---
title: "Custom Dashboards"
slug: "custom-dashboards"
tags: ["Student Success"]
updated: 2026-02-17T18:52:22Z
published: 2026-02-17T18:52:22Z
---

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

# Custom Dashboards for Student Success

[Embedded content](https://player.vimeo.com/video/787681190)

The term *dashboard*is used widely throughout Slate to describe a customized display of at-a-glance, read-only data. Using some [advanced liquid markup](/v1/docs/advanced-liquid-markup), dashboards can be customized.

Dashboards can be created to appear:

- On the *Dashboard*tab of a person or dataset record
- Within an Inbox message
- While comparing two records within Consolidate Records
- In Batch Acquire

## Creating a dashboard

You can create dashboards in many Slate locations. For example, we’ve created an **Advisor Snapshot**dashboard to replace the person record’s *Dashboard*tab.

[![New Student Dashboard](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/image-1770831622094.png)](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/paccre00buqrilvd2lamceclip0.png)

#### Try a Slate example 💼

Copy this [Suitcase](/docs/suitcase-import) ID and paste it in **Database → Suitcase Import**to import our pre-made advisor snapshot dashboard:

```SuitcaseID
0dc5cc82-1468-42ea-a7f7-20bd531e066a:slate-success-showcase
```

Or, to create this dashboard yourself:

1. Go to **Database →** **Dashboards**.
2. Select **New Dashboard**.
3. Configure the following settings:
  - **Name:** Enter a short, descriptive name, like `Prospect Snapshot`
  - **Type:** Select the location where the dashboard should appear. Options include:
    - [Batch Acquire](/v1/docs/batch-acquire#batch-acquire-dashboards)
    - [Consolidate Records](/v1/docs/consolidate-records-custom-dashboard)
    - [First Draft](/v1/docs/configuring-a-message-first-draft)
    - [Inbox](/v1/docs/inbox-overview)
    - [Reader](/v1/docs/reader-overview)
    - [Record](/v1/docs/getting-started-with-records#dashboard) (used in this example)
    - [Research](/v1/docs/research-overview)
    - [Slate Voice](/v1/docs/slate-voice-overview)
    - [User](/v1/docs/user-dashboards)
  - **Base:** Select the base on which the dashboard query should run. Available bases depend on the selected type. In this example, we've selected *Person*.
4. Click **Save.**

> [!NOTE]
> 💡 Tip
> 
> While dashboards can display any data point, be careful not to fill them with so much information that it detracts from quick digestion of high-level details. A simple test is to ask the question, “If the student walks into the office, what information would I need to know immediately?” Often, it’s only a handful of critical data points.

## Creating the query

Now that we’ve created the dashboard object, we can populate it with data.

1. Select the **Edit Query**tab.
2. Select exports for the data to be displayed.
3. Double-click each export and give it a computer-friendly name (no spaces, lower case).

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/image-1707400646237.png)

## Editing the dashboard

With data to work with, we can style the dashboard.

1. Select the **Edit Dashboard**tab. The exports from your query appear at right.

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/image(207).png)
2. Drag-and-drop exports into your dashboard as merge fields.
3. Add styling, including CSS to the source code.

[![Dashboard Source](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/dashboard_source.jpg)](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/dashboard_source.jpg)

> [!NOTE]
> 💡 Ask [Slate AI](/v1/docs/slate-ai-designing-a-smarter-counselor-dashboard) to design your dashboard.

## Previewing the dashboard

Preview the dashboard in order to see how it will display on a given record.

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/image-1707402168742.png)

> [!NOTE]
> **💡 Tip**
> 
> Person record dashboards can also include **iframes**. Any embedded portal from an external system can appear dynamically on the record, like other dashboards, videos, tables, and more.

## Related

- [Advanced Liquid Markup](/advanced-liquid-markup.md)