I can't create a dashboard from Workspace

Karen Vaughan

Hi. My project data folder is in Workspace and when I try to create a dashboard and click 'Add Report' it only shows folders from Sheets. I'm very new to Smartsheet. Thank you.

Bassam Khalil

Hi @Karen Vaughan

Hope you are fine, try to check the sharing permission level you have on this workspace

Karen Vaughan

I am already the owner and I can't see how to change my permission level. I am very new to Smartsheet.

Genevieve P.

Hi @Karen Vaughan

In order to add a Report Widget on a Dashboard, first you will have needed to create a Report type of Smartsheet item. Do you have a Report that you're looking to add in, but you can't see it as an option?

Here's a webinar on Dashbaords that you may find helpful.

Cheers,

Genevieve

Karen Vaughan

I am very new to Smartsheet. I've have created both a dashboard and report. When I click on 'Add Report" it doesn't show any of my folders in my Workspace. It only allows me to choose from Sheets folder. My data is in the Workspace folders.

Karen Vaughan

I added to data file to the Sheets folder and that doesn't appear in the menu choice for "Add Report"

Genevieve P.

Hi @Karen Vaughan

Is it possible that you created a Sheet instead of a Report? These are two different types of Smartsheet items.

A Report will have an Orange icon next to it, but a sheet will be Blue:

Karen Vaughan

Hi

I created the dashboard in the Worksheets folder

When I hit :Add report - I only see the Sheet, but not the copy of blue sheet that I added to the sheets folder:

Thanks for your help with this.

Genevieve P.

Hi @Karen Vaughan

No problem!

So this issue here is that the blue icon indicates that the item you have created is a Sheet in Smartsheet, not a Report.

A Report is a different type of item that can look into one, or many sheets and display a specialized view of the source content. You can show specific columns and apply filters, as well as use a Group and Summary option.

The Report widget in the Dashboard can only find Report type of items. This is why you see only orange file types in the window, because that shows it's looking for a Report. Your current Sheet is the wrong type of item.

Here's a webinar on Reports that goes through how to create a Report in a video.

There are a number of other webinars on that page that may help you as you onboard.

Let me know if you have any questions about the above and I'm happy to clarify further!

Cheers,

Genevieve

Genevieve P.

Here's a the Onboarding webinar that discusses the difference between Sheets and Reports (start at 4:50)

https://youtu.be/vYqYdlmAj-E?t=292

Karen Vaughan

Hi

When I did the training, and looked at webinars on the weekend - these don't seem to address my problem. My Data is in the Sheet. It is my project plan. I want to use that data to create a report. However, I can't connect the data to a dashboard to add report.

In the dashboard

these are the folders that appear

however, these are the folders in my sheets.

I can't Add Report to my dashboard because it doesn't appear. I need to get the data and my dashboard to join together. But it won't happen before my meeting in a few min. Maybe tonight I can watch the video again and see what I've done wrong.

Thank you for trying to sort this out.🙂

Genevieve P.

Hi @Karen Vaughan

Your Project Plan is a Sheet, which is why it's Blue:

You'll notice that the orange "New Blank..." Report shows up in your Dashboard as an option. This is because it's a Smartsheet Report. Your Project plan is not a Report, which is why it can't be selected.

Instead, try this.

Go to the Blue Sheet. Click on the Publish icon on the far right.

Turn on the "Read Only" button and choose "Get Link".

Copy the Publish URL:

Now that you have the URL, add this as a WEB Content Widget (not a Report widget).

Paste the URL into the right panel window in the Web Content widget:

Then click "Apply"! This will create a View of your Sheet within a Dashboard.

Let me know if this works for you!

Genevieve

Karen Vaughan

I see what you are saying. When I did convert my plan into a report, - it didn't create a report. I will watch the video you sent this evening to see how to fix this problem. I'm 100% sure it is 'operator error' as I only got Smartsheet a week ago. thanks for your help🙂

Genevieve P.

No problem at all! Let me know if you're having trouble with this tomorrow and I can clarify further.

You can either Publish the Sheet and put it as a Web Content Widget

or

you can create a second Smartsheet item, a Report, using this blue Sheet as your Source. Then once you've create an orange Report item, you can select this from the Report Widget window.