GLM/SLM Data Visualization Tool

Approved Requests Dashboard

This video demonstrates how to build an approval dashboard in Data Visualization by adding a table, filters, and charts to display approved requests data.

Application Dashboard

This video demonstrates how to build an application dashboard in Data Visualization by adding a table, dropdown filter, and donut charts to display application data by geographic area and focus area.

Installments Dashboard

This video demonstrates how to build an installment dashboard in Data Visualization by adding a table, slider filter, and charts to track installment due dates, payment amounts, and balances over time.

Evaluation Statuses Dashboard

This video demonstrates how to build an evaluation dashboard in Data Visualization by adding a table, process filter, circular gauge, and bar chart to display and analyze evaluator scores by organization.

This section contains use cases for different personas that might use the Data Visualization Tool.

• Executive Director/CEO:
  • At-a-glance dashboards for you and your board
  • Visual storytelling for annual reports or strategy discussions
  • Monitor internal metrics and compare strategic priorities year-over-year
  • Understand which programs are growing and which may need investment
• Program Officer:
  • Track KPIs specific to your focus area
  • Monitor outcomes across grantees or partners
  • See real-time activity like how many applications are in each phase and what grantee reports are waiting for your review
  • Drill into geographic or demographic patterns to inform outreach
• Grants Manager:
  • Create dashboards for operational oversight
  • Track reviewer workloads and timelines
  • Monitor application statuses in real time
  • View disbursement tracking with quick drill-downs
• Development or Donor Relations:
  • Visual dashboards showing fund impact
  • Create donor-specific snapshots of activity or outcomes
  • Share dynamic reports with fund advisors or foundation partners
  • Show return on philanthropic investment in visual form
• Finance or Bookkeeping
  • See financial breakdown of current and past awards
  • Receive regular emails with details on approvals or pending payments
  • Monitor future obligations and multi-payment grants

The glossary contains definitions of the different pieces that make up the Data Visualization Tool.

• Dashboards - Dashboards are customizable and interactive collections of data from your site that is displayed visually. Different dashboards can be created for different purposes and audiences. [These are different from the Metrics Dashboard].
   
• Dashboard menus - These items are found in the right-side menu.  
   
  • Edit item - Settings of a selected item.
  • Data - Dataset overview and management.
  • Filters - Filter overview and management.
  • Settings - Advanced dashboard settings and theming.
  • Comments - Add comments.
• Filters - Drag and drop filters from datasets to select and show specific parts of a larger dataset within the charts and graphs.
• Add item - This button allows you to add new items such as charts and graphs to the dashboard.
  
   
  • Measure - What data point are you evaluating (amount awarded, score, etc.).
  • Category - What category to group items in to see data across the measure (project name, focus area, etc.).
  • Evolution - Time period of the data.
• Datasets - A dataset is a collection of related data from your site that can be added to items on the dashboard. Datasets are organized by the type of data they contain. For example, the Approval dataset has all of the data collected on approval forms. The Application dataset has all the data collected on application forms. A list of all datasets you can use can be found in the side menu. Click the plus icon to upload new datasets.
  
  
   
• Theme - Change the look and feel of the dashboards.
   
• Dashboard screenmodes - Dashboard layouts and chart designs can be defined and optimized by screen mode or screen width. Once set up, toggle between the different screen mode icons or manually adjust using the icon.
  
   
• Dashboard languages - By opening the dashboard languages menu you can view, add or delete languages in which this dashboard is provided. By switching the active language you can edit various labels and titles for each language.
  
   
• Dashboard management - Open the dashboard dropdown for more dashboard management actions.
  • Dashboard variants - By hovering over the variants item you can view all variants of the original dashboard, open them and create new dashboard variants. Unlike a copy, a variant is a user adapted version, keeping the link to the original dashboard. You can use the star icon next to the variants to indicate your preferred variant to be used by default when viewing the dashboard.
    
     

This section contains a list of some of the most used items for dashboards with an accompanying image, use case, and a link to more information. All items are found in the Add Item drop-down menu. Charts provides a full list of item options.

Pivot Table

• Use Case: The video below provides examples of pivot tables such as displaying the Organization name by the amount awarded per year, the evaluator last name by the score percentage of the evaluations, and more.
• Resource: Pivot Tables

Pivot Table Video

This video demonstrates how to create pivot tables in Data Visualization, including examples of displaying amount awarded by organization year-over-year, averaging evaluation scores by evaluator, and using multiple rows and grouping options to organize application data by region, project name, and focus area.

Number with Evolution 

•  
  • Use Case: You can use a number with evolution chart to display amount awarded. The chart can show cycle over cycle, year over year, or other types of time period trends to see percent changes.
  • Resource: Number with Evolution Chart

Slider Filter 

•  
  • Use Case: You can use a slider filter to sort by payment dates or use it to look at upcoming installments.
  • Resource: Slider Filter
     

Slicer Filter

• Use Case: Allows you to filter by selecting multiple items. It could be used to select multiple processes. 
• Resource: Slicer Filter
   

Grouped Column Chart

• Use Case: Information is grouped together vertically by a data point for a comparison view and can be used to analyze Amount Requested by Amount Awarded.
• Resource: Column Chart
   

Stacked Column Chart

• Use Case: Information is contained within one bar but the bar is split by category. This can be used for Award Types by Process.
• Resource: Column Chart
   

Grouped Bar Chart

• Use Case: Information is grouped together horizontally by a data point for a comparison view.
• Resource: Bar Chart

Stacked Bar Chart

• Use Case: Information is contained within one bar but the bar is split by category. 
• Resource: Bar Chart

Circular Gauge

• Use Case: Use a circular gauge to see the average evaluator score.
• Resource: Circular Gauge
  
   

Conditional Colored Number

• Use Case: Use a conditional colored number to display the lowest and highest evaluation score.
• Resource: Conditional Colored Number

To build an effective dashboard from planning through sharing, follow the recommended workflow that guides you through each stage of dashboard creation.

1. Make a list of information to include on the dashboard.
2. Add item(s) to the dashboard.
3. Select the dataset.
4. Add data to the new item(s).
5. Add Filters to the dashboard.
6. Adjust themes and appearance.
7. Share the dashboard.
   • Click Dashboard.  
      
   • Click Share.
     
      
   • Enter the name of the user or group to which you want to share the dashboard. You can adjust the setting to Can view, Can use, Can edit, or Owner.
      

To create a new dashboard in Data Visualization, add a name, select chart types, choose datasets, and configure the data fields.

1. Click Reporting in the upper navigation bar, and then click Data Visualization.
2. Click Add.
    
3. Enter a dashboard name.
    
4. Click Add Item.
    
5. Select the chart or graph to add it to the dashboard.
    
   • You can also click the Suggestions tab and select a pre-populated chart or graph.
      
6. Click into the dataset from which the data will be selected.
    
7. Drag and drop the data you want to use to the item.

   • In this example, the Installment Amount was dragged into the "Measure" field, and Installment Due Date by Quarter was dragged into the "Category" field. 

     
      

In this video, you will learn how to customize aesthetics including the look and feel of your dashboards in the data visualization tool. From applying color themes and custom palettes that align with your organization's branding, to adjusting fonts, borders, and shadows, this video walks you through the many styling options available at both the dashboard and individual item level. You will also explore display settings specific to chart types like pie charts, bar charts, and tables, giving you the tools to build polished, professional dashboards tailored to your needs.

• Dashboard Settings Overview (0:10) – How to access the dashboard settings panel using the gear icon on the right-hand side.
• Theme Selection (0:43) – How to choose from default themes or create a custom theme for the entire dashboard.
• Custom Theme Options (1:13) – Setting item backgrounds, main colors, and fonts within a custom theme.
• Color Palette (1:40) – How the color palette works for multi-color items and how to enter your foundation's approved RGB colors.
• Title and Font Styling (2:34) – Adjusting title size, bold, and underline options to make items stand out.
• Item Borders and Shadows (2:53) – Adding and customizing borders and drop shadows to make dashboard items pop.
• Item-Level Theme Override (3:40) – How to override the dashboard-wide theme for a specific individual item.
• Pie/Donut Chart Settings (4:02) – Switching between pie and donut styles, toggling titles, and changing label display to a legend.
• Bar Chart Settings (5:01) – Showing values inside bars and changing bar colors at the item level.
• Table and Pivot Table Settings (5:52) – Alternate row coloring, row height, and column-level display options including category badges and bar values.

Filters control which data appears in dashboard items. A filter can be applied to an individual item or as a floating filter that applies to multiple items across the dashboard.

GLM/SLM Data Visualization: Filters provides more information on how to add a filter to an individual item, add a filter to multiple items, and how to delete and manage filters on your dashboards.

This video walks through the various settings available in the data visualization tool, covering how to customize individual dashboard items, from tables and charts to filters, using the gear icon within each element and settings within the right side menu. The bullets beneath the video provide time stamps of when the specific settings are discussed.

• Table (Column-Level Settings) (0:30): Click the Data icon, then the blue gear icon in the table to access formatting options for each field. You can rename column labels (e.g., changing "GUID" to "Request ID") and adjust how specific field types display, such as choosing European date formatting or showing month names in short or long form.
• Number with Evolution (2:01): In the gear icon settings, you can change the aggregation method for how your data is calculated, switching from a count or sum to an average or median depending on your needs.
• Pivot Table (2:37): Gear icons are available for each data point added to the pivot table. Settings here allow you to enable grand totals and choose between counting all rows or counting distinct values within a grouping.
• Dropdown Filter (4:04): The item-level gear icon opens settings specific to the filter. Key options include turning on a title (highly recommended to label each filter on your dashboard) and enabling multi-select to allow users to choose more than one value at a time.
• Table (Row and Display Settings) (5:10): Item-level settings let you adjust row height for readability or compactness. Individual columns also offer display options, for example, showing text values as category badges for easier data differentiation, or displaying number fields as a bar value.
• Number with Evolution (Image/Icon) (6:37): You can customize the visual by uploading a custom image or choosing from an emoji or icon to display alongside your metric.
• Image Item (7:12): Clicking the settings gear on an image added to your dashboard allows you to attach a URL link, making the image clickable and directing viewers to an external page.
• Bar Chart (7:45): Settings allow you to change the bar color and toggle Show Value in Bar from "none" to "absolute," which displays the actual data value on each bar.
• Donut and Pie Chart (8:10): You can easily switch between donut and pie chart types within the settings. Under the Slices tab, pay special attention to Maximum Number of Slices (to limit how many segments appear) and Group Slices Under Percentage (to consolidate very small values into a single grouped slice).
• Rank Slicer Filter (9:52): Settings allow you to display filter options as interactive buttons, making it easy for users to select specific values to dynamically reload the dashboard with filtered results.