> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.akenza.io/akenza.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.akenza.io/akenza.io/dashboard-builder/dashboard-builder.md).

# Overview

The Dashboard Builder turns the data stored in akenza into dashboards, signage screens, and links you can share outside the platform.

The **Dashboard Builder** is the akenza application for visualizing your data. You assemble a dashboard from components in a drag-and-drop editor, point those components at devices, and the dashboard updates as new data arrives. No code is involved at any step.

{% hint style="warning" %}
The Dashboard Builder displays data that akenza has stored. If a [data flow](/akenza.io/get-started/your-data-flow.md) forwards uplinks to an external destination without also using the [akenza DB](/akenza.io/get-started/your-data-flow/connectors/databases/akenza-db.md) output connector, there is nothing for a dashboard to show.
{% endhint %}

## How a dashboard comes together

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### Choose a dashboard type

A **classic dashboard** scrolls and has no height limit. A **signage screen** is fixed to the size of the display it runs on. See [Dashboard Types](/akenza.io/dashboard-builder/dashboard-types.md).
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Add components

Components are the building blocks of a dashboard: charts, KPIs, maps, floorplans, images, and controls. Most of them can run in a **demo mode** that feeds them automated data, so you can lay out a dashboard and explore what each component does before connecting it to a real device.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Connect components to data

Select devices manually, or define the data source dynamically by [tag](/akenza.io/get-started/your-organization/how-to-use-tags-on-akenza.md) so that devices added later appear on the dashboard without anyone editing it.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Organize and share

Bundle related dashboards into [groups](/akenza.io/dashboard-builder/managing-dashboards/dashboard-groups.md), then share the result through a public link or embed it in your own application.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## Components

<table><thead><tr><th width="200">Purpose</th><th>Components</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Trends over time</strong></td><td><a href="/akenza.io/dashboard-builder/components/line-and-bar-chart.md">Line &#x26; bar chart</a>, table</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Single values and status</strong></td><td>KPI components (trend, performance, gauge), status</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Spatial context</strong></td><td><a href="/akenza.io/dashboard-builder/components/map.md">Map</a>, <a href="/akenza.io/dashboard-builder/components/floorplan-component.md">floorplan</a>, <a href="/akenza.io/dashboard-builder/components/image.md">image</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Controlling devices</strong></td><td>Downlink, slider, button downlink, input field</td></tr></tbody></table>

Device control components send [downlinks](/akenza.io/get-started/your-data-flow/device-type/device-type/downlink.md) straight from a dashboard, which turns a read-only view into something an operator can act on. They work for the connectivities that support downlinks: LoRaWAN, NB-IoT, and MQTT.

{% content-ref url="/pages/0l6lJF0gfZMQoKW9U461" %}
[Components](/akenza.io/dashboard-builder/components.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

## Managing and sharing dashboards

* [**Managing Dashboards**](/akenza.io/dashboard-builder/managing-dashboards.md) covers the overview page, where you find every dashboard you have access to, and how [groups](/akenza.io/dashboard-builder/managing-dashboards/dashboard-groups.md) keep a growing collection navigable.
* [**Public links**](/akenza.io/dashboard-builder/managing-dashboards/public-links.md) make a dashboard viewable without a login, which is the most convenient way to share a view with people outside your organization.
* [**Embedding dashboards**](/akenza.io/dashboard-builder/embedding-dashboards.md) puts a public dashboard into your own website or application inside an iframe.
* [**Signage screens**](/akenza.io/dashboard-builder/signage-screens.md) run a dashboard on a large display in an office or lobby, using the same public link mechanism.
* [**Dashboard templates**](/akenza.io/dashboard-builder/dashboard-templates.md) let you reuse a layout rather than rebuilding it per site or per customer.

## What to do next

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><i class="fa-table-columns">:table-columns:</i></td><td><strong>Dashboard Types</strong></td><td>Decide between a classic dashboard and a signage screen.</td><td><a href="/akenza.io/dashboard-builder/dashboard-types.md">Dashboard Types</a></td></tr><tr><td><i class="fa-shapes">:shapes:</i></td><td><strong>Components</strong></td><td>The building blocks available for a dashboard.</td><td><a href="/akenza.io/dashboard-builder/components.md">Components</a></td></tr><tr><td><i class="fa-share-nodes">:share-nodes:</i></td><td><strong>Embedding</strong></td><td>Put a dashboard into your own site or application.</td><td><a href="/akenza.io/dashboard-builder/embedding-dashboards.md">Embedding dashboards</a></td></tr><tr><td><i class="fa-comments">:comments:</i></td><td><strong>Genio</strong></td><td>Ask questions about the same data instead of building a view for each one.</td><td><a href="/akenza.io/genio/genio.md">Overview</a></td></tr></tbody></table>


---

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