Last Updated on October 16, 2024 by maximosecrets
The Operational Dashboard was first released in MAS 8.9 and has been enhanced in 8.10, 8.11, and again in 9.0. It is the modernised landing page similar to the Start Center. This review is made on a MAS 9.0 environment, the exact environment is Maximo Manage 9.0.53 Build 20240819-0825 DB Build V9000-01 HFDB Build HF9000-4.
Contents
The Operational Dashboard in MAS 8.11 was personal to the user. In MAS 9.0 public dashboards can be created and bound to a Security Group, a user can now have multiple tabs each showing an operational dashboard, this is similar to what we have been used to with Start Centers. There have been a few changes to some of the cards and there is a new External Content card added to the card gallery.
This article is focused on the new features in MAS 9.0. I have reviewed the detail of my last article, to see whether any changes have occurred to the existing cards, and I did find some differences. The Operational Dashboard (MAS 8.11) article is still relevant and provides detail and screenshots for each card, it can be found here – https://maximosecrets.com/2024/03/01/operational-dashboard/
Default Operational Dashboards
The Operational Dashboard in MAS 9.0 is in its third iteration and now has similar functionality to that of the Start Centers. There are differences between the two, some things you can’t do in the Operational Dashboard yet, for example no launching of a quick insert while applying a ticket template, no graphics on the work queues which is the replacement for the result set portlet, no ability to show attributes from related tables in the work queues, for example a work order set of records showing the asset’s description is not yet possible. On the other hand, the Operational Dashboard goes beyond the functionality available in the Start Centers in some areas, for example the KPI Comparison card and the new External Content card available in MAS 9.0.
The Operational Dashboard will only work while connected (online). The default Operational Dashboard for MAS 8.11 is shown above, it is called Maintenance Manager with a set of KPIs at the top.
On my system the default Operational Dashboard is called Emission Management. I don’t know what happened to the Maintenance Manager dashboard, I have the Health, Safety and Environment Manager installed which provides the Emission Management dashboard, perhaps it got deleted. On a production environment if you have the Maintenance Manager dashboard, don’t lose it, because it has the card called Workflow Assignments Due Soon, and there is no Workflow card in the Card Gallery, and you cannot reproduce it.
Emission Management and Maintenance Manager are the titles for each of their Operational Dashboards.
Create Dashboard
You might have noticed in the last screenshot a button to the right of Emission Management (the hamburger button). This gives options to Create Dashboard or Manage Dashboards, Security Group settings must be switched on to see this, we will go into this later.
I’ve used the Create Dashboard button and in the dialog I’ve added a Name – Maintenance Manager and Description – A dashboard for maintenance managers. It is a Public dashboard, if you unchecked the Sharing Options field it would become Private. I didn’t make it the Default Dashboard.
The result after using the blue Save button is a new tab added to your Operational Dashboard. Both the Name and the Description are shown so you should use something meaningful. The green Public symbol is shown alongside the Description.
There are no cards yet. There is an edit button on the top right.
Operational Dashboards that are public can be seen by multiple users depending on Security Groups settings, they will have the green Public button. If you deselect the Public check box in the Sharing Options then it will be a Private Operational Dashboard, indicated by a pink Private button; a Private dashboard can only be seen by the user that created it.
It is worth noting that when creating a new public Operational Dashboard, no other user can see it. You will need to go into Security Groups application and add it to the appropriate security groups, another subject we will look at later.
Edit Operational Dashboard – Card Gallery
When you use the Edit button the Card Gallery opens on the right. I’ll explain what these do in the table below. I’m only going to discuss new MAS 9.0 features, therefore, to find out more details on each existing card you will need to look at the Operational Dashboard article I wrote for MAS 8.11. In comparison with MAS 8.11 it looks as if KPI Chart has been renamed KPI Trend and there are two new cards External Content and Threshold Tile, but there are some small changes to some of the other cards.
| Card Type | Description |
| KPI Trend | Displays the KPI values over time and allows comparison with up to 8 other KPIs. The date range is a set of values from 7 days to 5 years. If the graph does not render it is probably because you have no KPI Schedule set up which is generating KPIHISTORY records via the Cron Task within the selected time range. In MAS 9.0 the Advanced tab has an Available Actions field which will provide options to see the KPI values in a table or to refresh the KPI. |
| KPI Comparison | Displays up to 20 KPIs for comparison in bar, line, pie or donut chart. Allows export as CSV, PNG or JPG. You can also open full screen. In MAS 9.0 the Advanced tab has an Available Actions field, which will provide options to see the KPI values in a table or to refresh the KPI. |
| KPI Value | Displays a single KPI value but also gives the trend since the last refresh of the operational dashboard. In MAS 9.0 the Advanced tab has an Available Actions field which will allow you to link to the KPI Manager or KPI Viewer applications or refresh the KPI. |
| Value | Displays a single value from a data source, but the set of data sources is restricted, meaning that this card currently has no practical use without configuring your own data sources. |
| Favourites | Displays a list of favorite applications, classic or one of the role-based applications. |
| Quick Actions | Displays a list of applications which can be launched in insert mode. For role-based applications it just launches the application. |
| Table | Display a set of records from a data source, but the set of data sources is restricted, meaning that this card currently has no practical use without configuring your own data sources. |
| Work Queues | Displays a set of work queues. In MAS 9.0 there is now an Advanced tab which allows for the selection of work queues. There is also an Available Actions field which provides an option to refresh the work queues. |
| External Content | Displays a web page, so that you can interact with it from within the Operational Dashboard. There is an option to display full page. |
| Threshold Tile | Displays a single value from a data source, but the set of data sources is restricted, meaning that this card currently has no practical use without configuring your own data sources. This seems to be a duplicate of the Value card. |
The Maintenance Manager Operational Dashboard shown as the first picture in this article had four KPI Value cards along the top, the second row has a KPI Comparison, and KPI Chart on the right. Below this there is a Favourites card and Quick Actions card, and on the right the Workflow Assignments card.
Note, there is no Workflow Assignments card in the gallery, and it cannot be reproduced using the Table card as the Table card does not have associated actions, like Route Workflow. If you delete the Workflow Card, I don’t think there is a way of getting it back again. I’ve created an IBM Idea for this. https://ideas.ibm.com/ideas/MASM-I-1197
Changes to cards in MAS 9.0
Work Queues
The Work Queue card in MAS 9.0 now has an Advanced tab which allows you to select the Work Queues you wish to display using the + button above the table. The button on the left allows you to drag the work queues into the desired order. The button on the right deselects a work queue.
Above the table are two fields. Available Actions has options for None or maximo-workqueue-tile-with-actions. When the last of these choices is selected it provides a Refresh button to the top right of the card. Rows per page sets how many work queues are displayed, and this is dependent on the card height which you selected on the Basic tab. For the size of card shown a Rows Per Page setting of 4 will avoid the vertical scroll.
When you are adding a new work queue the Select Work Queues dialog is displayed showing all the work queues on the left and the ones you have selected on the right. The Clear All button will deselect all work queues.
KPI Value
The Advanced tab of the KPI Value card has a new field Available Actions with the options of None and maximo-kpi-tile-with-actions.
When the last of these choices is selected it provides a button in the top right of the card with three options, View in KPI Manager, View in KPI Viewer, and Refresh.
In MAS 8.11 this was a function of the four KPIs at the top of the Operational Dashboard, but it wasn’t a function you could add to a new KPI Value. It is a function you can add to each of the four KPIs shown in the Emissions Management dashboard.
KPI Comparison
The Advanced tab of the KPI Comparison card has a new field Available Actions with the options of None and KPI compare tile with actions, in 8.11 the Chart Type was the first field.
When the last of these choices is selected it provides a button in the top right of the card with two options Refresh and View Table.
The View Table option lists each KPI with its Actual, Target, Variance and Status in a table.
Clicking a bar in the rendered card will launch the KPI in the KPI Manager application.
KPI Trend
The Advanced tab of the KPI Trend card has a new field Available Actions with the options of None and maximo-kpi-trend-with-actions.
When the last of these choices is selected it provides a button in the top right of the card with two options Refresh and View Table. At first, I thought there was an issue with rendering the trend lines for the KPI Trend graph. The feedback I received from IBM Support is that you need to schedule your KPIs, this creates records in the KPIHISTORY table which can be viewed from the KPI Manager application, Historical Trends and Historical Values tab. There should be at least two values with a RECORDEDON date within the period chosen for the Time Range defined on the Advanced tab.
External Content
The External Content card is new to MAS 9.0. It has two tabs Basic and Advanced, the Basic tab being the same as for other cards. The Card Title is displayed in the top left of the card, but for External Content no Subtitle is allowed. The Description you enter will show up if you hover over the title when the card has been rendered on the Operational Dashboard. The Card Width and Height has 8 options, Medium, Regular has been selected.
The Advanced tab of the External Content card has just one field to enter the URL of the website you wish to view. I added https://maximosecrets.com and the website appeared in the card before I had saved.
When you save and view the Operational Dashboard, there is a button to view full screen. The weblink provided launches the website and allows you to interact with it, in the screenshot you can see that I have drilled down in the Overviews menu.
Threshold Tile
The Threshold Tile I think appeared with MAS 9.0.2. I’m not certain of its purpose because it is the same as the Value card and displays a single value.
The Basic tab is the same as for other cards, Card Title, Subtitle, Description and Card Width and Height. Notice you cannot change the Card Width and Height it is set to Extra Small, Short. The Subtitle in this case is allowed, but like the Value card if you display a Subtitle, then the Secondary Value field will not be visible as the fixed height of the card will mask it.
The Advanced tab has fields for Available Datasources, Value Field, Secondary Value Field, Unit and Label, the same as for the Value card. There is a very limited set of data sources, which means that the Threshold Tile card has no practical purpose unless you are prepared to configure your own data source.
Manage Dashboards
The button to the right of the dashboard tabs has two options Create Dashboard and Manage Dashboards. This shows in a table the dashboards which you as a user have access and allows you to reposition the order of each dashboard using the button on the left. It shows the Name and Description of each dashboard, whether it is Public or Private, and then there are three buttons Edit, View and Delete.
Notice that the Maintenance Manager dashboard when I originally created it at the beginning of this article was a Public dashboard and now it has become a Private Dashboard. I’ve reported this as an issue to IBM Support, if you edit the dashboard, save the dashboard, log out and log back in, you’ll find that it has changed from public to private.
I’ve tested the Delete button and you receive a message – Deleting this dashboard is permanent and may affect other users. Do you wish to continue? The dashboard AJE Test no longer exists.
The Edit button allows you to change the Name and the Description and whether it is your Default Dashboard (the one that appears first) and the Sharing options – Public, which as it is not checked means that the dashboard is currently Private. If you make a dashboard the Default it is moved to be the first dashboard in the list. If you move another dashboard to be the first dashboard in the list, it becomes the default. If the Default Dashboard is checked, you cannot deselect it, you will need to make another dashboard the default one.
Notice the text at the bottom – You must be a member of the appropriate security group(s) to view the dashboard. Contact your system administrator to provide access to the required security group(s) for all users. – we’ll shortly look at the Security Group settings.
The View button hides the dashboard – View Off. If you use the button again it will display – View On.
Security Groups – Operational Dashboards
The Security Groups application has a new tab called Operational Dashboard in MAS 9.0. It associates the public dashboards with a security group. Notice there are two called Emission Management created by different users both of them would have been public at the point in time they were added to the security group, in fact the one Created By WILSON is currently set to Private.
You really do not want to have multiple Operational Dashboards with the same name, as it will become difficult knowing which one you are selecting, or indeed viewing.
In order to be certain I know which operational dashboard I am adding to a Security Group, I am currently logged in as WILSON, in Manage Dashboards I have renamed one of the dashboards to Emission Management (Wilson).
The blue Select Dashboards button opens a dialog showing you all the public dashboards, when they were created and who by. It allows you to select multiple records.
I’ve logged in as DOUGHERTY and you can see that the Emission Management (Wilson) dashboard is visible and not the Emission Management created by MAXADMIN. If you log in as MAXADMIN you only see the Emission Management (Wilson) operational dashboard, this seems to indicate that there is a dashboard which cannot be displayed by a user. You can delete it from the Security Groups application and Operational Dashboard tab.
Notice the blue Save As button, we’ll discuss this in a short while.
Security Group – Signature Options
In the Security Groups application and the Applications tab, for the Operational Dashboard there are few options which need explaining:
- Read – A user can view Public dashboards. Without this you cannot see the Operational Dashboard application. The user will not have the option to Create or Manage Dashboards.
- Create Private Dashboard – A user can create, edit, hide, delete, duplicate, and view a private dashboard. It enables the button (hamburger) next to the last dashboard tab with the options to Create Dashboard and Manage Dashboards. In both dialogs the Sharing Options field Public is disabled.
- Create Public Dashboard – A user can create, edit and duplicate a public dashboard. In the options to Create Dashboard and Manage Dashboards the Public field is enabled. The user cannot hide and delete a public dashboard.
- Hide Public Dashboard – A user can hide a public dashboard. This is the button in the Manage Dashboards dialog that looks like an eye.
- Delete Public Dashboard – A user can delete a public dashboard. It enables the trashcan button. You will receive a message “Deleting the dashboard is permanent and may affect other users. Do you wish to continue?”
Don’t forget that when you add Read to a security group you also need to add Read to the object structures MXAPIVIEWMANAGER, MXAPIWORKQUEUE, MXAPIWFASSIGNMENT and MXAPIPERSON otherwise you will receive the error BMXAA0024E, for example “The action READ is not allowed on object VIEWMANAGER. Verify the business rules for the object and define the appropriate action for the object.”
Similarly, if you want to allow a Security Group to create dashboards, you will need to first be able to Save to the object structure MXAPIVIEWMANAGER, then you will be able to provide the Insert to the same object structure. Save is a prerequisite before Insert. You will recognise this issue if you receive the error BMXAA0024E and a message like “The action ADD is not allowed on object VIEWMANAGER. Verify the business rules for the object and define the appropriate action for the object.”
To be able to delete an operational dashboard, which you should grant to any security group who can create a private dashboard then you need to first be able to Delete to the object structure MXAPIVIEWMANAGER. If you haven’t provided this then the error BMXAA0024E and a message like “The action DELETE is not allowed on object VIEWMANAGER. Verify the business rules for the object and define the appropriate action for the object.” will be displayed.
Duplicate a Dashboard
You can duplicate an Operational Dashboard from the Save button, there is an option to Save As.
This opens a dialog where you enter a Name, Description, and choose whether to make it the default dashboard and whether it is to be made public, or if left unchecked, a private dashboard.
For users who can create private dashboards but not public ones they will find there is a blue Save As button which opens the same dialog, but the Sharing Options field will not be enabled, and it will be read-only.
IBM Ideas
I have raised a few IBM Ideas (Requests for Enhancement) which you can vote for by following the links below.
MASM-I-1055 – Operational Dashboard – Work Queue card should be able to launch the application with the result set from the query.
Currently you can navigate to the Launch application one record at a time from the screen that opens when the Work Queue is opened from the Operational Dashboard. There should be the ability to navigate to the application and perform the same query so that it fetches the same result set of records.
The Operation Dashboard is the equivalent of the Start Center and in a Result Set portlet you can navigate to the application with the same result set displayed in the List tab. It uses the button Open Result Set in the Application.
https://ideas.ibm.com/ideas/MASM-I-1055
MASM-I-1056 – Operational Dashboard – Work Queue card to have a Chart View option similar to Result Set portlet on a Start Center.
There should be the ability to display the Work Queue card in both a List View (as it does today) and a Chart View which is available on the Result Set portlet in the Start Center. Existing clients will be used to this flexibility, when launching the work queue, it should be possible to either launch as a List or Chart, preferably that would be a user defined setting.
https://ideas.ibm.com/ideas/MASM-I-1056
MASM-I-1059 – Operation Dashboard – Quick Actions Card should have the option to insert a ticket with a Ticket Template applied.
The Start Center Quick Insert Portlet allows you to insert a ticket with a ticket template already applied, the Operational Dashboard should have the same capability for the Quick Actions Card. It would also be useful to Insert a Work Order with a Job Plan already applied, that can be used for call out work orders, or common reactive work orders.
https://ideas.ibm.com/ideas/MASM-I-1059
MASM-I-1060 – Operational Dashboard – KPI Chart and KPI Comparison cards, the selection of KPIs should show Percentage/Decimal type so that they can be used in filtering
When you are comparing KPIs the Y-axis should be the same scale, if a KPI is a Percentage type then it only makes sense to compare other Percentage based KPIs. Similar for Decimal type. I wouldn’t put a restriction in place but just guide the user by showing a column that shows Percentage or Decimal.
https://ideas.ibm.com/ideas/MASM-I-1060
Operational Dashboard – KPI Comparison card – Select KPIs should show KPI Template as a column in left-hand panel
When editing the Operational Dashboard with a card type of KPI Comparison, the selection of KPIs to compare would benefit from showing the KPI Template that generated the KPI. KPIs generated from a KPI Template are likely to be candidates for comparison.
https://ideas.ibm.com/ideas/MASM-I-1075
MASM-I-1197 – Add a Workflow Assignment card to the Operational Dashboard
If you create a new Operational Dashboard there is no ability to add a Workflow Assignment card to it; there is no workflow assignment card in the card gallery. This is an issue as if the Maintenance Manager operational dashboard is deleted you cannot recreate it.
https://ideas.ibm.com/ideas/MASM-I-1197
MASM-I-1198 – Operational Dashboard – Administrator to manage/view/edit dashboards where they are not the owner
An administrator should be able to:
- Delete private dashboards where a user has left the company
- Change the ownership of a dashboard to a different user when a user has left the company
- Be able to see all operational dashboards records in the Maximo system (it would be nice to be able to view those dashboards)
- Be able to update an operational dashboard where they are not the owner (owner reaches out to them to help set something up)
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