Reporting dashboards offer Admins, Users, and Managers valuable insights into their own learning progress, the progress of their direct reports, and how users are engaging with the platform, including enrolments and course completions.
These types of reports can be provided through Dashboards on the LMS which can be used as a landing page or added to a menu item along the navigation bar. This guide will walk through how to add a Report to a dashboard using the Report table block and how to configure the report to provide users with access and be able to see the report.
Selecting the Report block on a Dashboard:
Editing the Report Block
When editing the block, there is going to be a few options that can change how the report block displays on the dashboard:
Common block settings:
- Block Title - This is the current title of the block, this can be changed by ticking 'Override default block title'.
- Override default block title - Allows for the default block name to be changed.
- Allow block hiding - Enable this option to allow users to collapse a block from their personal view
- Allow block docking - Enable this option to allow users to move this block to the docking area on the left side of the screen.
Block Appearance:
- Show header - Toggle this option to display or hide the block header.
- Show border - Allows the decision on whether to display the block's border.
Custom block settings:
- Report - This is where the report that needs to be displayed on the block can be selected.
- Saved search - Should there be a saved search on the report, this can be selected here.
- Hide if there is nothing to display - If no results on the report, the block will not be displayed.
Where this block appears:
- Original block location - This describes where the block was first displayed.
- Display on page types - Choose if the block should display on this dashboard or any page on the site.
- Select Pages - Choose if the block should display on the current page or follow what is selected from previous option
- Default region - Select in which region this block should, by default, be displayed.
- Default weight - The default weight allows you to choose roughly where you want the block to appear in the chosen region, either at the top or the bottom.
On this page:
- Visible - Choose whether this block will be visible to users.
- Region - Select which block region or column this block will be added to.
- Weight - Choose the default weight or listing order for this block.
Choosing the Report & saved search:
When a report is created and need to be displayed within the block, this can be done via the 'Custom block settings' option:
Note: Only public saved searches on the report can be surfaced here.
Once all settings have been selected and altered as required, the settings can be saved and the report can be seen on the dashboard.
Possible Error:
When logged in as a user that will have access to the report via a dashboard, when landing on the dashboard the report may not be visible to the user in question. This means that some changes need to be made to the report in order allow the user to view the report via the Report table block.
Editing the Report:
Within the Access section of the report, it will depend on who requires access to view the report on the dashboard to what option is selected within this section.
Access Controls:
- Restrict Access - Here, it can be chosen for either all users to view the report which means seeing all data on the report or only certain users can view the report using the next two options.
Restrict access by audience membership:
- Audience - Selecting an already made audience from here, this would provide the members of that Audience with access to the report.
Restrict access by role:
- If making use of roles within the LMS, there is the ability to restrict it by role. For example, if only managers need to see this report. Selecting the role of Staff Manager would only make the report visible to them.
When access has been selected, it is advisable to test this with an example user that has been given access to the report. They should now see the report on the dashboard.