Configure data sources for Jira dashboards

10 min
Intermediate

By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to:

  • List the different sources of data for gadgets
  • Demonstrate how to use a filter as the source for a two-dimensional filter statistic gadget
  • Translate business requirements into filters using JQL

Use filters in dashboard gadgets

Gadgets display summaries of team progress, reports, and other data from Jira projects and work in a dashboard. They can be customized with filters to display project and work details relevant to particular users. You can use multiple projects as data sources for a dashboard.
A team may have several different roles, each of which has different needs. Gadget filters allow dashboards to be customized to show relevant information to each team member.
To configure a gadget:
  1. From your dashboard, select Edit.
  2. On a gadget, select the More actions, then Configure.
  3. Select the data sources for your gadget’s filter. Configure the rest of your gadget settings, then select Save.
👉 For example: Kevin mentors some new developers working on bugs in different projects. He wants to monitor these work items. He adds a Filter Results gadget, which uses a Saved Filter to display a list of bugs from two different projects assigned to the developers. He also adds an Activity Stream that uses filters to display comments, workflow transitions, and more.
👇 Here’s an example of Kevin’s filter configurations for his gadgets.
The Edit Dashboard view in Jira. The Filter results gadget and Activity Stream gadget are visible.

You can only select a single filter for a gadget. You can’t select multiple filters or combine multiple filters.

A report series consists of a collection of data points used to create reports. For instance, a series might represent the number of requests received over a week, in the daily totals from day one to day seven. This would give the difference in the number of requests received on each day of the week. While individual series can highlight trends, their effectiveness increases when they are plotted together. You can use any number of series as needed.
In a report series, you should specify the following:
  • Series
  • Choose an existing metric from the drop-down menu.
  • Label
  • Choose a name for the series, which will appear on the report page beneath the report title.
  • Color
  • Choose a color for the series. It's recommended to use distinct colors for each series to enhance readability.
  • Filter by
  • You can filter the data using
    • Specific work items or JQL from SLA Goal. The Specific work items option allows filtering based on type, status, priority, and component.

    Let’s explore an example

    Hema needs to see all of the work items for the Web Design Team project that are not estimated or assigned to any sprint. First, she’ll need to create a filter. Then, she must add that filter to a gadget on her dashboard.
    👇Click through the tabs below to see how Hema configures her gadget.
    First, Hema will need to create a filter using JQL. Then, she must save the filter to add it to her gadget.
    👉 Here’s how Hema writes her query: project = "Web Design Team" AND Sprint is EMPTY AND "Story Points" is EMPTY
    To create a filter:
    1. From the sidebar, select Filters, then View all filters.
    2. Select Create filter.
    3. Enter your filter criteria in the Search bar and select Save filter.
    4. Enter a name and description and configure permissions for your filter, then select Save.
    The Work Items tab in Jira. A JQL query has been entered and the Save Filter popup is visible.
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    Share dashboards in Jira

    • Share a dashboard
    • Find shared dashboards
    • Share filters with gadgets
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