Dashboard Components are the individual building blocks that make up a Salesforce dashboard, providing visual representations of your report data. Each dashboard can contain up to 20 components, allowing administrators to create comprehensive views of key business metrics and performance indicators…Dashboard Components are the individual building blocks that make up a Salesforce dashboard, providing visual representations of your report data. Each dashboard can contain up to 20 components, allowing administrators to create comprehensive views of key business metrics and performance indicators.
There are several types of dashboard components available in Salesforce:
1. **Charts** - Include horizontal bar charts, vertical bar charts, line charts, pie charts, donut charts, and funnel charts. These are ideal for comparing data across categories or showing trends over time.
2. **Gauges** - Display a single value against a customizable range, perfect for showing progress toward goals or KPIs.
3. **Metrics** - Show a single grand total value from a report, useful for displaying important numbers like total revenue or case count.
4. **Tables** - Present report data in a tabular format, showing multiple columns and rows of information.
5. **Visualforce Pages** - Allow custom visualizations when standard components do not meet specific requirements.
Each component is linked to a source report, and the data displayed reflects the reports underlying filters and groupings. Administrators can customize component properties including size, title, header, footer, and sorting options.
Dashboard components support drill-down functionality, enabling users to click on a component to view the underlying report for more detailed analysis. This helps users investigate specific data points that catch their attention.
Components can be configured with dynamic filters, allowing users to change the perspective of the entire dashboard based on specific criteria. Additionally, running user settings determine whose data visibility rules apply when viewing the dashboard.
Effective use of dashboard components enables organizations to monitor sales pipelines, track support metrics, analyze marketing campaigns, and make data-driven decisions. Properly designed dashboards provide stakeholders with at-a-glance insights into business performance.
Dashboard Components - Complete Guide for Salesforce Administrator Exam
Why Dashboard Components Are Important
Dashboard components are fundamental to data visualization in Salesforce. They transform complex data into visual representations that enable quick decision-making and business insights. As a Salesforce Administrator, understanding dashboard components is essential because they are a primary way users consume and interpret data across the organization.
What Are Dashboard Components?
Dashboard components are individual visual elements that display data from underlying source reports. Each component on a dashboard represents a specific report and presents that data in a particular visual format. A single dashboard can contain up to 20 components, allowing administrators to create comprehensive views of business metrics.
Types of Dashboard Components:
1. Chart Components: - Bar Charts: Horizontal bars comparing values across categories - Column Charts: Vertical bars ideal for time-based comparisons - Line Charts: Show trends over time - Pie Charts: Display proportions of a whole (limited to 25 wedges) - Donut Charts: Similar to pie charts with a hollow center - Funnel Charts: Show stages in a process, commonly used for sales pipelines - Scatter Charts: Plot data points to show correlations
2. Gauge Components: Display a single value against a range, perfect for showing progress toward goals
3. Metric Components: Show a single grand total value from a report
4. Table Components: Display report data in rows and columns, showing up to 10 columns
5. Visualforce Components: Custom visualizations using Visualforce pages
How Dashboard Components Work
1. Source Reports: Each component must have an underlying source report. The report provides the data that the component visualizes.
2. Running User: Dashboards can run as a specific user (showing data based on their access) or as the logged-in user (dynamic dashboards).
3. Refresh Behavior: Dashboard data is a snapshot from when it was last refreshed. Components can be refreshed manually or scheduled.
4. Groupings: The source report's groupings determine what can be displayed. A chart typically needs at least one grouping to visualize data effectively.
5. Filters: Dashboard filters allow users to filter multiple components simultaneously based on field values.
Key Configuration Options: - Component size (small, medium, large) - Drill-down to source report or filtered report - Display units (whole numbers, percentages) - Sort order - Maximum values displayed
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Dashboard Components
Tip 1: Know Component-Report Relationships Remember that every dashboard component requires a source report. Questions often test whether you understand this dependency.
Tip 2: Understand Component Limitations - Maximum 20 components per dashboard - Pie and donut charts: maximum 25 wedges - Tables: maximum 10 columns - Gauge: single value only
Tip 3: Match Component Types to Use Cases Exam questions frequently present scenarios asking which component type is most appropriate. Remember: - Trends over time = Line Chart - Comparing categories = Bar or Column Chart - Progress toward goal = Gauge - Single KPI value = Metric - Proportions = Pie or Donut Chart - Sales stages = Funnel Chart
Tip 4: Dynamic Dashboards vs. Static Dashboards Know that dynamic dashboards show data based on the logged-in user's permissions, while standard dashboards run as a single specified user.
Tip 5: Report Format Requirements Summary and Matrix reports are typically needed for chart components. Tabular reports work for tables but have limitations for charts.
Tip 6: Read Scenarios Carefully When questions describe a business need, identify keywords that point to specific component types. Words like 'progress,' 'goal,' or 'target' often indicate a Gauge component is appropriate.
Tip 7: Dashboard Filters Remember that dashboard filters can filter multiple components at once, and the filter fields must exist in the source reports of the components being filtered.