02 First Dashboard

What You'll Learn

  • How to create a new dashboard

  • How to add a panel with time series data

  • How to configure a query using the ENLYZE data source

  • How to customize basic panel settings

  • How to save and organize your dashboard

Prerequisites


1

Create a New Dashboard

  • Log in to your Grafana instance.

  • Click the + icon on the top right, or use the menu DashboardsNewNew Dashboard.

  • You'll see an empty dashboard with a prompt to add your first panel.

2

Add Your First Panel

  • Click Add visualization.

  • In the data source selector, choose ENLYZE (not Infinity).

  • The panel editor has three main areas:

    • Top: Preview of your visualization

    • Bottom left: Query configuration

    • Right sidebar: Panel options

3

Configure Your Query

The ENLYZE data source uses a simple selection process: Site → Machine → Variables.

1

Select a Site

  • In the query editor, click the Site dropdown.

  • Select your production site (e.g., "Köln").

2

Select a Machine

  • Click the Machine dropdown.

  • Select the machine you want to monitor (e.g., "Kiefel").

Note: Only machines at the selected site will appear in this list.

3

Select Variables

  • Click the Variables field.

  • A list of available data points will appear.

  • Select one or more variables (e.g., "Durchsatz" for throughput).

  • Click the plus icon to select multiple variables and to display them on the same chart.

Tip: Variables are the actual data points from your machine – things like temperature, speed, pressure, throughput, etc.

4

See Your Data

  • Click the refresh icon 🔁 on the top right, next to the time range picker, to load your data into the preview area.

Troubleshooting: If no data appears:

  • Check that the time range (top right) includes a period when the machine was running.

  • Try expanding the time range (i.e. "Last 7 days") to find data.

  • Toggle on the Table view to inspect the underlying raw data.

  • Verify the machine has been collecting data.

Data preview in Table view:

4

Customize the Panel

1

Change the Panel Title

  • In the right sidebar, find the Title field at the top.

  • Replace "Panel Title" with a descriptive name (e.g., "Throughput - Kiefel").

2

Adjust the Time Range

The time range selector (top right of Grafana) controls what period is displayed:

  • Click the time range button (e.g., "Last 3 hours").

  • Select a preset like Last 1 hour or Last 24 hours.

  • Or click Custom time range to set specific dates.

Common time ranges for manufacturing:

Use Case
Recommended Range

Live monitoring

Last 1 hour

Current shift

Last 8 hours

Daily review

Last 24 hours

Weekly analysis

Last 7 days

3

Configure the Legend

  • In the right sidebar, scroll down to Legend.

  • Set Visibility to Visible.

  • Set Mode to Table for a more detailed view.

  • Under Values, you can add statistics like Min, Max, Mean, or Last.

The table legend displays statistics for each variable.

5

Apply and Save

1

Apply Changes

  • Click the Apply button (top right of the panel editor).

  • You'll return to the dashboard view with your new panel.

2

Save the Dashboard

Important: Your dashboard is not saved automatically. You must save it manually.

  • Click the Save icon (💾) in the top navigation bar, or press Ctrl+S / Cmd+S.

  • In the save dialog:

    • Enter a Dashboard name (e.g., "My First Dashboard").

    • Optionally choose a Folder to organize it.

    • Click Save.

6

Resize and Position Your Panel

Resize

  • Hover over the bottom-right corner of the panel.

  • Drag to resize.

Move

  • Click and drag the panel title bar.

  • Drop it in a new position.

Full Width

  • For time series panels, full width often works best:

    • Drag the right edge to span the entire dashboard width

7

Add More Panels

  • Click AddVisualization in the top bar.

  • Configure another query with different variables or machines.

  • Save your changes.

Layout tips:

  • Place related panels near each other.

  • Use full-width panels for detailed time series.

  • Use smaller panels for single-value displays (covered in later tutorials)


Summary

Congratulations! You've created your first Grafana dashboard with ENLYZE data. You learned how to:

  • ✅ Create a new dashboard

  • ✅ Add a time series panel

  • ✅ Query data using Site → Machine → Variables

  • ✅ Customize the panel title and legend

  • ✅ Save your dashboard


Common Questions

chevron-rightHow do I edit an existing panel?hashtag

Click on the panel title, then select Edit from the dropdown menu. Or hover over the panel and click the Edit icon.

chevron-rightHow do I delete a panel?hashtag

Click on the panel title → Remove. Don't forget to save the dashboard afterward.

chevron-rightCan I copy a panel?hashtag

Yes! Click on the panel title → MoreDuplicate. This creates a copy you can modify.

chevron-rightWhy is my data showing gaps?hashtag

Gaps in the data usually mean the machine wasn't running or data collection was interrupted during that period. This is normal.

chevron-rightHow do I share my dashboard?hashtag

Click the Share icon (📤) in the top bar. You can copy a link or export the dashboard as JSON.


Practice Exercise

Try creating a dashboard with these elements:

  1. Panel 1: Time series showing throughput (Durchsatz) for one machine

  2. Panel 2: Time series showing a different variable (e.g., temperature or speed) for the same machine

  3. Panel 3: Time series showing throughput for a different machine (if available)

Arrange the panels so Panel 1 and Panel 2 are side by side, with Panel 3 below them.


What's Next?

In the next tutorials, you'll learn about different visualization types:

  • Time Series Visualization – Advanced options for line charts

  • Single Value Displays – Stat, Gauge, and Bar Gauge panels

  • Tables – Displaying data in tabular format


Quick Reference

Creating a Panel

  1. AddVisualization

  2. Select ENLYZE data source

  3. Choose SiteMachineVariables

  4. Customize title and legend

  5. Click Apply

Keyboard Shortcuts

Action
Shortcut

Save dashboard

Ctrl+S / Cmd+S

Toggle edit mode

e

Go to dashboard list

g then d

Refresh dashboard

r

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