Item: iDashboards Enterprise Suite
Rating: 8
Author: Tracey Tatum

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

iDashboards is being used to perfect new presentations of financial information to our Boards (we have two, one regular, one for our Foundation). We have designed new Board KPIs via iDashboards to let Board members see where we are at, for different departments. Finance (AR, Budget, and Revenue) is the main user, with Resource Development using iDashboards to track the performance of directors. The main problem it addresses was the need to have clean, easy-to-read reports to present to our Boards and committees.

Pros and Cons

Designing a dashboard is easy. In other words, it is fairly easy to make data look really nice!
Data Analytics. This makes it easy to do calculations on your data (averages, etc.)
Training and examples: Our introduction to iDashboards was thorough. There are plenty of tutorials as well, plus manuals.

Excel is better at customizing a graph. In iDashboards, you can't change the font size of legends. You can't swap axes. You can't manipulate the data labels (you can't move them independently.)
Printing a dashboard is not easy. To get the best result, you have to screenshot your dashboard and crop/paste it into a Word document to print. And HOW you screenshot it is important, or you will lose sharpness.
The data analytics iDashboards uses are wonderful. HOWEVER, there is not enough documentation on this specific topic. We are forever hearing them say, "Oh, here's a function you can use; it's not in our manuals, though". Well, why not? There needs to be a cheat-sheet of all their functions, formulas, and macros.
For most graphs, you have control over using axis labels or not. However, for some graph types, you don't. We need to have that control.
For some graphs, you can select to have the graph ignore zero values; meaning, they will not show up on the graph. However, for some graph types you can't. Again, we need to have that control.

Alternatives Considered

I was not present at my organization for the selection process. I was, however, here for the launch.

Comparing iDashboards to the other products I have used, I find iDashboards the easiest of them to use, and that it makes the nicer dashboards. The selections available (report type, chart type, etc.) are all available only in iDashboards.

Likelihood to Renew

For the most part, iDashboards does what we need it to do in beautiful, easy-to-use ways. The main issues that are negative, i.e. connecting to databases, are being addressed with iDashboards directly and are being resolved. Their customer service is exemplary. Continuing Education is exemplary: they have 2-3 webinars each month showing us different ways to do things, expert-level graph set-up, etc.

Likelihood to Recommend

You need to make sure that iDashboards will be able to connect to your databases you want to use. Working with an Excel spreadsheet is easy. However, one reason iDashboards was selected was the need to have a single source for all our presentations. After 6 months, we are just now getting connected to our main database.

Users and Roles

5 - Finance and Resource Development use iDashboards to present financial data. Resource Development also uses iDashboards to track job performance.

Support Headcount Required

Usability

iDashboards are fairly logical and easy to use once you get started. I have taught myself most of what I know on my own, by taking webinars, reading through all the knowledge base, and doing the tutorials. Expertise is needed to do some of the data manipulation, but most graphs are simple to make.

Usability Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Like to use Relatively simple Easy to use Technical support not required Well integrated Consistent Quick to learn Convenient Feel confident using	None

Easy Tasks

Design: dashboard design is easy and logical.
Connecting to Excel data sources
Re-developing dashboards: graphs are like building blocks--they are easily manipulated and can be used in any dashboard.
Dashboards are like puzzles. Add the graphs you have already created (or create new ones) and put them together like a puzzle!

Difficult Tasks

Connecting to databases (this may be just for us; we have a unusual database system)
Graph individualization: The design capabilities of a graph are limited. There is not much customization you can do.
Not being able to position data values (the values for datapoints on a line graph, for example) is a big problem. Many times you are left with having to either not use them, or use them but many values are unreadable because of where they are placed.

Mobile Interface Availability and Impressions

Yes, but I don't use it

iDashboards: Analyzing the Analytics

Software Version

Modules Used

Overall Satisfaction with iDashboards Enterprise Suite