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      How to Create a Dashboard

      A dashboard is a collection of reports. You can either use reports that you've already created or make new tables and charts as you build the dashboard. If you haven't created a report yet, check out "How to Create a New Report". 

      Dashboards can be used internally to track performance or for external reporting. What you include in the dashboard will be determined by the audience and the purpose.  

      Step 1 - Creating a new dashboard

      1. To start, go to the main menu and click "Dashboards". This will take you to the dashboards page. From here you'll be able to create a new dashboard or access existing dashboards.
      2. Click on the "+Create New Dashboard" button,. This will open your new dashboard.

      Step 2 - Adding reports to a dashboard

      1. Click the "+Add Report" button. This will open a window where you can select from any of your existing reports or choose to create a new report. 
      2. Select the reports you want to add and click the "Add Reports" button. You can select as many or few as you would like. You can always add more or remove extras.

      Step 3 - Applying filters 

      At this point, you can start adding filters to your charts and tables. By not adding filters at the custom reports stage you can use the same report in as many dashboards as you like and then filter at the dashboard level for your specific needs. 

      For example, if you are creating a report for only one specific brand you'll want to filter the report by brand so only that data is included. You can filter to include or exclude certain publishers. You can filter by account manager to track performance. These are just examples, you can filter by any category that you would like to and custom metrics give you added flexibility. 

      1. Click on "+Add a New Filter" on the right-hand side, this will open a window.
      2. Choose to "Include" or "Exclude" and "Equal" or "Contains."
      3. Select the category you wish to filter by, this will allow you to choose a specific value. For example, if you choose a brand, you will then be able to select from a list of all your brand. 
      4. Click "Apply Filter" to update the data.
      5. Additional filters can now be added by repeating the same steps.

      You can see what filters are applied to the data in the box below the title of the custom report. To remove a filter, click the 'x' next to the corresponding filter in the Active Filters box. 

      Step 4 - Changing Date Ranges 

      The date range for a dashboard is set by the main date range selector in the top right-hand corner. This dictates the date range for all the tables and chart in the dashboard. If you want to change the date range for the entire dashboard use the master date selector. 

      You can override the master date range by using the date range selector that appears in the top left of the report (under the report name) when you hover over the report. All the other reports in the dashboard will still show data for the date range selected in the main date range selector.

      You can reset reports to the "Default Date Range" which will be the same as the dates selected in the master date selector. 

      The individual date range selector can be useful, for example, if you are preparing a monthly client report, but want to also include a table that shows year to date performance. You can set the master date selector for the month and change the date range on one specific chart that shows year to date data. 

      Step 5 - Formatting and Moving Reports

      You can change the widths of all reports except tables. When you hover over a report, a set of buttons will appear. The first button changes the size between full and half-width. 

      You can move all reports and arrange them in whatever order you like or best displays the data. For example, we recommend starting a client report with a key metrics chart, as it provides a high-level overview with key data.

      Step 6 - Adding Dashboard Elements

      You can include images, page breaks, text blocks, sub-headers and custom tables via the Add Elements button. These elements enable you to add text narrative to your dashboards and to format dashboards. Page breaks and sub-headers can be used to ensure the reports are formatted correctly when saved to PDF. 

      Additional tables can be added to Affluent Dashboards using the Table Dashboard Element. Drag and drop or upload an Excel file to import a table in to your Dashboard. Tables are limited to 12 columns and 100 rows.  IMPORTANT:  When uploading a custom table, all fields in the header row need to have data, including cell A1. 

      Step 7 - Saving a dashboard

      To save a dashboard click the "Save Dashboard" button in the top right. If you haven't already named the dashboard, Affluent will prompt you for a title. 

      "Save As" allows you to create a duplicate of the dashboard, without replacing the original. This can be useful if you are creating a standardize dashboard that you will use for more than one brand. You can save multiple copies of the dashboard with different names for each client, then if you want to make changes for individual clients you won't lose the original or alter the other client report dashboards. 

      Step 8 - Exporting Dashboards

      You can select to either 'Export to PDF' or 'Schedule PDF'. Export to PDF will download a copy of the report on to your computer. Schedule PDF will enable you to input email addresses and select a day and schedule for the PDF to be automatically sent in the future. 

      When you choose to export your dashboard a window will open will additional options for the PDF. 

      Introductory Paragraph

      You can choose to add an "Introduction Paragraph" which will appear at the top of the report under the title. This can be used to provide a text overview of the document or elaborate on the numbers. 

      Logos 

      Affluent gives you the option to include the logos. To include a brand logo, check the box next to "Include Brand Logo" and then select the correct logo from the drop down menu. 

      Only logos that have been uploaded in the "Brand Manager" will be available in the drop-down menu. To find out how to upload a logo check out this article. 

      Page orientation 

      You can choose the report orientation in this window. Select "Portrait" or "Landscape" before clicking "Export to PDF."

      Scheduling Dashboards 

      If you are scheduling a report there are additional steps. You can review the Scheduling Dashboards article.

      Video Walkthrough: Creating Dashboards and Using Filters