| Available for | Roles | Super Admin |
| Permissions | • Access Visual Insights Report Builder (Data Explorer) | |
| Packages | LeverTRM for Enterprise, Advanced Analytics add-on |
When building custom charts using Lever's Data Explorer feature, you have the option to save charts directly to new or existing dashboards as well as the option to save the chart as its own discrete item known as a Look. Looks can then be saved or added to custom-built dashboards. Whether you should save or add a Look to a dashboard depends on whether you want future updates that you make to the Look to be reflected on all dashboards on which it is included. This article explains the differences between saving and adding Looks to custom dashboards. If you have not yet done so, we recommend reading our Data Explorer chart building and dashboard building help articles (linked below) before proceeding:
When to save a custom chart as a Look
When you have finished constructing a custom chart in Data Explorer, the next decision you need to make is how you would like to save that chart. At this point, you have three options (accessible via ⛭ > Save in the upper-right corner of the chart builder):
- Save as a new dashboard
- Save to an existing dashboard
- Save as a Look
If you opt to either save the chart as a new dashboard or save the chart to an existing dashboard, that chart will only exist on the dashboard to which it has been saved. If you opt to save the chart as a Look, it will be saved to your Looks folder as a discrete item that you can revisit and modify in the future. If a chart is saved as a Look, it can also be added to multiple custom dashboards. Changes made to a Look will be reflected on every dashboard to which the Look as been added (more on this below). For these reasons, we recommend saving a custom chart as a Look if it meets the following two conditions:
- The chart will appear on more than one custom dashboard
- The chart could potentially undergo changes that will need to be reflected across all dashboards on which it appears
If you are ever unsure whether to save a chart directly to a custom dashboard or as a Look, know that as a general rule it is always better to save a chart as Look. Even if, at the time that you create the custom chart, you only intend to include it on a single dashboard, saving the chart as a Look will give you the option of adding or saving that chart to other custom dashboards that you might create in the future. Also, in the event that a custom dashboard is mistakenly deleted, you can easily rebuild it using your saved Looks. Instructions on how to save custom charts both as Looks as well as directly to custom dashboards can be found in our help article on building custom charts in Data Explorer.
Adding versus saving Looks to custom dashboards
Charts that have been saved as Looks can be made to appear on custom dashboards in one of two ways: saving or adding. The method you choose depends on whether you want any changes made to the Look to be reflected on all dashboards on which it appears.
Saving Looks to custom dashboards
If a Look is saved to a custom dashboard, it will have no connection to the Look from which it originates (the one saved in your Looks folder). This means that if you make changes to the Look in your Looks folder, those changes will not be reflected on the version of the Look that appears on dashboards to which it has been saved. Conversely, any changes made to the version of the Look on the dashboard to which it has been saved will not be reflected on the originating Look nor any versions of the Look that appear on other custom dashboards.
To save a Look to a dashboard:
- Open the Look in folder where it is currently being kept
- To access your Looks, click the folder icon in the upper-right corner of the Data Explorer landing page and select either 'My folder' or the 'Group' folder.
- Click the gear icon (⛭) in the upper-right corner of the Look, hover over Save and select either As a new dashboard to To an existing dashboard.
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- If you are saving the Look as a new dashboard, input a new title for dashboard and click the Save button.
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- If you are saving the Look to an existing dashboard, select an existing dashboard from the folder menu and click the Save to Dashboard button.
Adding Looks to custom dashboards
If a Look is added to a custom dashboard, it will retain its connection to its originating Look in the Looks folder. If you make changes to the Look in its folder, those changes will be reflected on the version of the Look that appears on dashboards to which it has been added.
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Important: The connection retained by added Looks is a two-way connection, meaning that changes made to the version of the Look on a dashboard to which its has been added will also be reflected on the originating Look as well as any versions of the Look that have been added to other custom dashboards. |
To add a Look to a dashboard:
- Open the Look in folder where it is currently being kept
- To access your Looks, click the folder icon in the upper-right corner of the Data Explorer landing page and select either 'My folder' or the 'Group' folder.
- Click the gear icon (⛭) in the upper-right corner of the Look, hover over Save and select To an existing dashboard.
- If you are adding the Look as new dashboard click the New Dashboard button in the lower-left corner of the modal.
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- If you are adding the Look to an existing dashboard, select an existing folder from the folder menu and click the Add Look to Dashboard button.