Information at your fingertips - Charities need to measure performance so that they can make good decisions - this tool is a great way to keep an eye on all the relevant performance indicators without the need to understand Progress or run complex reports.
Flexible - The dashboard can be configured to report the information that matters to you, with secure links to the ProgressCRM database.
Low cost - and easy to install and distribute without further cost - perfect for those people who need information but don't need a complete Progress installation.
The ProgressCRM Dashboard provides an overview of an organisation's key performance indicators and other information that informs and assists in decision making. It is a natural extension of the various existing management information features such as InfoViews, Reports etc. As the dashboard is standalone (i.e. not embedded into the ProgressCRM windows application) it is ideal for staff without a ProgressCRM user licence, and can be used throughout your entire organisation.
Even other webpages can be integrated to include any number of add-ins. For example, iGoogle can display RSS news and other ‘live' feeds, world clocks, etc from a vast library of tools.
Key features of the dashboard are Rows and Panels.
Rows: Splitter bars between the sections will allow the depth of any section to be adjusted, and each row can contain one or more panels which present the information. In the illustration at the bottom of this page, just 2 rows are shown.
Panels: The panels in a row are presented in columns. For example, in the illustration, the top row has 2 columns, the lower row 3 columns. Each panel may present one ‘type' of information including:
- Web Page -to display a wide variety of content (e.g. SharePoint, Reporting Services, iGoogle etc)
- Info View- to display a ProgressCRM InfoView e.g. a graph (line, bar, or pie chart, with 3D effects)
- Graph - create your own SQL graph
- Document- e.g. an Excel spreadsheet or similar
But if you are working via the ProgressCRM browser interface, clicking on a record or task list item will also access the appropriate record in Progress.
- Recently Accessed Record List: Displays records that you have recently worked on. The link will show the record number, label name and organisation name e.g. 123456 Mr A Smith ACME Ltd.
- Task List : The details are displayed as a hyper link with the record number and contact details; contact history type and date; and follow up date and time. Colour coding shows overdue tasks as red E.g. 123456 Mr A Smith ACME Ltd - CALL - 01/08/2008 - F/UP 30/9/2008 9:00- And other tasks as blue E.g. 123456 Mr A Smith ACME Ltd - CALL - 01/08/2008 - F/UP 30/9/2008 9:00
Panel options - any options required to configure or control a panel are via a right-click menu to maximise the amount of space available in the panel.
Displaying the Dashboard
ProgressCRM will automatically populate the panel contents on start up. You can select the dashboard as your ‘Home' page' for instant access to the latest information.
Drag and drop panel configuration: A user may configure their dashboard by ‘dragging and dropping' panels within a section or between sections.
Security Group features: Subject to their security group, Users can
- select and configure panels,
- just select from the gallery,
- only view the dashboard.
For some groups the Dashboard can be kept unavailable.
