Create and update dashboard configurations

Audience: Administrators

Use REST services and SQL tables or views as direct data sources alongside traditional GIS layers and features. Securely feed dashboard charts from external APIs or structured databases without writing custom SQL queries. Establish a unified and reusable data-sourcing pattern across both dashboards and reports.

Create a dashboard configuration

To make a new dashboard configuration:

1. Open the NextGen Geo administration console.

2. Navigate to the Dashboard module management section.

3. Click Create new module.

4. Enter or select:

   • Module type: Select module_dashboard from the dropdown list.

   • Name: Enter a descriptive name.

     • For example, ISTAT Test or ISTAT monitor demo.

   • Tags: Enter or select administrative keywords for organization.

   • Map association: Select the target map workspace.

     • For example, ISTAT map.

   • Opening mode: Choose the display format, such as Exclusive mode.

   • Title and description: Enter localized, multi-language titles and descriptions for end users.

5. Click Save.

Edit a dashboard configuration

To modify your dashboard:

1. Open the NextGen Geo administration console.

2. Navigate to the Dashboard Module Management section.

3. Select an existing module.

4. Click Edit.

5. Enter or select values for the properties.

6. Click Save.

Audit dashboard data

To examine the data in your dashboard:

1. Navigate to your dashboard module configuration.

2. To display the configured chart registry, in the main settings panel, click the Configuration tab.

3. In the registry table, audit data origins.

   • Chart title: The name displayed to the end user on the dashboard panel.

   • Chart type: The visualization format (e.g., Pie, Column, Line).

   • Source: The data origin type (Feature Service, SQL Table/View, or REST service).

   • Service: The target service connection endpoint name.

   • Layer name: The connected GIS layer (applicable to layer-based sources).

   • Source name: The name of the specific SQL object or API contract target.

   • Available actions: Inline buttons to edit, clone, or remove individual charts.

Add a new chart

To create a new chart:

1. In your dashboard module settings, navigate to the Configuration tab.

2. Click the Add chart button.

3. In the Chart title field, enter the desired name.

4. Select a visualization option from the Chart type dropdown:

   • Pie: Shows relative proportions or percentages of a single total.

   • Donut: Displays proportional datasets with a hollow center for absolute totals.

   • Column: Compares discrete categories vertically over time or categories.

   • Column stacked: Compares category totals while breaking down sub-component shares.

   • Bar: Compares discrete categories horizontally, ideal for long labels.

   • Bar stacked: Compares horizontal category totals with sub-component breakdowns.

   • Line: Displays continuous trends, metrics, and changes over time.

Select the data source

1. In the chart configuration wizard, locate the Data source dropdown.

2. Select your data source type:

   • Feature Service

   • SQL Table or View

   • REST service

3. Complete the conditional entry fields:

   • SQL table or view

     • See Select SQL table or view.

   • REST service

     • See Select a REST service.

   • Feature service:

     • See Select a feature service.

Select SQL table or view

1. Click the Connection Name dropdown

2. Choose a configured database connection.

3. Click the SQL Table/View field

4. Select a predefined table or view from the dynamic list.

Select a REST service

1. Click the Service Endpoint selector.

2. Select an active service compliant with the standard OverIT dashboard/report API contract.

Select a feature service

1. To select the GIS service, click the Service dropdown.

2. Choose the specific layer from the Layer name list.

Configure chart statistics

To customize what statistics you see:

1. Define your data source.

2. Scroll down to the statistics section of the chart configuration wizard.

3. Map the fields exposed by your selected table, view, or REST API into the dashboard layout inputs:

   • X axis: Select the independent variable or categorical field from the dropdown list.

   • Y axis: Select the quantitative or numerical metric field (e.g., GDP values).

   • X axis label: Enter the text display label for the horizontal axis.

   • Y axis label: Enter the text display label for the vertical axis.

   • Series: Select an optional field to group or split data parameters into multi-colored sets.

   • Main filter: Select or enter an expression to restrict records returned by the data source.

   • User extent filter: Toggle the checkbox to dynamically filter data based on the user's active map viewport.

Save the chart configuration

To save your chart configuration:

1. Go to the bottom of the chart configuration wizard page.

2. Click Save.

3. Verify:

   • The wizard closes.

   • The chart appears as a new row in your dashboard chart registry table.

Note: You can add multiple charts with different source types inside the exact same dashboard configuration panel. For example, you can have one feature service chart and one SQL view chart.

View dashboards as an end user

To examine how an end-user sees their dashboard:

1. As an end user, log in to the NextGen Geo map workspace.

2. In the main toolbar, click the Dashboard icon.

3. To render the metrics panel, select the desired dashboard profile.

4. Interact with the integrated components:

   • Layer-based chart: Automatically loads and displays features from a feature service.

     • For example, it might display the number of provinces.

   • Database-driven chart: Renders tabular or view data instantly, such as a stacked column chart showing GDP by macroregion.

   • REST-driven chart: Queries the OverIT backend API contract dynamically to show up-to-date regional KPIs.

   • Map workspace integration: Syncs regional or provincial geometries alongside your graphical chart profiles.