Web dashboard software presents a summarized view of events, schedules, and data from certain reports. It is quite analogous to a car dashboard where you get to see readings of multiple things in a single view. This software has a layout in form of boxes laid in columns and rows in which the data is contained, and can contain information like appointments for the day, upcoming events, a calendar, weather information, or any other data relevant to the business.

Google Analytics is the most common example. It is also very easy to use. You can just drag and drop the required utility into the application or select the utility and use the [add to dashboard] button or just delete it using the [X] button. However, these functions may differ from between applications.

The reason for the popularity of this user-specific functionality is the ease of usability. The success depends on the modules featured with the software. The following illustrate considerations to help you when opting for this type of web or application software:

• System requirements – should be selected such that it seamlessly fits into the existing infrastructure of the organisation. Changing the on-hand systems to accommodate the software would unnecessarily incur additional expenses. They must satisfy the system requirements like operating systems and application servers. They must support various versions of OS and servers.
• Data connectivity – database connectivity and database systems supported, are also among the important criteria when making a choice. The software could support an architecture which allows it to fetch data from multiple sources. Also it must support real time data connectivity so that live data at all times can be displayed on the dashboard with some permissible time lag.
• User management – by user management it means that software should facilitate user group creation and allow security among all the users. It should allow the users to personalize their interface as per their preferences.
• Reporting – though not exclusively for reporting purposes, it would be advantageous to have reporting feature embedded as well. This will ease the organizational needs where the user view reports and perform operations like grouping, sorting, and data filtering.
• End-user experience – The web dashboard software [http://www.karmatechnologies.co.uk/reporting.htm] must have an aesthetic and user friendly layout. The interface should be intuitive so that all types of users (experts as well as novices) can use it with equal efficiency.

Jeff Smith is the managing director of Karma Technologies and feels strongly about implementing ways to be green into their business practices, to a point they are almost a paper-free company.