Dashboards

The ServiceNow® Dashboards product enables you to display multiple performance analytics, reporting, and other widgets on a single screen. Use dashboards to create a story with data you can share with multiple users.

Formerly, ServiceNow users viewed and worked with Homepages. ServiceNow will deprecate Homepages in a future version release and current Homepages will need to be migrated to Dashboards.

Creating a new Dashboard

Between UC Berkeley's two ServiceNow instances, the operation to create a new Dashboard is slightly different at this moment.  Once Homepages have been deprecated, the operation will be the same.

in Berkeley (ITSM/HR) ServiceNow,

1. navigate to Self Service > Dashboard
2. (Depending on where you navigate to first,) either;
   1. Click the 'New' button next to the page title 'Dashboards'
      -or-
   2. (on an existing dashboard page), click the Additional Actions ('Hamburger') icon (in the upper-left of the main window), and select 'New Dashboard' from the drop-down list
3. (on the Dashboard new record page), give your new dashboard a Name, then click Submit

Your new Dashboard has been created!  ("But there's nothing there...") Move on to Modify an Existing Dashboard below...

in Telcat ServiceNow,

1. navigate to Self Service > Homepage
2. click on the '+' icon in the upper-left of the main window.  (This creates a new Homepage.)
3. on the new Homepage, click on the 'Create dashboard version' button in the on-page dialog box ('Homepages are going away in favor of dashboards!')
4. in the 'Create a Dashboard version of Homepage' pop-up dialog, make sure the 'Create new dashboard' radio button is selected, then click 'Create'

Your new Dashboard has been created!  Move on to Modify an Existing Dashboard next...

Modifying an Existing Dashboard

Once you have a dashboard, there are a number of actions you can take;

• Add a widget
• Edit a widget
• Customize the layout
• Add a new tab
• Rename the dashboard, dashboard tab
• Make a copy
• Share your dashboard
• View a different dashboard

Add a widget

Objects that have been added to dashboards are called widgets. You can create and manage widgets. Many applications have their own widgets.

(If the Widgets fly-out doesn't appear on the right-side of the main window -- click the [Add Widgets] '+' icon in the main window.)

Note1: as of San Diego version, there is no easy way to add a saved Favorite as a widget to a Dashboard

Note2: some information in widget types may not be available based on your access-level in ServiceNow

1. in the Widget fly-out, browse and select a Widget Category from the drop list  (e.g. Reports)
2. (click on filter icon/breadcrumbs, just below Widget Category field, change the filter to show different results)
   1. in the filter screen, you can select;
      • Me or Anyone
      • Any Table or Select a table
      • Show only Favorites (favorite items in that Widget Category, not your saved Favorites in the left nav)
      • Sort by -- Last Update or Name
   2. click Apply to change the filter
3. click on an item (e.g. a report name) that appears
4. (ServiceNow will show an example of the item)
5. (scroll down in the side bar) click on the Add button, to add the item as a widget on your dashboard

Edit a widget

1. in the dashboard header bar, click the Configuration (Bars & Dots) icon (to open the side bar)
2. in each widget on that page (tab) controls will appear
   • Increase Height/Decrease Height (up/down arrows)
   • Edit Content (takes you to e.g. Report to change criteria [Don't forget to save changes])
   • Refresh (update the data in the widget)
   • Edit Widget (how the widget appears -- borders, header, title appearance/alignment/color, header color)
   • Remove (deletes the widget from the page)
3. Once you've made your changes, click the Close 'X' (in side bar) icon to hide controls

Customize the layout

1. in the dashboard header bar, click the Configuration (Bars & Dots) icon (to open the side bar)
2. Configuration (side-bar) also allows
   1. (by widget)
      • Change position of widgets on the page (drag-n-drop with the widget header bar)
        
        
   2.  (by side bar)
      • Create a new dashboard Tab (organize the widgets on a page e.g. subject, a tab for each subject)
      • change the background color for the page
      • change of layout (grid, layered, combination) of widgets that appear on page
3. Once you've made your changes, click the Close ('X' in side bar) icon to hide controls

Add a new tab

Dashboard Tabs allow user to organize the widgets (and information from reports).  Instead of a multiple Homepages for organize your information and views of data, Dashboard Tabs allow users to have one Dashboard with multiple Tabs for this organizing of data.

1.  Adding new Tab to a Dashboard by two methods
   1. Click the Configuration icon to show the side bar
   2. select Create Tab in the side bar
   - or -
   1. Click Additional Actions (Three bar icon, upper left corner) in Dashboard frame
   2. select Create Tab in the drop down menu
2. creates a new, generic titled Dashboard Tab
3. click the Pencil icon in Tab's title to change the title label
4. (click the trash can to remove the tab.  You are warned before deleting the current tab.  Be Careful, as Tabs may not be recovered after deleting.)
5. (if you created the Tab by Configuration, click the Close ('X' in side bar) icon to hide controls)

Rename the dashboard, dashboard tab

For the Dashboard,

1. click the Additional Actions (Three bar icon, upper left corner) in Dashboard frame
2. select Dashboard Properties in the drop-down list
3. on the form page, change the Dashboard name in the Name field
4. click the Update icon to commit your change
5. (click the Back button ['<' icon] to go back without changing the dashboard properties. You may have to click the button twice.)

For the Dashboard Tab,

1. select the Tab whose title you wish to change
2. click the Pencil icon in the Tab's title
3. (a text box appears around the Tab's title)
4. change the title in the text box
5. hit Enter or click outside the text box to commit the change
6. (hit ESC to discard/abort the change)

Make a copy

If you have created a Dashboard, or you've been Shared with Editing a Dashboard (see next section), you can make a Duplicate of that dashboard.  For the Dashboard you want to Duplicate;

1. (view the Dashboard, by navigating to it)
2. click the Additional Actions (Three bar icon, upper left corner) in Dashboard frame
3. select Duplicate Dashboard in the drop-down list (you will receive a warning before ServiceNow duplicate the dashboard.  Click Okay on the pop-up warning dialog.)
4. a copy of the Dashboard with all of the Dashboard Tab has been made

(If the Duplicate was a mistake, you can delete the Duplicate by clicking Additional Actions icon, then select Delete Dashboard in the drop-down menu.  Be Careful.  ServiceNow will prompt you to make sure before deleting, but recovering a deleted dashboard may not be possible.)

NOTE: Copying a Dashboard Tab to another Dashboard is not possible at this time (San Diego release).  There is no information regarding if this will be possible in a future release.

Share your dashboard

If you've created a dashboard, or have been giving Editing ability on a Shared dashboard, you can share it with other Groups or Individuals.  Be aware, if you give someone (or a group) Editing ability on a Shared dashboard, this also gives them the ability change anything on the dashboard (tabs, layout, widgets, titles, etc.) AND the ability to delete the dashboard.  Editing is full editing rights.

To share a Dashboard;

1. viewing the dashboard you want to share, click the Share (box with up arrow) icon in the dashboard header bar
2. in the Share side-bar, click the Add groups, users, roles icon (Circle +)
3. in the To: field type in the name of the User or Group
4. Click the name when it appears in the list below the To: field (email address is included to differentiate individuals with the same name)
5. (the person or group) will appear has a box next to the To: field
6. (continue adding individuals or groups)
7. If you want to include an introductory message for the inviting email that will get sent, enter the message in the Add message (optional) field.  Otherwise, un-check the Send an email invitation checkbox.
8. in Recipients box, select either Can View or Can Edit.  (This gives all included in the To: field those rights.
9. click Share button

If you want certain individuals (or groups) to have View rights, and others Edit rights, go through the above steps twice.  Once for View and again for Edit.

If you want to change (or remove) an individuals (or groups) Share rights;

1. in the Share side-bar, position your mouse over the name of the individual (or group) in the list
2. the entry will display a Remove (Circle Minus) icon, to remove that share right
3. Also, the entry will display a View Profile (Greater Than) icon, click it to;
   • change share rights (Can View, Can Edit)
   • Remove from Dashboard (remove share rights)
   • Click Cancel (to abort change) or Save (to commit change)
4. when finished, click the Close ('X' in side bar) icon to hide controls

If you would like to Edit share a dashboard with someone but don't want them to change the content of the dashboard, make Duplicate of the dashboard (see Make a Copy above).  Give the Duplicate dashboard a distinctive name to not confuse it with the original dashboard, then Share (Edit) the Duplicate with the individual(s or group)

View a different dashboard

1. click the Change Dashboard (Down Arrow) icon next to the name of the current dashboard
2. select a dashboard in the drop-down list, or
3. use the search box to find a dashboard by text it's name
4. click Load More (at the bottom of the drop-down list) to view more dashboard entries

To find and move to a dashboard faster, consider adding it to your Favorites (under Star icon in left nav). For the Dashboard that you want to favorite;

1. view the Dashboard
2. click the Additional Actions (Three Bar) icon in dashboard header bar
3. select Create Favorite option