---
source_url: https://www.pubnub.com/docs/analytics/decisions/dashboards
title: Dashboards
updated_at: 2026-09-30T07:20:08.000Z
---

# Dashboards

## Documentation index

To discover more PubNub resources:

1. Fetch [PubNub's llms.txt](https://www.pubnub.com/llms-full.txt) for a list of available pages in Markdown format.
2. Identify relevant URLs from that index.
3. Fetch the target pages.

Do not assume a path exists, always check the index first.

A Dashboard is a named container for one or more charts.
Each chart on a Dashboard visualizes a metric from a
[Business Object](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/analytics/decisions/business-objects.md)
.
When the Business Object behind a chart is also used in a
[Decision](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/analytics/decisions.md)
, the chart shows when actions were triggered alongside the metric data.

## Dashboards

You create a Dashboard first, then add charts to it. All Dashboards and charts you have created appear on the **Dashboards** home page in the Admin Portal.

You can add, edit, or delete charts and Dashboards from both the home page and from within a Dashboard view.

## Charts

A chart visualizes a single metric for a Business Object. The chart name is generated from the metric name. To create a chart, the Business Object must have at least one metric.

You can configure each chart independently:

| Setting | Options |
| --- | --- |
| Time range | `30 minutes`, `1 hour`, `24 hours`, `3 days`, `1 week`, `30 days`, `3 months`, or a custom date range |
| Chart type | Bar (default), stacked bar, or line |
| Width | Full-width or half-width |

### Decision activity overlay

If the Business Object for a chart is also used in a Decision, a decision preview appears at the bottom of the chart. The overlay marks when rules fired, so you can see metric trends alongside triggered actions.

## Data time zone

Charts reflect your browser's time zone. There is no global time zone setting for Illuminate.

## CSV export

You can export any chart's data as a CSV file. The download button is in the upper-right corner of the chart. Illuminate packages the export as a ZIP file containing one CSV file. The export follows the chart's selected date range and dimensions. A single export contains up to one million rows.

## Prerequisites

Before you can create and view charts:

* A [Business Object](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/analytics/decisions/business-objects.md) with at least one metric must exist.
* The Business Object must be active. Illuminate only captures data from active Business Objects. Charts for an inactive Business Object show no data.
* A Dashboard must exist before you can add charts to it.

## Home page and settings

The **Dashboards** home page in the [Admin Portal](https://admin.pubnub.com/) lists all Dashboards and charts. Use the ellipsis (`...`) button next to any item to edit or delete it.

From within a Dashboard view, you can edit the Dashboard name, add or remove charts, and change chart settings. Within a chart view, switch between chart types using the chart type icon and set the width using the width icon.

## Access

To open Dashboards, sign in to the [Admin Portal](https://admin.pubnub.com/) and click **Illuminate** in the sidebar, then click **Dashboards**.

Illuminate is available to all PubNub apps. Illuminate includes a two-week free trial. After the trial, [contact sales](https://www.pubnub.com/company/contact-sales/) to continue.

For creating Dashboards for end customers as a PubNub partner, see [Illuminate for partners](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/analytics/decisions/for-partners.md).

For a step-by-step walkthrough of creating a Dashboard and adding charts, see [Create dashboards and charts](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/analytics/decisions/create-dashboards.md).

Last updated at: 2026-09-30T07:20:08.000Z