How to create a dashboard

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1. In the Navigation Pane, click Workplace. Then, under My Work, click Dashboards.
2. In the Dashboard Management group, click New.

   The Dashboard Layouts dialog box appears. The Preview area shows how the dashboard will appear with the selected layout.

3. Select a layout as a starting point to design your dashboard.

   Dashboard layouts are comprised of one or more tabs. A tab can be expanded or collapsed. Each tab can contain one or more sections.

   Note

   All the default layouts, except the 4-Column Overview Dashboard layout and the 3-Column Overview Dashboard layout, have a single tab and a single section. You cannot add or delete a tab or a section in a dashboard by using the Dashboard designer. If you want to have multiple tabs or sections in your dashboard, export the dashboard, customize it, and import it back into Microsoft Dynamics CRM. For more information, see Microsoft Dynamics CRM Software Development Kit documentation.

   Select one of the six default layouts in order to create your dashboard:

   • 3-Column Regular Dashboard. This has one tab and one section. This layout can accommodate components across three columns.
   • 3-Column Multi-Focused Dashboard. This has one tab and one section. This layout can accommodate components across three columns. Use this layout to draw focus on specific components.
   • 4-Column Overview Dashboard. This has two tabs and two sections. You can expand or collapse each of the tabs in the dashboard. This layout can accommodate components across four columns. In this layout, the section in the bottom row spans across four columns, allowing this column to be used to insert a list of records that has several columns (fields), or to insert a horizontal chart.
   • 2-Column Regular Dashboard. This has one tab and one section. This layout can accommodate components across two columns.
   • 3-Column Overview Dashboard. This has two tabs and two sections. You can expand or collapse each of the tabs in the dashboard. This layout can accommodate components across three columns. In this layout, the column in the bottom row spans across three columns, allowing this column to be used to insert a list of records that has several columns (fields), or to insert a horizontal chart.
   • 3-Column Focused Dashboard. This has one tab and one section. It accommodates components across three columns.

     Note

     • By default for any layout, you can only add up to six components. This limit can be changed.
     • In any layout, you can increase or decrease the height or width of a component only up to a limit:
       • You can decrease the width of a component to a minimum of one column.
       • You can decrease the height of a component to a minimum of six rows.
       • You can increase the width of a component to the number of columns in that layout. For example, if you are using the 3-Column Regular Dashboard, you can increase the width of a component up to three columns (by two more columns).
       • You can increase the height of a component to a maximum of 250 rows.

   The right pane shows the appearance of the new dashboard based on the layout selected in the left pane.

4. Click Create.

   The dashboard designer opens with empty columns based on your layout selection.

5. In the Name box, type a descriptive and useful name for your dashboard.
6. Add different components that you want to be displayed on your dashboard:
   • Chart
     1. In the Insert group, click Chart.

        - OR -

        In an empty component area, click the Chart button .

     2. In the Component Designer dialog box, specify the following information:
        • Record Type. Click the record type to use for the chart that you want to add to the dashboard.
        • View. Click the view to use for the data in the chart. The View drop-down box has the associated views for the chosen record type.
        • Chart. Click the type of chart that you want to insert. The Chart drop-down box has the associated charts for the chosen record type.

        The chart preview changes based on your choice of the record type, view, and chart.

     3. Click OK.

        Note

        You can add only system charts in a system dashboard. A user dashboard can contain system charts and user charts.

   • List
     1. In the Insert group, click List.

        - OR -

        In the empty component area, and click the List button .

     2. In the Component Designer dialog box, specify the following information:
        • Record Type. Click the record type for the list that you want to add to the dashboard.
        • View. Click a view to use for the data for the list. Only views that are associated to the selected record type are in the View drop-down box.
     3. Click OK.
   • IFrame
     1. In the Insert group, click IFrame.

        - OR -

        In the empty component area, click the IFrame button .

     2. In Add an IFRAME, enter the following information:
        • Name. Type a unique name for the IFrame. The name can only contain alphanumeric characters and the underscore character.
        • URL. Type the full URL for the IFrame. You may select the check box. More information: Passing Parameters to an IFRAME (Microsoft Dynamics CRM SDK)
        • Label. Specify a label for the IFrame.

          To display this label on the form, select the Display label on the form check box.

        • Visibility. Select the Visible by default check box if you want the IFrame to be visible in the Web application and the Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook reading pane.

          Caution

        Applications can interact with each other through an IFrame. The Restrict cross-frame scripting check box is selected by default for security purposes. When the check box is selected, it blocks running scripts in the IFrame.

        More information: Add or edit a form IFRAME.

        Note

        If you are using Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 for Outlook, some URLs added by using an IFrame may show script errors during dashboard loading. These script errors may also obstruct the charts from loading. However in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 for Outlook, you can limit the script errors by selecting the Restrict cross-frame scripting check box.

     3. Click OK.
   • Web resource
     1. In the Insert group, click Web Resource.

        - OR -

        In the empty component area, click the Web Resource button .

     2. In Add Web Resource, specify the following information:
        • Web Resource. Click the Lookup button , and then in the Look Up Record dialog box, select the Web resource that you want to add to the dashboard, and then click OK.

          Note

          In a dashboard, you can only add Web resources of the following types: HTML, Silverlight, PNG, GIF, JPEG, ICO.

        • Name. Type a unique name for the Web resource. The name can only contain alphanumeric characters and the underscore character.
        • Label. Type a label for the Web resource. To display this label on the form, select the Display label on the form check box.
        • Visibility. Select the Visible by default check box if you want the Web resource to be visible in the Web application and the Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook reading pane.
        • If you want to provide the target application with information about the context of the Web resource, select the Pass record object-type code and unique identifier as parameters check box. More information: Passing Parameters to an IFRAME (Microsoft Dynamics CRM SDK).

        For more information about adding a Web resource, see Add or edit a form Web resource.

     3. Click OK.
7. Click Save.