Change the data source's name

Before setting the ref property, you might want to change the data source's name to a name that's easily identifiable in the dashboard definition.

1. Select the visualization that you want to use with the saved search or report. Selected visualizations highlight with a blue border.
2. Navigate to the Data sources section of the Configuration panel.
3. Select the edit icon next to the data source's name.
4. Change the Data source name to something easily identifiable, such as reportNoScheduleNoRefresh.
5. Select Apply and close.

Add the ref property to the dashboard definition

The following steps are an example of using the ref dashboard option to call a report or saved search:

1. Open the Source code editor of your dashboard.
2. Navigate to the dataSources stanza of the dashboard definition.
3. Identify which data source you want to change to a saved search or report.
4. Replace the data type from ds.search to ds.savedSearch.
5. Add the ref property to the options stanza and include the exact name of your saved search or report.
6. Add the app property to the options stanza and include the name of the app the saved search or report belongs to.
7. Select Apply and close.

This example shows a data source type set to ds.savedSearch.

"reportNoScheduleNoRefresh": {
  "type": "ds.savedSearch",
  "options": {
    "ref": "Top 100 sourcetypes in the last 24 hours",
    "app": "search"
  }
},

About the app property

The default assumption is that the saved search you're using lives in the app you're working in. If you created your saved search within any app other than Dashboard Studio, you must use the app option and set it to the app where you originally saved the saved search. For example, if you created a saved search in an app called "my-app", the stanza would look like the following:

"reportNoScheduleNoRefresh": {
  "type": "ds.savedSearch",
  "options": {
    "ref": "Top 100 sourcetypes in the last 24 hours",
    "app": "my-app"
  }
},

Access reports and saved searches

To call a saved search or report, you need the exact name of the report you want to use and the app name of the original saved search or report. You can find details about your saved searches and reports from Searches, reports, and alerts or in the Reports tab.

Browse saved searches from the dashboard

Follow these steps to access saved searches from your dashboard:

1. You can browse saved searches from your dashboard in the following ways:
   • Navigate to the dashboard toolbar and select the Data source overview icon ().
   • Select your visualization. Selected visualizations highlight with a blue outline. Navigate to the Configuration panel and into the Data sources section. Select + Set up primary data source. The Select data source panel opens.
2. Navigate to the Saved search section.
3. Select + Create saved search. The Select a saved search panel opens.
4. Find and select your saved search by choosing an app from the App dropdown list, filtering by Owner or searching by the exact name of the saved search.
   1. After choosing a saved search, you can view details about the search by selecting Open in reports.
   2. If any new saved searches are created while your dashboard is open, that particular saved search will not appear as an option until the dashboard refreshes.
5. Specify the time range for the saved search:

   • Inherit the time range from the saved search

   • Any time range input on the page
   • A static time range. For example, the last 7 days, regardless of other input selections.
6. Select Apply and close.

Browse from Searches, reports, and alerts or in the Reports tab

The following steps show how to access a saved search or report from Searches, reports, and alerts or in the Reports tab:

1. Navigate to your preferred section.
   • Select the Settings dropdown list and choose Searches, reports, and alerts.
   • Select the Reports tab for a table of all saved searches and reports. In Reports, saved searches are called reports.
2. (Optional) Filter for your report in the filter bar.
3. Find the details of your saved search or report.
   • In Searches, reports, and alerts, the column names of the table show the details about the saved search or report.
   • In Reports, select the chevron icon next to your report for details about the report.
4. Make a note of the details needed for calling a saved search or report. You will need the following:
   • The exact name of the report you want to use.
   • The app name of the original saved search.

For more details about reports, see Create and edit reportsCreate and edit reports in the Reporting Manual.

Add reports and saved searches from the Reports tab

Follow these steps to add a report or saved search to your dashboard directly from the Reports tab.

1. Navigate to the Reports tab. In Reports, saved searches are called reports.
2. Select your report to open it in its individual page.
3. Select the Add to Dashboard drop-down list in the top toolbar.
4. Select either Existing Dashboard or New Dashboard.
   • Existing Dashboard lists existing Dashboard Studio and Classic Simple XML dashboards.
   • New Dashboards provides a modal to create a new Dashboard Studio or Classic Simple XML dashboard.
5. Follow the UI instructions for choosing an existing dashboard or creating a new dashboard.
6. Verify the selections in Advanced Panel Settings. The default setting for Panel Powered By is Report. Keeping the default setting to Report retains the report's metadata, such as schedule, acceleration, and permissions.
   • (Optional) Select Inline Search to copy the report's search and time range. The inline search detaches from the report's setting constraints, exists only in the dashboard, and has no external dependencies. For example, if a user changes the original report, those changes don't pass on to the inline search because the inline search exists independently from the report.
7. Select Save to Dashboard.

For more details about reports, see Create and edit reportsCreate and edit reports in the Reporting Manual.