> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://withforerunner.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Overview

> Visualize your data with charts, metrics, and dashboards

Dashboards let you turn the data you already collect in Forerunner into counts, breakdowns, and trends, without exporting to spreadsheets or outside tools. The same records you filter in saved views become charts you can read at a glance, right where you work.

Answer the questions your team already asks: how many permits this quarter, what's the breakdown by status, whether the team is keeping up.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Add charts to a view" icon="chart-column" href="#inline-charts-on-a-saved-view">
    Attach counts, breakdowns, and trends to any saved view, scoped to that view's filters
  </Card>

  <Card title="Build a standalone dashboard" icon="layout-dashboard" href="#standalone-dashboards">
    Combine charts across record types on one page for leadership and compliance reporting
  </Card>

  <Card title="Filter by date" icon="calendar" href="#filtering-by-date">
    Apply a single date range across every chart on a dashboard
  </Card>

  <Card title="Drill through to records" icon="list" href="#drilling-through-to-records">
    Click any number to see the records behind it
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Two ways to use dashboards

Forerunner gives you two places to visualize data, depending on whether you want charts alongside a specific view or a dedicated reporting page.

|             | Inline charts                                       | Standalone dashboards                               |
| ----------- | --------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| Where       | Attached to a saved view                            | The Dashboards page in the sidebar                  |
| Data source | That view's records and filters                     | Any saved view in the account                       |
| Best for    | Quick context next to the records you're working in | Combining metrics across record types for reporting |

## Chart types

Five chart types cover the most common questions:

| Type   | Answers                | Example                           |
| ------ | ---------------------- | --------------------------------- |
| Metric | How many?              | Total permits issued this quarter |
| Bar    | What's the breakdown?  | Permits by status                 |
| Line   | What's the trend?      | Inspections completed per month   |
| Pie    | What's the proportion? | Cases by type                     |
| Table  | What's the cross-tab?  | Permits by status and by type     |

## Inline charts on a saved view

Any saved view can have charts attached to it. The data is scoped to that view's filters, and charts update live as records change.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open a saved view">
    Navigate to the table and select the saved view you want to chart.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the dashboard panel">
    Click the "Dashboard" button in the table toolbar. A side panel opens showing any charts already added to this view.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add a widget">
    Click the "Add widget" card at the bottom of the panel to open the chart configuration modal.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure and save">
    Choose a chart type, set what you're measuring and how to group it, then save. The chart appears in the panel and updates as the view's records change.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Standalone dashboards

Standalone dashboards live on the Dashboards page in the sidebar. They pull data from any saved view in the account, so you can combine metrics across record types on one page: permits alongside inspections, code cases alongside complaints.

### Creating a dashboard

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Dashboards page">
    Click "Dashboards" in the sidebar. This page lists every standalone dashboard in your account, with the name and last-updated date on each card.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add a dashboard">
    Click "Add" to start a new dashboard.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Name it to save">
    Enter a name. Until you name it, the dashboard stays a draft.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add charts">
    Once saved, the toolbar shows a date range picker and an "Add chart" button. Charts are organized into two sections: summary metrics at the top for single-value counts, and charts below for bar, line, pie, and table.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Adding and configuring a chart

Clicking "Add chart" on a dashboard or "Add widget" on a saved view opens the same configuration modal.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Pick a chart type">
    Choose Metric, Bar, Line, Pie, or Table from the icon grid.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the measure and grouping">
    Set the measure (what you're counting) and the group by (how to slice it).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Refine the chart">
    Optionally add filters, limit how many categories show, or adjust chart-specific options like a cumulative line or donut pie. A live preview updates as you configure.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the width">
    For standalone dashboards, choose a chart width of Quarter, Half, or Full.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Filtering by date

Standalone dashboards have a date range picker in the toolbar that filters every chart at once.

* Choose a preset (Last 7 days, Last 30 days, Last 90 days) or a custom range.
* Each chart specifies which date field the filter applies to. The default is Created date.
* To keep a chart from responding to the range, such as an all-time total, check "Ignore the dashboard's date filter" in that chart's configuration.

## Drilling through to records

Every chart that shows aggregate data can drill through to the records behind it.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the chart menu">
    Click a chart card and select "View data."
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review the records">
    Forerunner opens the records table with the chart's filters applied, so you see exactly which records make up that number.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Who can build dashboards

Users with the **manager** or **creator** role can build dashboards and inline charts, the same permission model as saved views and automations. Other users can view dashboards but won't see the creation controls. Dashboards are shared across the account.

## Tips

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Start from a saved view you already trust">
    Inline charts inherit the view's filters, so a well-scoped view gives you accurate charts with no extra configuration.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Use summary metrics for the headline numbers">
    Put single-value counts in the summary section at the top of a dashboard so the most important numbers read first, with breakdowns and trends below.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Set the right date field per chart">
    A chart measuring completed work should filter on a completion date, not Created date. Set the date field in each chart's configuration so the global range means what you expect.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Drill through to check a surprising number">
    If a count looks off, use "View data" to see the underlying records and confirm the chart is measuring what you intended.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="A chart shows a warning after a field changed">
    If a field a chart references was renamed or removed, a breaking-changes warning surfaces which charts are affected. Open the chart's configuration and point it at the current field.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A chart isn't respecting the date range">
    Check whether "Ignore the dashboard's date filter" is enabled on that chart, and confirm the chart's date field is the one you want the range to apply to.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I don't see the option to create a dashboard">
    Creating dashboards and charts requires the manager or creator role. If you only have view access, ask an administrator on your account.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>