VOGSY dashboards editor / creator guide

VOGSY Dashboards allows you to embed Looker dashboards directly within your VOGSY environment. As an editor/creator, you have the ability to not only view dashboards but also create new ones and customize existing ones to fit your specific needs.

This guide walks you through accessing dashboards, navigating the Looker interface, creating your own copies, and embedding them in VOGSY.

Accessing dashboards

To access the Looker environment, go to https://vogsy.cloud.looker.com/login and log in with your Looker credentials.

Once logged in, you can find the dashboards developed by VOGSY in the Default dashboards folder. Click on any dashboard to open it. Upon activation, charts and reports are automatically populated with your own data based on the default filters.

Understanding the folder structure

Looker organizes dashboards in folders. The top-level folder visible to all Looker users in your organization is Shared folders. By default, this folder contains two subfolders:

• Default dashboards — A read-only folder containing the pre-built dashboards provided by VOGSY. You cannot edit or delete anything inside this folder. It serves as your repository of ready-made dashboards that you can use as-is or copy as a starting point.

• Your organization name — A folder named after your organization where you store customized dashboards that are embedded in VOGSY. This is where you save copies of dashboards that you have modified to fit your needs.

In addition to the shared folders, each editor/creator has a personal folder:

• My folder — Your private workspace for experimenting with dashboards and visualizations. Dashboards stored in My Folder are only visible to you and cannot be shared or embedded in VOGSY Dashboards. Use this folder to try out new ideas, test chart configurations, or build draft dashboards before moving them to your organization's folder for publishing.

You can use the default dashboards in two ways:

1. Use as-is — Embed the default dashboard directly into a VOGSY Board without any changes.

2. Copy and customize — Make a personal copy, adjust it to your needs, and embed your customized version.

Navigation and basic functions

In the top-right corner of every dashboard, you will find the following buttons:

• Refresh — Refreshes the data displayed in the dashboard.

• Hide filters — Hides the filter bar to create more space on the screen.

• Dashboard actions (three dots ⋮) — Opens a menu with extensive options, such as copying or editing a dashboard.

Using a default dashboard as-is

If one of the default dashboards already fits your needs, you can embed it directly in VOGSY without making a copy.

Get the Embed URL from Looker

1. In Looker, open the dashboard you want to embed.

2. Click Dashboard actions (three dots ⋮) and select "Get embed URL".

3. Important: Deselect "Include current params in URL" so that recipients can use their own filters.

4. Click Copy link.

Add the dashboard to VOGSY

1. Log in to VOGSY and navigate to Boards in the main menu.

2. Create a new Board by clicking the plus icon and enter a Title.

3. Check the checkbox "This board is for showing a published dashboard". This will enable a field where you can paste the embed URL.

4. Paste the link into the "Source url (link)" field.

5. Save the board.

To share the Board with other VOGSY users, click the Share button (located next to the edit icon of the VOGSY Board) and select the users you want to share it with.

Copying and customizing a dashboard

If you need to modify a dashboard — for example to add, remove, or rearrange tiles, change filters, or adjust visualizations — you must first make a copy. The Default Dashboards folder is read-only and cannot be edited directly.

Step 1 — Copy the dashboard

1. In Looker, navigate to Shared folders → Default dashboards.

2. Open the dashboard you want to customize.

3. Click Dashboard actions (three dots ⋮).

4. Select "Copy dashboard".

5. Move the copy to your organization's folder (or a subfolder within it).

6. Give the copy a clear, descriptive name so it is easy to identify.

Step 2 — Customize the dashboard

Once you have a copy in your own folder, you can fully customize it.

1. Open your newly copied dashboard.

2. Click Dashboard actions (three dots ⋮) and select Edit.

3. A menu appears at the top with the following options: Add (add new elements), Filters (manage dashboard-wide filters), Settings (general settings), Quick layout & Style (adjust the appearance and layout), and Save/Cancel (save or discard your changes).

4. Make your changes and click Save when you are done.

Step 3 — Publish and bmbed in VOGSY

1. Save all changes in Looker using the Save button.

2. Click Dashboard actions (three dots ⋮) and select "Get embed URL".

3. Important: Deselect "Include current params in URL" so that recipients can use their own filters.

4. Click Copy link.

5. Log in to VOGSY and go to Boards in the main menu.

6. Create a new Board by clicking the plus icon and enter a Title.

7. Check the checkbox "This board is for showing a published dashboard".

8. Paste the link into the "Source url (link)" field and Save the Board.

Step 4 — Share the board with other users

After you have created a board and embedded a dashboard, you need to explicitly share it with the users who should be able to see it. A Board is not visible to other users until you share it.

1. In VOGSY, open the Board you want to share.

2. Click the Share button, located next to the edit icon at the top of the Board.

3. In the sharing dialog, select the users you want to share the board with.

4. Confirm your selection to apply the sharing settings.

Important notes on sharing

• Viewer access is automatic. Every full and super user in VOGSY is automatically a Viewer. Once you share a board with them, they can view and interact with the embedded dashboard — no separate Looker account is needed.

• Sharing is per Board, not per dashboard. You share the VOGSY Board, not the Looker dashboard itself. The same Looker dashboard can be embedded in multiple Boards with different sharing settings.

• Department-level security still applies. Even though multiple users may have access to the same Board, each user only sees data for the departments they are authorized to access. The dashboard content is automatically filtered based on the viewer's permissions.

• Only dashboards in Shared folders can be embedded. Dashboards stored in your personal My folder cannot be embedded or shared. Make sure your dashboard is saved in the Default dashboards folder or your organization's folder before creating the Board.

When building or editing a chart in Looker, you select fields from the field picker on the left side of the screen. Understanding the three types of fields is essential for creating effective visualizations.

Dimensions are attributes that describe your data. They represent individual values such as a project name, a customer, a status, a date, or a single numeric value like an order value. Dimensions are used to group, filter, and label your data. In the field picker, dimensions appear in the top section and are typically displayed in blue. When you add a dimension to a chart, it defines the rows or categories that your data is broken down by.

Examples: project name, customer name, project status, department, invoice number, employee name.

Measures are calculations that aggregate data across multiple rows. They produce totals, averages, counts, minimums, or maximums. In the field picker, measures appear below the dimensions and are typically displayed in orange. When you add a measure to a chart, it calculates a value for each group defined by your selected dimensions.

Examples: Total hours spent (sum), average sales rate, count of projects, amount invoiced (sum).

Dimension Groups are date or time fields that Looker automatically expands into multiple granularity levels. When you add a date dimension group to a chart, you can choose to display the data by day, week, month, quarter, or year — without needing separate fields for each. This makes it easy to switch between a detailed daily view and a high-level quarterly overview.

Examples: Creation date (available as date, week, month, quarter, year), Start date, Invoice date.

A typical chart combines one or more dimensions (to define the grouping) with one or more measures (to define the values). For example, selecting the dimension "Department" and the measure "Total hours spent" would produce a chart showing total hours per department.

Adding new charts (tiles)

When editing a dashboard, you can add new visualizations:

1. Click Add and then select Visualization.

2. Choose a data source from VOGSY's available data sources. See Part 2 of this document for a complete reference of all available data sources and their fields.

3. Select fields from the left menu — it shows the available fields for the chosen data source. Click a field to select or deselect it.

4. Choose a visualization type to determine how the data is presented (e.g., Table, Column/Bar, Scatterplot/Line/Area, Pie, or Single Value).

5. Click "Run" in the top-right corner to generate the chart.

Adjusting existing charts (tiles)

In edit mode, you can modify individual charts (tiles). Hover over a chart to see the management options:

• Change position — Click and hold the chart, then drag it to a different location on the dashboard.

• Edit content — Use the Edit option to add or remove fields from the left menu. Click "Run" to update the chart immediately.

• Tile actions (three dots ⋮ on the tile) — Opens a menu with additional options: Edit opens the tile's editing screen, Copy creates a duplicate of the tile, Delete permanently removes the tile from the dashboard, and View lets you choose Expand view or Full screen view for detailed analysis.

Best practices

• Never modify the default dashboards folder. It is read-only for a reason — it ensures everyone always has access to the original, unmodified set of dashboards as a reliable starting point.

• Always copy before customizing. If you need to make changes, copy the dashboard to your own folder first. This way the original remains available for other users and for future reference.

• Use clear naming conventions. When saving a customized dashboard, use a descriptive name that makes it easy for others to understand its purpose, e.g., "Pipeline Overview — EMEA" or "Revenue Report — Quarterly".

• Deselect "Include current params in URL" when sharing. This ensures that each user sees the dashboard with their own default filters rather than yours.

• Keep your audience in mind. Remember that dashboards embedded in VOGSY Dashboards are visible to Viewers. Make sure your customized dashboard presents data clearly and is relevant to the users who will see it.

For a complete overview of all available data sources, including their dimensions, measures, and typical use cases, refer to the VOGSY Dashboards — Data sources reference guide. This companion document helps you choose the right data source when building or customizing dashboard tiles, and describes every field available in the Looker field picker. You can access it here: VOGSY Dashboards — Data Sources Reference Guide.