When using SharePoint, it’s very easier to create and publish dashboards for your website through the SharePoint dashboard designer tool.With the latest version of Performance-point dashboard designer, you can easily maintain, create and publish your dashboards. The Performance-point dashboard designer is a tool from Microsoft that helps webmasters to create scorecards, reports, dashboards and later publish them on their SharePoint site. Even though there are other SharePoint dashboard designer tools that you can use, the performance-point designer provides users with a good interface that allows them to create dynamic and extensive SharePoint dashboards.
Dashboard designer tools are available to organization and people who use the latest version of Microsoft SharePoint server 2013 and 20110. In order to use these tools a webmaster must choose to implement performance-point services as a part of their deployment. A dashboard designer tool helps you to build a dashboard that can contain a consistent, single and visible view of your business.
If you run a SharePoint site, you can use this tool to provide (BI) business intelligence to all the people in your organization and also help them to make informed business plan decisions. The performance-point designer can be used to create scorecards and reports that display important key performance indicators and metrics that will help you to track and measure your business performance.
If you have never used dashboard designer tools before don’t panic yet because getting started with performance-point designer is not difficult. Learn the basics information and then get to complex steps that will help you to create an extensive SharePoint dashboard.
Extensive SharePoint Dashboard Designer Tutorial
You can use the performance-point designer tool to edit, create and publish scoreboards or dashboards to a Microsoft server 2013 or 2010. Follow these steps to become familiarized with how performance-point designer works.
Installing and Opening Dashboard Designer
If the performance-point designer in your SharePoint server is configured for your business and you already have it’s permissions, use a good web browser to launch and install the dashboard designer. It’s very recommendable to use internet explorer when launching the dashboard designer for the first time. This method helps you to easily access the designer from your computers start menu by clicking on start >>> All-programs >>>SharePoint and then >>> PerformancePoint dashboard designer.
If you don’t use Microsoft Operating System and have Mozilla Firefox installed on your computer. Install NET framework assistant 1.1 or better before you install a SharePoint dashboard designer. Apple user who use Safari as their browser should install Firefox or internet Explorer since Microsoft business center cannot be accessed with a other browser except the two common browsers.
To Configure SharePoint Dashboard Designer:
1. Browse to the “Business-Intelligence-Center” using Firefox or Internet explorer (most recommended). If you don’t have the website address for the configuration, ask your administrator to provide you with the full URL location of the site. Microsoft business intelligence center is a Microsoft site that serves as a portal to performance-point services and other apps.
2. In the “Business-Intelligence-Center” you will find useful information on other services such as status indicators, excel services and performance-point services. Click on one of the following section ” Monitor-Key-Performance”, Create Dashboards, or share and build reports. Additional info is available in the center pane, to start SharePoint dashboard designer, click on the link that states “Start-Using-PerfromancePoint-Services”.
3. After the performance point site template has opened, click on “Run-Dashboard-Designer”
4. If your SharePoint server has all the permission, the dashboard designer will perfectly install and open in a new window.
5. Make a shortcut on your desktop and use the designer to make dashboards for your site.
Type of Dashboard Items That Can be Created With a Designer
- KPI’s – Commonly known as key performance indicators and they usually include actual values, graphic indicators and target signals that show whether the performance is off or on target.
- Scorecards- this are items that display the performance of one or multiple metrics. they compare specific goals with actual reports and express the results by using graphical-indicators.
- Reports- These are dashboard items that normally displays information inform of tables and charts.
- Filters- They are individual dashboard items that help to enable dashboard users to easily focus on some specific information.
- Indicators- These are graphical -symbols that are mainly used in KPI to indicate whether the performance is off or on target.
- Dashboard- A dashboard is a container that is used to display reports and scorecards. Once you assemble your dashboards, you add scorecards, reports and filters zones that are sectioned in your dashboard page.
Creating an Extensive Dashboard
Before you can create a dashboard for your site, you must create all the items that will populate it on included in it’s list. Depending on your requirements, you can add any of the above dashboard items to your list and create an extensive dashboard for your SharePoint website. The most complex items of a dashboard are data source and reports. SharePoint dashboard designer contains templates of all dashboard items and you can choose to whether create a new item or customizing an existing item.
To create a structural report for you dashboard, follow these steps:
1. Select “Dashboard-Content” in your workspace browser
2. click on the create tab and then navigate to the analytic grid. An Analytic-grid-report wizard will open
3. On the work-space tab select your data source and click on the finish button. a new report will open in a new screen.
4. Configure the report and save it to your Microsoft SharePoint server.
Create an Extensive Dashboard Page For Your Site
1. On your designer tool click on the ‘create-tab’ and then click on dashboard.
2. In the “select-a-dashboard-page-template’ dialog box, click on the two columns template and click “oK” . the wizard will close and a new dashboard will open in the center-pane. The ‘New-Dashboard’ is highlighted in the ‘workspace-browser pane.
3. In the ‘workspace-browser’ pane right click on the highlighted dashboard-name and select rename from the menu. Give a suitable name for the dashboard.
4. In the workspace-browser pane, right click on the dashboard name and click on the save button, Your dashboard will now be available for editing.
5. Add your favorite dashboard items and save the dashboard. Access it on your site and verify that everything works perfectly.
An Extensive dashboard help site allows administrators and webmasters to easily access features on their site and customize their website in a more convenient way. You will be able to easily create SharePoint dashboards with a the use of performance-point SharePoint dashboard designer tool.