Dashboard Builder
Dashboard Builder is the drag-and-drop Lightning interface for assembling Salesforce dashboards from existing reports.
Definition
Dashboard Builder is the drag-and-drop Lightning interface for assembling Salesforce dashboards from existing reports. You pick reports as data sources, add components (bar charts, donuts, metrics, tables, gauges, scatter plots), arrange them on a grid, and configure refresh schedules, filters, and viewer permissions. Each component renders the report it points at, scoped by any dashboard filter and the Running User's record access.
Dashboard Builder is the successor to the older Classic dashboard editor. The Lightning version supports up to 25 components per dashboard, multiple columns of variable width, real-time component-level filtering, and a Component Builder side panel that lets you change chart types without leaving the dashboard. The underlying object is the Dashboard standard object; components map to DashboardComponent records that store the chart configuration and report reference.
How Dashboard Builder turns reports into the visual surface sales and service leaders actually open
Component types and when each one fits
Bar and column charts compare values across a single grouping. Donut and funnel charts show share-of-total for under ten slices. Line and stacked column show trends across time. Metric components display a single number with optional conditional formatting and a target line. Tables display the underlying report rows directly. Gauges and scorecards are mostly decorative; most modern dashboards skip them. Lightning Tables are the newest addition and let you build a filterable grid component without using a separate report.
The Running User and what data each viewer sees
Every dashboard runs as a specific user, set in the dashboard properties. The Running User determines which records the underlying reports return. Three modes: Run as Logged-In User (each viewer sees their own data, requires Dynamic Dashboards license seat usage), Run as Specified User (every viewer sees the same data, scoped to the chosen user), and Let Viewers Choose (lets each viewer pick a running user from a defined list, useful for managers reviewing different teams). Choose carefully; Run as Specified is a common source of data leaks if the specified user has broader access than the dashboard audience.
Dashboard filters and how they propagate
Dashboards support up to three filters per dashboard, each with up to 50 filter values. A filter applies to every component whose underlying report has the filtered field. Components on reports that lack the field simply ignore the filter. Filters cannot reference picklist values that do not exist in the source field, so adding new picklist values requires manually adding them to the dashboard filter. Component-level filters (set on individual components, not the dashboard) override dashboard filters and let you build "all-region" and "west-region-only" charts on the same dashboard.
Refresh schedules and the 24-hour cache
Dashboards cache the most recent run. Open a dashboard and you see the data from the last refresh, not live data, unless the dashboard refreshes on click. Scheduled refreshes run server-side and email the dashboard to a recipient list if configured. Salesforce caps dashboards at one scheduled refresh per dashboard, with daily, weekly, or monthly cadence. Manual refresh from the dashboard header re-runs every component immediately. Lightning Subscriptions complement scheduled refresh by emailing individual users their own snapshot.
Grid layout, column widths, and responsive behaviour
Lightning Dashboard Builder uses a 12-column grid. Components span any whole-number column width and stack into rows. Drag handles let you resize columns or move components. On smaller screens, components reflow into a single column. Tablet rendering preserves the column count up to a breakpoint, then collapses. Avoid components narrower than three columns; charts compress to unreadable. Avoid tables wider than nine; they require horizontal scroll on most laptops.
Subscribing to dashboards versus dashboard refresh
Subscriptions deliver a static snapshot of the dashboard via email or Slack to specific users on a defined cadence. They are per-viewer; each subscriber sees the dashboard rendered with their own access. Refresh schedules update the cached version everyone sees. Both run on the same scheduler infrastructure but are scheduled separately. The two are often confused; a sales leader who "set up a dashboard email" usually means a subscription, not a refresh.
Lightning Dashboards versus CRM Analytics dashboards
Two product lines, very different feature sets. Lightning Dashboards live inside the core Reports and Dashboards app, run on standard objects, and use Lightning Report Builder reports as their source. CRM Analytics (formerly Tableau CRM, formerly Einstein Analytics) lives in its own app with its own dataset model, query language (SAQL), and dashboard designer. CRM Analytics handles datasets in the hundreds of millions of rows; Lightning Dashboards top out closer to two thousand rows per component. The two cannot share dashboards or filters directly; you pick a platform per use case.
Building a Lightning dashboard with Dashboard Builder
Dashboard Builder opens whenever you create or edit a dashboard. The steps below assume the underlying reports already exist; build the reports first.
- Create the dashboard shell
Dashboards tab, New Dashboard. Give the dashboard a clear name and pick the folder. Folder placement controls who can see the dashboard; pick a shared folder for team dashboards and a private folder for personal exploration.
- Add the first component
Click + Component in the dashboard header. Pick the source report. Choose a chart type (bar, donut, metric, table, line). The right panel lets you set the grouping, the measure, the legend, and any conditional formatting. Save and the component drops into the grid.
- Configure the Running User
Click the gear icon, choose View Dashboard As. Pick Run as Specified User (one snapshot for everyone), Run as Logged-In User (each viewer sees their own data), or Let Viewers Choose. Each option has data-security implications; read the docs on Dynamic Dashboards before enabling Logged-In User.
- Add dashboard filters
Open the gear, choose Filters, click + Add Filter. Pick a field that exists on the source reports, set the operator and the picklist of values. Filters apply across every component that has the filter field on its source report.
- Schedule and subscribe
From the dashboard list view, click Subscribe to receive a snapshot via email or Slack on a cadence. From the dashboard properties, set a refresh schedule so the cached dashboard updates automatically. Subscriptions and refresh are separate features that complement each other.
Specified User, Logged-In User, or Viewer Chooses. Determines which records the underlying reports return.
Up to three filters per dashboard, each with up to 50 filter values. Apply across every component whose source report has the filter field.
Manual, scheduled, or on-page-load. Scheduled refresh caps at one schedule per dashboard. Daily, weekly, or monthly cadence; specific time of day.
Bar, column, line, donut, funnel, metric, table, Lightning table, gauge, scatter. Some types support stacked, cumulative, or cumulative-percent variants.
- Run as Specified User can expose data the dashboard audience should not see. The chosen user''s record access scopes every component.
- Dashboard filter picklist values are configured per-dashboard. Adding new values to the source field does not auto-update the filter; edit manually.
- The 24-hour cache means a dashboard you open today might show data from yesterday. Manual refresh or component-level refresh forces a re-run.
- Components capped at 2,000 rows per source report. Larger source data sets get truncated silently; build aggregating reports for high-volume data.
- Subscriptions and refresh schedules are separate. Setting up a refresh does not email anyone; setting up a subscription does not update the cached dashboard.
Trust & references
Cross-checked against the following references.
- Build a Dashboard in LightningSalesforce Help
- Create a DashboardSalesforce Help
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Dashboard Builder.
- Set the Dashboard Running UserSalesforce Help
- Subscribe to a DashboardSalesforce Help
Hands-on resources to go deeper on Dashboard Builder.
About the Author
Dipojjal Chakrabarti is a B2C Solution Architect with 29 Salesforce certifications and over 13 years in the Salesforce ecosystem. He runs salesforcedictionary.com to help admins, developers, architects, and cert/interview candidates sharpen their fundamentals. More about Dipojjal.
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