Dashboards and key performance metrics (KPIs) play a crucial role in providing a real-time view of your business and enhancing the NetSuite user experience. By having a well-designed dashboard, you can stay updated and focused on your tasks. These valuable tips aim to optimise your utilisation of dashboards and KPIs, enabling employees to prioritise job tasks that align with their roles and achieve greater efficiency in the process.
Personalise NetSuite Dashboards for Users and Roles
To personalise your dashboards, you have the option to use portlets, which are collections of real-time data. You can also customise your home dashboard and most Center dashboards.
Simply click on the "Personalise" button to access a list of portlets that you can add to your dashboards. Then, drag and drop them to your desired positions. It's important to note that you will only see dashboards that are specific to your role, and you will only see portlets that are specific to your dashboards.
Some common examples of portlets that you can add to your dashboards include report snapshots and trend graphs. You have the flexibility to add up to ten report snapshots and up to five trend graphs. When you hover over a portlet, you will be able to see how many of that type of portlet are remaining. Additionally, hovering over currently used portlet titles will highlight the specific portlet on your dashboard. By default, the "Show Portlet Hint" function is enabled, which can be helpful if you decide to change the name of a portlet title.
Setting up KPI Portlets and KPI Meters
Performance indicators (KPIs) are essential for tracking specific metrics and highlighting real-time changes in business drivers. They provide valuable insights into key variances and trends over time. NetSuite offers a wide range of over 75 pre-packaged KPIs based on standard reports. These KPIs are role-specific, ensuring that you only see the ones relevant to your role. For a comprehensive list of standard NetSuite KPIs, refer to NetSuite Help.
To optimise your dashboard view, consider adding the KPI Portlet to the top of the widest column on your home dashboard. This allows for maximum screen real estate to display your data. However, you can add KPIs to any column based on your preference. To set up KPIs, simply click on the KPI portlet and select "Setup." NetSuite provides recommended KPIs for your role, but you can also add or remove KPIs from the list by clicking "Add Standard KPIs." Additionally, you have the flexibility to rearrange the order of your KPIs to suit your needs. You can also customise the date range or set up comparisons to complement each other, such as month-to-month or year-over-year.
Custom KPIs can be created using the Saved Search feature in NetSuite. This allows you to monitor trends that are specific to your business, such as tracking average expenses across different locations. Unlike the standard Expenses KPI, which only provides a sum of all expenses, custom KPIs allow for more in-depth analysis.
By creating a Saved Search, you can utilise multiple dimensions when comparing data, rather than being limited to a single dimension with standard KPIs. You can easily differentiate between standard and custom KPIs in the KPI List based on the icons in the title field. Standard KPIs are denoted by a '?', while custom KPIs are denoted by a 'C'.
Headlines can be added to provide a quick visual representation of important KPIs at the top of the dashboard. You have the option to select multiple KPIs to appear in the headline. However, it's important not to overcrowd the headlines, as this can dilute the impact of the underlying KPI data.
KPI meters are another graphical representation of your KPIs. These meters display only the KPIs that you have selected from your KPI template. Each dashboard can accommodate up to three KPI meters.
To change the data window on your KPIs, meters, and report snapshots simultaneously, use the Portal Date Selector located next to the Personalise button on the dashboard. This allows you to easily adjust the timeframe for your data analysis.
Customising KPI Scorecards
KPI scorecards are a powerful tool that addresses two limitations often found in KPI portlets. Firstly, standard KPIs do not allow for variances or ratios between two KPI values, such as comparing East Coast and West Coast sales. Secondly, scorecards offer the flexibility to create customised date range values, allowing for virtually unlimited trend analysis.
Customising KPI scorecards takes trend analysis to a more complex and in-depth level compared to standard KPI scorecards. For instance, you can track the profits of a division across multiple date ranges, whether it's monthly, quarterly, or annually.
In addition, you can include standard KPIs in a custom scorecard to compare multiple KPIs over different periods. For example, you may want to monitor sales revenue across multiple offices and calculate the ratio of cost of goods sold to revenue.
To set up KPI scorecards, the administrator needs to enable this feature by selecting the Analytics tab and checking the KPI scorecards box under Enable features.
To create a new scorecard, simply search for "New KPI Scorecard" or navigate to Customization > Centers and Tabs > KPI Scorecard. Give your scorecard a meaningful name that will be displayed on your dashboard. When building the scorecard, you can choose to use either Date Ranges or enable the Use Periods feature. Next, define your custom KPIs by clicking on the "Custom" tab and selecting the desired KPIs, comparison values, and types. You also have the option to add formulas to display on your scorecard.
Once your scorecard is ready, you can easily add it to your dashboard by going to Personalise and selecting the KPI Scorecard Portlet. Click on "Setup" to choose the customised scorecard you created.
Creating Custom Centres
Did you know that you have the ability to customise the menus in NetSuite, in addition to your dashboards? Role-specific menus determine which tabbed pages are displayed for each role, optimising navigation for individual users. These menus are pre-assigned to roles, and vice versa, roles are hardcoded into the menus.
As an administrator, you have the power to create custom menu tabs and add them to roles to ensure that the menus are tailored to your company's specific needs.
However, it's important to note that you can only customise menu tabs if the SuiteCloud > Custom Records feature is enabled.
Menu tabs can include categories, which allow you to designate which links are displayed on the tabs or portlets. This gives you the flexibility to link to various URLs. To build your custom menus effectively, it's best to start from the bottom and work your way up. Begin by creating your links, such as reports, and then add categories, tabs, and finally, the menus.
When creating custom menus, make sure to provide each one with a unique name to avoid duplicating existing menu names. If you need to update categories or add portlets, simply click on "Edit Custom Tab" from any dashboard. Adding portlets to a custom tab allows you to include portlets that are not typically available on prebuilt dashboards in your custom menu.
In conclusion, optimising your utilisation of dashboards and KPIs in NetSuite can greatly enhance your business operations and improve efficiency. By personalising your dashboards, setting up KPIs and KPI meters, customising KPI scorecards, and creating custom centers, you can tailor the NetSuite experience to meet your specific needs and track key metrics effectively. If you need further assistance or support in implementing these strategies, don't hesitate to get in touch with our team. We're here to help you make the most out of your NetSuite experience.
