Dashboard reference: Build custom dashboards

Overview

The Splunk App for Microsoft Exchange has many dashboards which display the data that the app collects. You can also build your own panels with Dashboard Builder. Dashboard Builder lets you design, save, and later retrieve custom dashboards from within the app at any time, without having to know how to build the views using code. You can use any dashboard that the Splunk App for Microsoft Exchange has available, or build custom dashboards from scratch.

The Splunk App for Microsoft Exchange enables the custom dashboard builder when you select "Dashboard Builder" or "App Dashboards" from the Dashboards menu.

Dashboards

When you select "View Dashboards" from the Dashboard menu, the Splunk App for Microsoft Exchange loads the Dashboards page.

The page lists all available dashboards, sorted alphabetically. It lets you make a copy of any dashboard (if it is one of the pre-built ones) or edit dashboards that have been previously created or cloned. The page also lists each dashboard's owner, the last time it was updated, and its sharing level.

To view a particular dashboard, click its name in the list. The Splunk App for Microsoft Exchange updates the screen to show you the panels that comprise the dashboard.

To edit a dashboard, click on the "Edit" or "Clone" link underneath the "Actions" column alongside the dashboard that you want to edit. The Splunk App for Microsoft Exchange loads the Dashboard Builder page.

What you see in the Actions column depends on whether or not the dashboard that you are attempting to edit is a pre-built page or a page that you have created or cloned. You cannot edit the pre-built pages, you can only clone them. Once you have cloned a pre-built page, you can edit or clone the copy as much as you want.

To create a new dashboard, click the "+Create New" button. The Splunk App for Microsoft Exchange loads the Dashboard Builder page.

Create new dashboard

When you create a new dashboard or clone an existing one, the Splunk App for Microsoft Exchange loads the Dashboard Builder page.

In this page, you can create custom dashboards by dragging dashboard panels and dropping them into the Dashboard Builder view. As you add panels, you can move them around to suit your taste. Then, you can save the palette with a name that you will remember and retrieve it later in the "App dashboards" page.

The Dashboard Builder page has two sections:

• The "Add Panels" section on the left side, which lists all available panels in the Splunk App for Microsoft Exchange. It has three drop-down boxes which let you select dashboard panels for Windows, Active Directory, or Microsoft Exchange.
• The "Drop Zone" on the right side, where you drag, drop, and arrange dashboard panels.

1. Enter the Dashboard Builder page by selecting "Dashboard Builder" under the "Dashboards" menu. The Splunk App for Microsoft Exchange loads the Dashboard Builder page.
2. In the Add Panels section, locate the dashboard panel that you want to add to the palette. You can do this in one of two ways:
   
   • Type in the name of a dashboard in the text entry box above the three drop-down boxes. If you begin typing in a name, all panels which match the text you typed will appear. Or,
   • Click on one of the drop-down boxes and locate the dashboard panel in the list.
3. Once you have found the panel you want to include in the dashboard, click the panel, then hold down the left mouse button to drag it from the Panel window to the area that says Drop Panels Here (the Drop Zone). The Splunk App for Microsoft Exchange immediately updates the dashboard with the panel you added.
4. To add more panels to the dashboard, repeat Steps 2 and 3.

View dashboards

In this view you can use the dashboard builder like you would any other dashboard in the Splunk App for Microsoft Exchange. You can:

• Click on links on the individual dashboards within the palette to get more information about the item you clicked.
• Filter events by using available drop-down menus or text entry boxes on a dashboard.
• Click trend lines to get more information about the events around the area you clicked.
• Sort individual lists within each dashboard by using the appropriate sorting buttons on the dashboard.

Edit dashboard

Edit an existing dashboard

To edit an existing dashboard:

1. From the App Dashboards page, choose the dashboard that you want to edit.
2. Click either Edit or Clone under the Actions column. The Splunk App for Microsoft Exchange loads the Dashboard Builder window and populates the Drop Zone with the existing panels for the dashboard.
3. Add or remove dashboard panels. See "Create new dashboard" for instructions on how to add and remove individual panels.
4. Arrange dashboard panels as you want in the dashboard window.
5. If you want to change the description of the dashboard, click "Edit Details" and in the pop-up menu that appears, select "Edit Description". The Splunk App for Microsoft Exchange presents the "Edit App Dashboard Details" dialog box, where you can change the name, description and ID of the dashboard palette.
6. If you want to delete the dashboard, click "Edit Details", and in the pop-up menu that appears, click "Delete App Dashboard". The Splunk App for Microsoft Exchange asks you if you are sure that you want to delete the page. To confirm, click the "Delete" button in this dialog box.
7. If you want to clone the dashboard, click "Edit Details", and in the pop-up menu that appears, click "Clone App Dashboard". The Splunk App for Microsoft Exchange clones the page and returns you to the Dashboard Builder window where you can edit and save changes to the cloned palette.
8. After you are satisfied with the changes, save the palette by clicking "Save".

Move existing panels

After you have added the panels you want, you can then arrange them in a way that makes sense to you.

You can hide the Panels section to provide additional screen space to move dashboard objects around. To toggle the display of the Panels section, click the arrow next to the "Add Panels" text.

1. Move your mouse pointer onto the top of the panel you want to move.
2. Hold down the left mouse button and drag the panel to the place you want it to go. The Splunk App for Microsoft Exchange updates the screen and moves the Drop Zone toward this area.
3. After the panel is in the updated Drop Zone, release the mouse button. The Splunk App for Microsoft Exchange updates the page to reflect the rearranged panels.

Remove existing panels

Each panel has a "handle bar" which lets you move the panel around. When the mouse cursor is on a panel handle bar, it turns into a cross shape and the handle bar activates, displaying an "X" to the right of the panel name.

1. Move your mouse pointer onto the top of the panel you want to delete.
2. Place the mouse cursor on the "X" and click once to remove the panel.

Save changes to the dashboard

When you save a panel, you can override the panel ID it suggests with an ID of your choosing by entering it into the ID field.

1. After you have rearranged the panels, save the palette by clicking Save... in the upper right corner of the page. The Splunk App for Microsoft Exchange presents the "Save As..." dialog box.
2. Enter a title whose name you will remember in the Title field and a description of the palette in the Description field. The Splunk App for Microsoft Exchange automatically generates a palette ID that it bases on the text you entered in the "Title" field.
3. Click Save to save the palette. The Splunk App for Microsoft Exchange saves the dashboard and returns you to the App Dashboards window.