How to export and import Dashboards

Products

• CA Performance Management - Usage and Administration
• DX NetOps

Issue/Introduction

This article discusses how to export Dashboards created by users without Dashboard Sharing rights, and import them for utilization by other users.

Some users are provided rights to create Dashboards. They create the Dashboards which are then reviewed and approved by administrators.

The users that created the Dashboards do not have rights to share the Dashboards they create with other users.

This solution was used to export these Dashboards, and import them via REST as the default admin user. This results in the Dashboard being visible and usable by other users.

Environment

All supported DX NetOps Performance Management releases

Cause

Dashboards created under a single Users My Dashboards Menu need to be used by other Users in the NetOps Portal.

Resolution

The export and import process for Dashboards uses REST. It's documented in the Dashboards Web Service page of the documentation.

This process is performed using a REST API as an Administrative Role user. By exporting it, and re-importing it against the admin user, the Dashboard takes on the admin users rights. That turns it into a 'shared' Dashboard other users with access to the Menu it's placed in can see.

The steps are as follows. They are each documented on the Dashboards Web Service page of the documentation.

1. Log in to the NetOps Portal as a user with access to the dashboard in question.
   1. Display the Dashboard.
   2. Examine the URL in the address bar of the browser.
   3. Look for 'pg=###' to find the page ID per the documentation.
2. Export the Dashboards XML code definition. 
3. Edit the Dashboard as needed.
   • Set the Menu values per the documentation.
   • These define where in the Menu tree the new imported version of the Dashboard will be found.
4. Import the Dashboards XML code definition. .
   • When importing the Dashboard use an admin user to authorize the request.
   • The admin user used to authorize the request will be the new owner for the newly imported version of the Dashboard.

Additional Information

• The existing Dashboard under the users My Dashboards Menu doesn't need to be deleted. It can be, but it's not required.
• The new version of the Dashboard that is imported can use the same name as the users Dashboard in their My Dashboards Menu.
• To have a feature to move the Dashboard from the Users own space to a shared one visible to all users, via the web UI, is an Enhancement Request. 
• Views should maintain their configuration post import.
• There is no ability to list all Dashboard PageID values at one time. The option to do this would require an Enhancement Request.