Filter, Select & Obtain Record Details Easily in Dashboards

Welcome to another episode of SmartTips. I'm Jeff Gonzalez and today I'm excited to guide you through a highly useful design pattern featured in our brand new dashboard view. We'll explore how you can filter down, select, and effortlessly view all of your record details from one dashboard view. Our goal is to make it incredibly easy for everyone to dive in and find the information they need in a visually appealing way. Let's get started!
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Introduction to the Design Pattern

The Dashboard View

I'm demonstrating this in my sales CRM solution. Specifically, I'm within the accounts table, where I’ve set up a view called Account Central. In this dashboard view, there’s a tab labeled Customer Orders. The possibilities within SmartSuite are endless.

In this case, I want to highlight a really valuable design pattern. While this example is shown with customer orders, you can adapt it for invoices, projects, and more. It’s perfect for summarizing a lot of fields and providing stakeholders with a simple overview of what's happening.

The Versatility of the Design Pattern

This pattern isn't just limited to customer orders. You could apply it to a variety of objects that contain numerous information fields, whether they are invoices, projects, or anything else. It's an efficient way to summarize these fields and deliver a concise snapshot to your stakeholders, showing them exactly what’s going on at a glance.

Step-by-Step Guide to Implementing the Design Pattern

Let's dive into the specifics of how to implement this design pattern. We’ll break it down into the following steps:

1. Choosing an Account
2. Viewing Related Orders
3. Configuring the Record Details Widget
4. Setting Up Selection Widgets
5. Reviewing Style Options and Saving Changes

Step 1: Choosing an Account

I’m in my accounts table right now, where I can select an account. For instance, when I choose an account, I can then view the orders associated with it. If the account has no orders (like in the case of Bloomjy), there won’t be any options to pick from.

Let’s try selecting another account, say A and P Industries. Immediately, we can see orders like order number 2 and order number 5 appear.

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Step 2: Viewing Related Orders

Once we've chosen Order number 5, the dashboard will present all the fields of information associated with it.

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Step 3: Configuring the Record Details Widget

Next, let’s peek behind the curtain to see how this configuration works.

1. Record Details Widget: We can provide it with a title and specify the source (e.g., 'Select Order'). As soon as we select an order, the displayed field values update accordingly.
2. Field Values: We control which fields are shown, their width (e.g., up to four fields per row), or assign a field to span an entire row if it needs more space. Styling options include white, neutral, or a custom color palette that we leave for later customization.

Step 4: Setting Up Selection Widgets

Now, let's move on to the Selection Widgets.

1. Select Order Widget: This widget allows us to choose a specific order. We select the source ('Select Account') and set up filters, if needed. The fields displayed in the selection dropdown list can be customized (e.g., order date, order status, subtotal).
2. Connected Widget: We link this with our order details, creating an interactive flow from account selection to detailed order review.

Step 5: Reviewing Style Options and Saving Changes

Finally, let's discuss style options and save our configurations.

1. Source of Accounts: This widget allows us to choose an account, triggering subsequent widgets to display related orders and their details.
2. Stylistic Consistency: We ensure the appearance is cohesive throughout the dashboard by using similar styles, dropdown lists, and background color settings.

Practical Applications and Benefits

We have successfully set up a chain from account selection to order review, maintaining a streamlined and user-friendly interface. This comes in handy for:

• Sales Teams: Quickly accessing customer orders
• Project Managers: Reviewing project details
• Finance Teams: Managing invoices
• General Business Operations: Summarizing vast datasets into actionable insights

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below. And as always, thanks for watching!