Show TOC

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.

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.

You can use the Dashboard Builder to quickly and easily create a dashboard to visualize your data for the analysis. The most important properties include:

  • User-friendly and template-based

  • Modern and intuitive user interface

  • Connection to multiple types of data sources including BW query, function module, Business Add-In (BAdI), and business process analysis/business process monitoring

  • Display of dashboards on both desktop devices and tablets; configuration of dashboards on desktop 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 that provide data for the Dashboard Builder are prepared and the assigned users have the authorizations required to access them.

    Note Note

    For more information on roles and authorization settings in the Dashboard Builder, see Authorizations in the Dashboard Builder.

    End of the note.

Features

Starting the Dashboard Builder

Start the Dashboard Builder in the 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 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 launchpad, the configuration mode is displayed. The screen consists of two parts:

  • A navigation area containing all dashboards grouped by categories is displayed on the left-hand side of the screen. For information about maintaining the available categories, see Edit Dashboard Categories.

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

    Pushbutton

    Description

    Add Dashboard

    Create your own dashboard; for more information see Creating and Editing Dashboards.

    Edit Dashboard

    To edit an existing dashboard, select it in the navigation panel, and choose Edit Dashboard. For more information about this, see Creating and Editing Dashboards.

    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 and Editing Tiles.

    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 Displaying Dashboards and Tiles.

Dashboards Delivered for Dashboard Builder

SAP delivers dashboards for the following topics: