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Component documentationDashboard Builder

 

Dashboards can display large amounts of information in a concise form, to give you a quick overview of its topics. For creating and displaying dashboards, SAP provides the Dashboard Builder in SAP Solution Manager.

The Dashboard Builder user interface comprises the following main parts:

Part

Description

Dashboard

One dashboard usually visualizes the values of one or more KPIs representing a topic; it consists of one or more different tiles, which typically display the values of one KPI.

KPI Group

Tiles in a dashboard can be arranged into a KPI group.

Tile

A tile is a part of a dashboard. It usually visualizes a KPI value, or highly aggregated information of this KPI, in one chart.

Detail View

If you choose a tile, normally the detail view for this tile is displayed. It typically displays more detailed information about the KPI, e.g. the development of the KPI value over time.

The Dashboard Builder supports the following use cases:

  • You can use various dashboards delivered by SAP as templates for your own tasks. They comprise several tiles which each output information, and process an aspect of the topic.

  • You can create your own dashboards, KPI groups and tiles, from data provisioning to visualization, on which the following documentation concentrates.

The Dashboard builder is a SAPUI5-based, coding-free and easy-to-use tool to enable SAP customers to quickly build a dashboard to visualize their data for analysis via configuration. Major features include:

  • Easy-to-use template-based tool

  • Modern and intuitive user interface

  • Connectability to multiple types of data sources including BW query, function module and Business Process Analytics

  • Can run on both desktop and mobile devices

Integration

The Dashboard Builder has the following prerequisites:

  • In a BW system, there is always a TCP/IP connection MDX PARSER. In the BW system of your SAP Solution Manager System, check in transaction SM59 that the destination is configured, and the Connection Test succeeds.

  • The BW info provider 0SM_DSHVP and the query 0SM_DSH_GNRC are active. This is part of the standard configuration of the SAP Solution Manager (transaction SOLMAN_SETUP).

  • BW queries and function modules which provide data to the Dashboard Builder are ready.

  • You have execute and display authorization for the BW queries or function modules to be used in your dashboards.

  • To create and maintain dashboards, you need the following roles:

    • SAP_SM_DSH_CONF in the SAP Solution Manager system

    • SAP_SM_BI_DSH_CONF in the BW system

  • To display dashboards, you need the following roles:

    • SAP_SM_DSH_DISP in the SAP Solution Manager system

    • SAP_SM_BI_DSH_DSP in the BW system

Features

Starting the Dashboard Builder

Start the Dashboard Builder in the SAP Solution Manager Launchpad. The tile for the Dashboard Builder is not in the home page by default; to add it, proceed as follows:

  1. Choose the button Personalize Home Page.

  2. Add a new tile in the group SAP Solution Manager: Configuration by choosing the "+" button. The Tile Catalog is displayed.

  3. Navigate to the group SAP Solution Manager: Configuration, and for the tile Configuration: Analytics and Dashboards, choose the button Add tile to groups.

  4. The tile Configuration: Analytics and Dashboards is now in the SAP Solution Manager Launchpad. You can now start the Dashboard Builder by choosing the tile.

Functions in the Configuration Mode of the Dashboard Builder

After starting the Dashboard Builder from the SAP Solution Manager Launchpad, the configuration mode is displayed. The screen consists of two parts:

  • On the left-hand side of the screen, a navigation panel containing all dashboards grouped by categories (for information how to maintain the categories available, see Maintaining Dashboard Categories) is displayed.

    The buttons below the navigation panel provide functions on dashboard level:

    Pushbutton

    Description

    Add Dashboard

    Create your own dashboard; for more information see Creating a Dashboard.

    Edit Dashboard

    To edit an existing dashboard, select it in the navigation panel, and choose Edit Dashboard. You can edit all the properties described in Creating a Dashboard.

    Copy Dashboard

    To copy an existing dashboard into a new one, choose Copy Dashboard, and adjust the tiles to fit your requirements.

    Delete Dashboard

    To delete an existing dashboard, select it in the navigation panel, and choose Delete Dashboard. All the tiles in the dashboard will also be deleted.

  • On the main part of the screen, the tiles of the active dashboard are displayed. To add a new tile to the dashboard, choose the Add New Tile button. For more information, see Creating a Tile.

    Note Note

    When creating a tile, you define the data supply of the tile as well. For more information about creating a function module as a data source, see Using a Function Module as Data Source.

    End of the note.

    Depending on the implementation, every tile can have a detail view, which is displayed when you choose the tile. For more information about creating it, see Creating a Drill-Down View.

Functions in the View Mode of the Dashboard Builder

In the view mode, only one dashboard is displayed in one browser window, in which you cannot change any configuration settings or switch to another dashboard. To open a dashboard in view mode, choose the view mode button at the upper right corner of the screen. For more information, see Viewing a Dashboard.

Dashboards Delivered for Dashboard Builder

SAP delivers dashboards for the following topics: