How to Create a Dashboard in Salesforce: Step-by-Step Guide

A Salesforce dashboard displays visual representations of report data through charts, graphs, and metrics. Dashboards help users quickly understand key performance indicators and business trends without analyzing raw report data.

This guide covers dashboard creation in both Lightning Experience and Salesforce Classic, including component types, data source configuration, and sharing permissions.

What is a Dashboard in Salesforce?

Dashboards are visual representations of data generated from Salesforce reports. Each dashboard contains up to 20 components that display report data as charts, tables, gauges, or metrics. Dashboard components refresh automatically when underlying report data changes.

Dashboard components include:

• Charts: Bar, column, line, pie, donut, funnel, and scatter charts
• Gauges: Visual indicators showing progress toward goals
• Metrics: Single number displays with optional comparisons
• Tables: Tabular data displays from report results

How to Create a Dashboard in Salesforce Lightning Experience

Follow these steps to create a dashboard in Lightning Experience:

1. Navigate to the Reports tab from the App Launcher
2. Click New Dashboard in the top-right corner
3. Enter a dashboard name and optional description
4. Select a folder location (My Personal Dashboards or shared folder)
5. Choose Lightning Experience as the dashboard type
6. Click Create

The Lightning dashboard builder opens with a drag-and-drop interface for adding components.

Adding Components to Lightning Dashboards

To add components:

1. Click + Component in the dashboard builder
2. Select a report as the data source
3. Choose a component type (Chart, Metric, or Table)
4. Configure display properties and filters
5. Click Add to place the component

How to Create a Dashboard in Salesforce Classic

For Salesforce Classic users, follow this process:

Go to the Reports tab.

Click on New Dashboard.

The dashboard builder screen opens with two main sections:

Dashboard Builder Components

The dashboard builder contains two key sections:

• Components: Visual elements like pie charts, gauges, graphs, tables, and funnels
• Data Sources: Reports that provide data for dashboard components

Component sizing options:

• Wide: Full-width components spanning the entire dashboard
• Medium: Half-width components allowing two per row
• Narrow: Quarter-width components allowing four per row

Adding Components in Classic

To add dashboard components:

1. Select a component size (Wide, Medium, or Narrow)
2. Drag a component type to the dashboard canvas
3. Navigate to the Data Sources section

Select a report from Data Sources and drag it onto the dashboard component.

The example above shows a dashboard component displaying account data in a graphical format. Each dashboard supports up to 20 components with configurable security permissions.

Dashboard Folder Security and Sharing

Dashboard access depends on folder permissions:

• Public folders: Visible to all users with dashboard access
• Hidden folders: Visible only to folder owners and administrators
• Restricted folders: Limited to specific users, roles, or public groups

Users need “View Dashboards” permission and access to underlying reports to view dashboard data.

Dashboard Best Practices

Follow these guidelines for effective dashboards:

• Use meaningful component titles and descriptions
• Group related metrics on the same dashboard
• Limit dashboards to 10-15 components for optimal performance
• Schedule dashboard refreshes during off-peak hours
• Test dashboard performance with different user profiles
• Use consistent color schemes across related components

Dashboard Refresh and Scheduling

Dashboards refresh automatically when users view them, but you can schedule automatic refreshes:

1. Open the dashboard in edit mode
2. Click Schedule Refresh
3. Set refresh frequency (daily, weekly, or monthly)
4. Choose specific times and recipients for email notifications
5. Save the schedule

Scheduled refreshes help ensure dashboard data stays current without manual intervention.

Troubleshooting Common Dashboard Issues

Common dashboard problems and solutions:

• “Insufficient Privileges” error: User lacks access to underlying reports or dashboard folder
• Blank components: Source report contains no data or has restrictive filters
• Slow loading: Too many components or complex report queries
• Data not updating: Report data hasn’t refreshed or dashboard cache needs clearing

Frequently Asked Questions