    • General: Name, Type, Label, Hide and Description
      There are 7 main types of filer variables:
      • Query
      • Custom
      • Text Box
      • Constant
      • Data Source
      • Interval
      • Ad hoc filters
    • Query Options: Data Source, Refresh, Regex and Sort
    • Selection options: Multi-value and Include all options

💡Note: Query, Custom, Text Box, and Ad hoc Filters are only in function currently.

  1. Fill in all the details such as:
    • Select the Query type.
    • Enter a name for your variable.
    • Select the Datasource type.
    • Select the Refresh option.
    • Enter the query that you want to use.

💡Note: The options to be filled will depend on the type of Query selected.

  1. Click on Apply to add the filter.

You can see the new filter added to the list of variables.

Download and View the Data Statistics

vuSmartMaps also provides an option to view the data statistics in terms of data, stats, codes, etc. You can also ask for a new query. Even though you use graphs to visualize the data, sometimes you need all the details and stats in tabular format.

The raw data that you receive from the input can be converted into a simpler format along with its stats. To download and view the data statistics:

Under the Edit Dashboard, click on the Query Inspector button.

You will be redirected to the Inspect Panel which contains the following options:

DataIt shows the total units of data received based on the metric selected.

Stats: It shows the request time and the number of queries.

JSON: It shows the code.

Query: It triggers a new Query.

Go to the Data section, and Click on Download CSV.

All the data points that are added based on the Metric and Group by properties will be downloaded.

The selected data will be downloaded in a CSV format that you can use for further application.

Save the Dashboard

In the top right corner, there are 3  options:

  • Discard: Discard any changes made.
  • Save: Save the Dashboard.
  • Apply: Apply any changes made to the current Dashboard.

To save the Dashboard, go to Save, give the Dashboard a name, set a Folder, and click on Save.

This is how your saved Dashboard will look like.

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