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Dashboards bring your reports to life by letting you arrange multiple saved reports into customizable visual layouts. Instead of opening individual reports one by one, you can create purpose-built dashboards that display all the information you need in a single view—perfect for presentations, regular monitoring, or stakeholder meetings.

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Why Use Dashboards?

Dashboards transform how you interact with your analysis by providing:
  • Unified Views - See multiple reports simultaneously without switching between tabs
  • Custom Layouts - Arrange widgets exactly how you want using drag-and-drop
  • Multiple Perspectives - Create different dashboards for different audiences or purposes
  • Real-Time Updates - All widgets display live data from your saved reports
  • Professional Presentations - Share polished, comprehensive views with stakeholders
Think of dashboards as customizable containers for your reports. Each dashboard can display any combination of your saved reports, sized and arranged to match your analysis needs.

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Your Home Page

When you log into Mapademics, the Home page is your starting point. This is where your dashboards live and where you’ll spend time monitoring your key metrics and insights.

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First-Time Experience

The first time you visit your Home page, you’ll see an empty state with a welcoming message and a simple setup:
  • A large centered card explaining what dashboards can do
  • An input field to name your first dashboard
  • A “Create Dashboard” button to get started
This streamlined introduction gets you from zero to your first dashboard in seconds—just give it a meaningful name and click create.
Choose a name that reflects the dashboard’s purpose, like “Executive Summary,” “Program Review Board,” or “Student Advising Resources.” You can always rename it later.

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Active Dashboard View

Once you have dashboards, your Home page displays your active dashboard with all its report widgets. The interface provides everything you need to view, navigate, and manage your dashboards in one clean layout.

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Creating Your First Dashboard

Getting started with dashboards is intentionally simple. Here’s the complete process:

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Step 1: Name Your Dashboard

On the empty state screen (or by clicking “Create New Dashboard” in the toolbar later):
  1. Type a descriptive name in the input field
  2. Click the Create Dashboard button
  3. Your new dashboard is created and immediately activated
That’s it! You now have an empty dashboard ready for widgets.

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Step 2: Understanding the Empty Dashboard

After creating a dashboard, you’ll see:
  • Dashboard name displayed prominently at the top
  • Empty dashboard area with a centered message: “Add Your First Widget”
  • Toolbar with dashboard management controls
  • A prompt explaining that you need to select a report to add to your dashboard
Don’t worry—this is exactly where you should be. Dashboards start empty, and you’ll build them up by adding report widgets.
Before you can add widgets, you need at least one saved report. If you haven’t created any reports yet, head over to the Report Designer to build and save your first report.

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Step 3: Creating Reports for Your Dashboard

Widgets display saved reports, so you’ll need to create and save reports first. Here’s the quick workflow:
  1. Navigate to Report Designer from the main navigation
  2. Create a report using the Configuration Sheet (select report type, choose data, configure settings)
  3. Click the Report Menu (three-dot icon) and select Save
  4. Return to your Home page
Now you’re ready to add that saved report to your dashboard as a widget. For detailed instructions on creating reports, see Creating Reports.

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Adding Report Widgets

Widgets are the building blocks of your dashboard—each one displays a saved report within a resizable, movable container.

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How to Add a Widget

From the Toolbar:
  1. Click the Add Widget button in the toolbar (has a plus icon)
  2. A popover appears with a dropdown menu labeled “Report”
  3. Select a saved report from the dropdown
  4. Click the Add Widget button in the popover
The widget immediately appears on your dashboard, displaying the full report with live data. From the Empty Dashboard: When your dashboard has no widgets, the centered message includes:
  1. A dropdown to select a saved report
  2. An Add Widget button
This provides a quick shortcut to add your first widget without using the toolbar.

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What You See in a Widget

Each widget displays:
  • Report name at the top of the widget
  • Full report content including all data visualizations and tables
  • Three-dot menu in the widget header for widget operations
  • Scrollable content area if the report extends beyond the widget height
Widgets are fully functional—you can interact with report elements just as you would in the Report Designer preview.
Can’t find a report in the dropdown? Make sure it’s been saved first. Only saved reports appear in the widget selection menu. Also, reports already on the dashboard won’t appear in the list to prevent duplicates.

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Arranging Your Dashboard

The magic of dashboards is in the layout flexibility. You can arrange widgets however you want using intuitive drag-and-drop controls powered by a smart grid system.

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Resizing Widgets

To make a widget larger or smaller:
  1. Hover over any corner or edge of the widget
  2. Your cursor changes to a resize indicator (↔ or ↕)
  3. Click and drag to resize the widget
  4. Release when you reach the desired size
The widget snaps to grid positions, ensuring clean alignment with other widgets on the dashboard. Best practices for sizing:
  • Wide widgets work well for reports with multiple columns (like Occupation Crosswalk)
  • Tall widgets are ideal for reports with long lists (like Job Skill Contribution)
  • Square widgets provide balanced views for visual reports (like Section Comparison)
  • Experiment freely—resizing is instant and you can always adjust

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Moving Widgets

To reposition a widget on your dashboard:
  1. Click and hold on the widget header (the area with the report name)
  2. Drag the widget to a new position
  3. Other widgets automatically shift to make room
  4. Release to place the widget in its new location
The grid system intelligently reorganizes surrounding widgets as you move things around, preventing overlaps and maintaining a clean layout.

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How the Grid System Works

Behind the scenes, your dashboard uses GridStack, a powerful layout engine that:
  • Snaps widgets to grid positions for consistent spacing
  • Automatically adjusts layouts when you move or resize widgets
  • Prevents overlaps by shifting widgets out of the way
  • Maintains responsive behavior on different screen sizes
  • Auto-saves layouts after every change
You don’t need to understand the technical details—just drag and drop, and the system handles the rest.
On mobile devices or narrow screens, dashboards automatically stack widgets vertically for optimal viewing. Your carefully arranged desktop layout is preserved and restored when viewing on larger screens.

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Auto-Save Functionality

Every time you move or resize a widget, the dashboard automatically saves your layout. You’ll see:
  • Brief visual feedback indicating the save
  • No manual “Save Dashboard” button required
  • Instant persistence across browser sessions
This means you can close your browser, return days later, and find your dashboard exactly as you left it.

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Managing Multiple Dashboards

As your analysis needs grow, you’ll likely want multiple dashboards for different purposes, audiences, or time periods. Mapademics makes multi-dashboard management seamless.

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Why Create Multiple Dashboards?

Different dashboards serve different needs: Audience-Specific Dashboards:
  • Executive Dashboard - High-level KPIs for leadership team
  • Faculty Dashboard - Program-level details for department chairs
  • Student Advising Dashboard - Career pathway information for advisors
Purpose-Specific Dashboards:
  • Weekly Review - Current metrics you monitor regularly
  • Accreditation Dashboard - Reports needed for compliance review
  • Board Presentation - Polished views for quarterly board meetings
Program-Specific Dashboards:
  • Nursing Program Dashboard - All reports related to nursing courses and jobs
  • Business Program Dashboard - Business administration program insights
  • STEM Dashboard - Combined view of science and math programs
Time-Based Dashboards:
  • Current Semester - Active courses and recent labor market data
  • Year-to-Date - Cumulative annual analysis
  • Historical Trends - Long-term comparison reports

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Creating Additional Dashboards

From the Dashboard Selector:
  1. Click the gear icon (⚙) in the top-right area of the toolbar
  2. The Dashboard Selector popover opens
  3. At the top, you’ll see “Manage Dashboards” with a plus icon
  4. Click the plus icon to create a new dashboard
  5. An input field appears labeled “New Dashboard”
  6. Type the dashboard name and click the checkmark to confirm
The new dashboard is immediately created and activated, ready for you to add widgets. Quick Details:
  • New dashboards start empty
  • The newly created dashboard becomes your active dashboard
  • You can create as many dashboards as you need
  • Each dashboard maintains its own independent layout and widgets

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Switching Between Dashboards

Mapademics provides multiple ways to navigate between your dashboards: Dashboard Selector (Full List):
  1. Click the gear icon (⚙) in the toolbar
  2. A scrollable list of all dashboards appears
  3. The currently active dashboard has a checkmark icon (✓)
  4. Click any dashboard name to switch to it instantly
This method is best when you have many dashboards and want to see the full list to make your selection. Navigation Arrows (Quick Switching): In the toolbar, you’ll see a navigation section that displays: 
← 2 / 5 →
This shows you’re viewing dashboard 2 of 5 total dashboards. Click:
  • Left arrow (←) to go to the previous dashboard
  • Right arrow (→) to go to the next dashboard
This method is ideal for quickly cycling through dashboards in sequence. Dashboard Counter: The number display between the arrows (e.g., “2 / 5”) provides instant context about:
  • Which dashboard you’re currently viewing
  • How many total dashboards you have
  • Your position in the dashboard sequence
Use keyboard shortcuts for power navigation: click a navigation arrow and then use arrow keys to quickly browse through all your dashboards.

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Renaming Dashboards

As your dashboard’s purpose evolves, you might want to rename it for clarity:
  1. Click the edit icon (pencil) next to the dashboard name in the toolbar
  2. The name becomes an editable text field
  3. Type your new name
  4. Press Enter or click the checkmark button to save
  5. Press Escape or click the X button to cancel
The name updates immediately across all references to the dashboard. Naming best practices:
  • Use descriptive names that indicate purpose: “Spring 2024 Program Review” not “Dashboard 1”
  • Include audience if relevant: “Executive Summary” vs. “Faculty Review”
  • Keep names concise—they appear in the selector dropdown
  • Use consistent naming patterns for related dashboards

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Removing Widgets

As your reporting needs change, you’ll want to remove widgets that are no longer relevant.

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Deleting Individual Widgets

To remove a single widget from your dashboard:
  1. Find the widget you want to remove
  2. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the widget header
  3. Select Delete from the menu
  4. The widget is immediately removed from the dashboard
The dashboard layout automatically adjusts, shifting remaining widgets to fill the space.

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Understanding Widget vs. Report Deletion

This is important: Deleting a widget does NOT delete the underlying report. When you delete a widget:
  • ✅ The widget is removed from this specific dashboard
  • ✅ Other dashboards displaying the same report are unaffected
  • ✅ The saved report remains available in the Report Designer
  • ✅ You can re-add the report as a widget anytime
Think of widgets as “windows” into your saved reports. Closing a window doesn’t destroy what you’re looking at—it just removes that particular view.
If you accidentally delete a widget, don’t worry! Just use the “Add Widget” button to add the report back to your dashboard. The report and all its data are safely preserved.

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Deleting Dashboards

When a dashboard is no longer needed, you can permanently delete it.

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How to Delete a Dashboard

  1. Click the gear icon (⚙) to open the Dashboard Selector
  2. Find the dashboard you want to delete in the list
  3. Hover over the dashboard name—a trash icon appears on the right
  4. Click the trash icon
  5. The dashboard is immediately deleted
What happens next:
  • The deleted dashboard and its layout are permanently removed
  • The system activates the next available dashboard automatically
  • If you delete your last dashboard, you return to the empty state screen

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When to Delete Dashboards

Consider deleting dashboards when:
  • Purpose fulfilled: “Q3 Board Presentation” dashboard after the meeting
  • Outdated content: “2023 Annual Review” when the year is well past
  • Consolidation: Combining multiple small dashboards into one comprehensive view
  • Testing/Experimental: Dashboards created to test layouts you didn’t end up using

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Important Considerations

Before deleting a dashboard, remember:
  • No undo: Deleted dashboards cannot be recovered
  • Layout is lost: You’ll need to recreate the widget arrangement if you want it back
  • Reports remain safe: Deleting a dashboard never affects your saved reports
  • Alternative option: Consider renaming and repurposing instead of deleting
Dashboard deletion is permanent and immediate—there’s no confirmation dialog. If you have valuable arrangements with multiple carefully positioned widgets, consider whether you might want to repurpose the dashboard instead of deleting it.

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Dashboard Best Practices

Here are strategies for getting the most value from your dashboards:

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Organization Strategies

Start with a Primary Dashboard: Create one main dashboard with your most frequently accessed reports. This becomes your default landing page and daily monitoring tool. Build Audience-Specific Views: Create separate dashboards tailored to different stakeholder groups:
  • Leadership sees high-level metrics and trends
  • Faculty see program-specific details and course comparisons
  • Advisors see career pathway information and job market data
Use Consistent Widget Sizes: Within a dashboard, use similar sizing for related widgets:
  • All labor market reports at the same height for visual consistency
  • All skill comparison reports in a uniform width
  • Important metrics in larger, more prominent widgets
Group Related Information: Arrange widgets logically:
  • Put related reports next to each other
  • Place overview reports at the top
  • Position detailed drill-down reports below or beside summaries

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Naming Conventions

Be Descriptive and Specific:
  • ✅ “Spring 2024 Accreditation Review”
  • ❌ “Dashboard 3”
Include Purpose:
  • ✅ “Executive Leadership Weekly Review”
  • ❌ “Reports”
Add Timeframes When Relevant:
  • ✅ “Fall 2024 Program Assessment”
  • ❌ “Program Assessment” (which semester?)
Use Consistent Patterns:
  • If you have quarterly dashboards, use “Q1 2024,” “Q2 2024,” etc.
  • If you have program dashboards, use “Program Name + Dashboard”

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Widget Arrangement Tips

Put Critical Information at the Top: Place your most important or frequently referenced reports in the top-left area—this is the first thing viewers see. Create Visual Balance: Distribute large and small widgets evenly across the dashboard rather than clustering all large widgets on one side. Leave Some Space: Don’t feel obligated to fill every pixel. A dashboard with some breathing room is easier to read than one crammed with tiny widgets. Match Widget Size to Content:
  • Tables with many rows → Tall widget
  • Reports with multiple columns → Wide widget
  • Summary cards with key metrics → Smaller, square widgets
Test on Presentation Screens: If you’ll share dashboards in meetings, view them on a projector or large monitor to ensure text remains readable.

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Multiple Dashboard Use Cases

Scenario 1: Department Chair Managing Three Programs Create three program-specific dashboards:
  • “Nursing Program Dashboard” with nursing courses, clinical job market, and skills analysis
  • “Allied Health Dashboard” with health science courses and healthcare job data
  • “Comparison Dashboard” with widgets showing all three programs side-by-side
Scenario 2: Accreditation Preparation Create dashboards organized by accreditation standard:
  • “Standard 1: Mission Dashboard” with program alignment reports
  • “Standard 2: Curriculum Dashboard” with course coverage and skills analysis
  • “Standard 3: Outcomes Dashboard” with job market alignment and graduate preparedness
Scenario 3: Monthly Executive Reporting Create time-based dashboards:
  • “Current Month” with real-time metrics that update automatically
  • “Last Month” capturing the previous period’s snapshot
  • “Year-to-Date” showing cumulative trends
Scenario 4: Student Advising Center Create audience-focused dashboards:
  • “Prospective Students” with career pathway highlights and salary information
  • “Current Students” with skills development tracking and internship alignment
  • “Career Services” with job market trends and employer demand data

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Complete Documentation Set

Dashboards are most powerful when combined with other Mapademics features. Explore these related guides:

Introduction to the Report Designer

Understand the Report Designer interface and the four types of reports you can create

Creating Reports

Step-by-step instructions for building reports that you can add to dashboards

Saving, Embedding, and Exporting

Learn how to save reports (required for adding to dashboards), export data, and embed reports on external sites
Start small with one or two dashboards, then expand as you identify additional needs. It’s easier to create new dashboards than to try to make one dashboard serve too many purposes.