Managing dashboards in the Activity Center app

Easily leverage Projects app and Results app datasets to create your own custom dashboards in the Activity Center app. Curate data visualizations that you can publish and share with others in your organization and leadership for collaboration and discovery. The Activity Center app is based on Amazon QuickSight technology. To learn more about it, see Amazon QuickSight documentation.

How it works

From the Activity Center app, you can create dashboards from the available Projects app and Results app datasets. The Projects app datasets include Actions, Certifications, Controls, Control Performances, Control Tests, Fieldwork, Issues, Planning Files, Projects, Requests, Reviews, Risks, Timesheets, and Todos. The Results app datasets available for dashboard creation depend on what a Results Admin publishes to the Activity Center app, see Publish the Results app data to the Activity Center app.

Using these datasets, you can create an analysis. In the analysis, you prepare data, add visuals and filters, and then publish it as a dashboard that can be shared. These dashboards can also optionally be connected with and shared to Boards sites. For more information on where in the Projects app datasets pull from, see Projects app datasets.

Roles and permissions

To create custom dashboards, you must be a Report Admin or Report Writer (as defined in Available roles) in the Reports app to create and manage a dashboard in the Activity Center app. Only users with the appropriate roles within a project can read the dataset for the Project Planning data. These roles are as follows: Oversight Reviewer, Oversight Executive, Limited Professional User, Professional Manager, and Project Manager Admin. For more information on what the various roles and permissions can access, see Roles and permissions.

Create an Activity Center dashboard

To create a dashboard, you need an analysis. An analysis is essentially a dashboard draft that only you have access to until you choose to share it. You can either create a new analysis or use an existing analysis to build a shareable dashboard.

  1. Open the Activity Center app.
  2. Click Manage dashboards. The Analyses page opens.

  3. Do one of the following:

    • Click on an existing analysis if you want to build a new dashboard off of a previous session.
    • Click on New analysis to build a completely new dashboard starting with dataset selection.

      Note

      To create dashboards leveraging Results app data, the data needs to be published as datasets from the Results app by a Results Admin. The Results Admin can also enable datasets to be published automatically which would publish regular data updates every 30 minutes by default. See Publish the Results app data to the Activity Center app.

      For data integrity, Results dataset display names need to be unique. Otherwise, when opening an analysis in Activity Center to create a dashboard, it would be difficult to distinguish between fields with the same name. To avoid this scenario, in the event that a conflict is detected, the Results connector automatically drops the display name and uses a unique column name for impacted fields. As a result, display names may appear differently by reflecting the column name for easy tracking and to help ensure that field names are unique.

    1. Click New analysis. This opens the Your Datasets page.

      Note

      The default dataset refresh rate is 45 minutes.

    2. Select the dataset you want to design a dashboard for. This opens the Datasets page.

      3. Caution

      When you use certain datasets for your dashboards, sharing the dashboard with all users in your organization provides users with unrestricted access to your data. To build dashboards with data access restrictions, use the following datasets: Actions, Certifications, Control Tests, Controls, Control Performances, Fieldwork, Issues, Planning Files, Projects, Requests, Reviews, Risks, Timesheets, and/or Todos.

    3. Click Use in analysis. This produces a new analysis page for your selected dataset where you can design a graph. To learn more about datasets including deleting datasets, see Deleting datasets.

      Caution

      Deleting a dataset is irreversible and can cause irreversible loss of work. When a dataset is deleted, it does not cascade to delete dependent objects. However, even if you replace the deleted dataset with an identical dataset, dependent objects stop working. Because of these dependencies and consequences, deleting datasets is not recommended. If a dataset must be deleted, you will need to assess its impact and plan accordingly.

  4. To create a graph, drag and drop attribute fields from the Fields list into the graph area.
    5. Note

    If the preview data is not up to date or non-existent, the dashboard may need to be published to refresh the data. If this is the case, follow step 7 to publish the dashboard. The dataset refresh on a published dashboard can take up to 45 minutes to update at which point you will be able to view the refreshed data in the published dashboard and in the analysis.

  5. Optional. There are various features available to help you get the most out of your data such as filters and themes. To leverage the QuickSight tools and features that maximize your data to deliver refined dashboards, see Visualizing data. At minimum, the following is recommended:
    • Optional. Confirm whether the automatically-applied chart is appropriate for your purposes or choose another option from Visual types such as bar chart, heat map, pie chart, etc. As you build your data visualization, a Visual type is automatically applied. You can test out various types to see what works best. See Visual types.
    • Optional. Rename the analysis so you can easily relocate it later. An analysis has a default name based on the dataset used. In the Analysis name box in the application bar, select the current name and enter a new name.

  6. Make all other changes as required and do one of the following:

    • Save your analysis if you are not ready to publish a shareable dashboard. An analysis is essentially a draft dashboard. Either manually save your analysis using Save as, or if Autosave is on, no further action is required.
      • Note

      You can set whether Autosave is on or off. This is a flexible way to work, since you are not locked in. With Autosave off, you can pursue different lines of inquiry without altering the analysis. Alternatively, with Autosave on, your changes are saved automatically, but you can still undo or redo up to 200 changes. For more information on how to best use Autosave, see Saving changes to analyses.

    • If you are ready to publish, click Share Share dashboard icon and select Publish dashboard. The Publish a dashboard dialog box appears.

  7. To publish a dashboard, do one of the following:

    • To create a new dashboard, select Publish new dashboard as, enter a name, and click Publish dashboard. A dashboard is created, published, and is available to you in the left navigation panel of the Activity Center app.
    • To replace an existing dashboard, select Replace an existing dashboard, select the dashboard you want to replace from the dropdown list, rename that dashboard if you would like to, and click Publish dashboard. The selected existing dashboard is replaced with the new one and is available in the left navigation panel of the Activity Center app.
    Note

    Publishing can take time. If you do not see your changes in a few minutes, refresh the page.

To learn more about publishing a dashboard in QuickSight, see Publishing Dashboards.

Managing Activity Center dashboard author limits

Currently, the author limit for dashboards is for the first 64 dashboard authors and cannot be increased at this time. Which authors are included within this limit is on a first come, first served basis. However, if you receive an error message that the limit has been reached and you need authoring access, a System Admin would need to remove one of the existing authors to allow a new author to access dashboard creation. See Adding and managing users.

Sharing Activity Center dashboards

If you have a Professional Subscription and reports access as an admin or writer, you can share your dashboards with other users in your organization. Dashboards can also be connected and shared with Boards sites. See Connecting Activity Center dashboards with Board sites.

  1. Open the Activity Center app.
  2. In the left navigation panel, select the custom dashboard you want to share.
  3. From the dashboard, click Share. A Share [dashboard name] dialog box opens.
  4. Select Share with all users to share with everyone in your organization who has access to the Activity Center app. This also allows Reports Admins to Edit, Share, and Connect to Boards regardless of whether they created the dashboard.
    Note

    Selecting Share with all users enables important dashboard management capabilities. It allows multiple Reports Admins to collaborate and co-author the same dashboard. Additionally, instead of management capabilities only belonging to the dashboard creator, dashboard management can also be transferred to avoid orphaned dashboards.

    If this is not selected, you are only sharing the dashboard with yourself. However, this option is useful if you need to effectively unshare a dashboard.

    5. Caution

    When you use certain datasets for your dashboards, sharing the dashboard grants data access to all users in your organization. Users can then access and view the data without restriction. To build dashboards with data access restrictions, use the following datasets: Actions, Certifications, Control Tests, Controls, Control Performances, Fieldwork, Issues, Planning Files, Projects, Requests, Reviews, Risks, Timesheets, and/or Todos.

  5. Click Share. This closes the dialog box and makes the dashboard available to everyone in your organization who has access to the Activity Center app. The shared dashboard appears in the left navigation panel when Activity Center is opened. Other Reports Admins also have Edit, Share, and Connect to Boards capabilities for this dashboard.

Edit an Activity Center dashboard

Follow these steps to do either one of the following:

  • Create a new dashboard from an existing dashboard.
  • Replace an existing dashboard with a new one.
  1. Open the Activity Center app.
  2. In the left navigation panel, select the custom dashboard you want to make changes to.
  3. Click Edit. The Edit dashboard page appears.
  4. Make your changes, click Share Share dashboard icon and select Publish dashboard.

    The Publish a dashboard dialog box appears.

  5. Do one of the following:

    • To create a new dashboard, select Publish new dashboard as, enter a name, and click Publish dashboard. A dashboard is created, published, and is available in the left navigation panel of the Activity Center app
    • To replace an existing dashboard, select Replace an existing dashboard, select the dashboard you want to replace from the dropdown list, rename that dashboard if you want to, and click Publish dashboard. The selected existing dashboard is replaced with the new one and is available in the left navigation panel of the Activity Center app.
      Note

      Publishing can take time. If you do not see your changes in a few minutes, refresh the page.

    6. To learn more about publishing a dashboard in QuickSight, see Publishing Dashboards.

  6. Optional. For how to share dashboards, see Sharing dashboards.

    7. Caution

    If a dashboard has been connected to Boards sites with an approved status, the approved status is revoked once a dashboard is updated. As a result, the dashboard can no longer be viewed by Directors and needs to go through the approval process again.

Delete an Activity Center dashboard

Follow these steps to delete a dashboard.

  1. Open the Activity Center app.
  2. Click Manage dashboards. The Analyses page opens.
  3. Click Dashboards. The Dashboards page opens displaying the available dashboards.
  4. Click the three dots on the dashboard that you want to delete, select Delete, and then click Delete. The dashboard is deleted and removed from the left navigation panel of the Activity Center app.

    5. Caution

    Selecting Delete permanently deletes the dashboard from the account and it disappears from all folders (if you used folders to organize your dashboards). This cannot be undone. However, you can still access and create other dashboards from the analysis that the deleted dashboard was published from.

Projects app datasets

The following table overviews the connection between Projects apps datasets leveraged for dashboard creation and where the data is pulled from in the Projects app. Each project within the Projects app has the following tab categories to organize and manage projects: Dashboard, Planning, Fieldwork, Controls, Reviews, Results, and Issues. The datasets leveraged for dashboards come from the data tracked in these tabs as well as their subtabs and sections.

Projects app dataset Corresponding Projects app data capture
Planning Files

This dataset pulls its data from the Planning Files subtab subset of the Planning tab.
Fieldwork This dataset pulls its data from the Fieldwork tab.
Controls Controls data is managed under the Fieldwork tab. This dataset pulls its data from the Control toggle of the Risk Control Matrix.
Risks

Risks data is managed under the Fieldwork tab. This dataset pulls its data from the Risk toggle of the Risk Control Matrix.
Control Performance

Control performance data is managed under the Fieldwork tab. This dataset pulls its data from the Control performance section of the Walkthrough subtab of a control.
Control Tests Control Tests data is managed under the Fieldwork tab.
Reviews This dataset pulls its data from the Reviews tab.
Results

This dataset pulls its data from the Results tab.
Issues This dataset pulls its data from the Issues tab.
Todos Todos data is managed under the Issues tab. This dataset pulls its data from the Project to-do Lists section of the To-do subtab.
Requests

Requests data is managed under the Issues tab. This dataset pulls its data from the Request list tracking section of the Requests subtab.
Timesheets Timesheets data is managed under the Issues tab. This dataset pulls its data from the Time & Budget Tracking section of the Timesheets subtab.
Actions This dataset pulls its data from the Actions section of the Follow-up & Remediation subtab which is part of the Issue Details section under the Issues tab.
Certifications This dataset pulls its data from the Certification section of the Dashboard tab.
Projects This dataset pulls its data from the All projects table.