The world of AI-powered business intelligence is evolving faster than ever, and dashboards are at the center of this transformation. Modern AI/BI dashboards are no longer static reporting tools—they are becoming dynamic, intelligent, and highly interactive platforms that deliver smarter insights with less effort. From theme customization for brand-aligned reporting to global filters, drill-through analysis, AI forecasting, and conversational exploration with Genie, today’s dashboards empower decision-makers to move seamlessly from data to action. These innovations not only enhance user experience but also enable organizations to anticipate trends, explore data more intuitively, and scale insights securely across teams.
Theme customization:
- Authors can configure color palettes and font styles to match organizational branding.
- Settings can be adjusted from the dashboard’s settings panel.
- Users can choose a preset theme or define a custom theme.
- Customization includes:
- Text and background colors
- Widget and chart series colors
- Title alignment
- Font styles
- Theme changes are applied consistently across the entire dashboard.
- Configurations are preserved during export and import, enabling scalable, brand-aligned reporting across teams.
Global Filters:
- Global Filters can now be defined by dashboard authors to apply across all pages of a dashboard.
- Accessed via the filter icon in the dashboard toolbar.
- Opens a configuration panel where interactive filter widgets can be added.
- Supported filter types include:
- Field-based filters (e.g., date pickers, categorical dropdowns)
- Parameter-driven filters
- Authors can set default values to control behavior on initial dashboard loads.
- Simplifies multi-page dashboard design by reducing redundant setup.
- Provides consistent and intuitive navigation across dashboards.
- Delivers a centralized filter experience for users.
Dashboard Drill Through:
- Drill Through enables users to apply selections from one dashboard page as filters on another.
- Users can right-click on a data point in a source visualization (e.g., bar chart, pie chart) to trigger it.
- The selection is applied as a local filter on the target page.
- Supports seamless navigation from high-level KPIs to deeper insights.
- Eliminates the need to reset filters or manually repeat selections.
- Unlocks investigative analysis workflows, making dashboards more interactive and diagnostic
Dashboards File Upload:
- Users can now upload Excel, CSV, or TSV files directly into Unity Catalog from the Dashboards data tab.
- Steps to define a dataset from a file:
- Select a dashboard draft.
- Navigate to Data → Upload file.
- Specify target Catalog, Schema, and Table name.
- Choose whether to:
- Create a new table, or
- Overwrite an existing table (requires MANAGE privileges on the target schema).
- Once uploaded, the file becomes a dataset in Unity Catalog.
- Capabilities after upload:
- Query it directly using SQL.
- Visualize immediately within the dashboard.
- Combine with other Unity Catalog data.
- Enables seamless exploration of ad hoc or external data.
- Reduces friction in the analytics workflow by keeping everything within the dashboard interface.
Forecasting for Dashboard Line Charts:
- Forecasting is now available in Public Preview for AI/BI Dashboards.
- Powered by the ai_forecast function, enabling forecasts directly from line charts.
- How to use:
- Select any line chart with a temporal x-axis and a numeric y-axis.
- Click the “+ Forecast” button in the visualization editor.
- Choose “Add AI Forecast”.
- Generates a new chart that overlays the forecasted trend line on top of historical data.
- Forecasts are calculated based on:
- Selected data range
- Aggregation logic
- Helps teams anticipate future patterns and incorporate proactive insights into dashboards.
Choropleth Maps:
- Choropleth Maps are now available for visualizing data geographically.
- Regions are colored based on aggregated values, making patterns easy to identify.
- Adds a spatial dimension to dashboards, enhancing decision-making with location-based insights.
Manage Scheduled Dashboard Updates and subscriptions:
Parameterized Dashboard Schedules
- Authors can define named dashboard schedules with custom filter parameters.
- Enables targeted report delivery to different regions, business units, or customer segments.
- Maintains a single source of truth, reducing dashboard duplication and maintenance overhead.
Schedule Without Embedded Credentials (Run as Viewer)
- Scheduled deliveries can now run using the recipient’s viewer permissions.
- Removes the need to embed the author’s credentials in schedules.
- Improves security and governance, ensuring users only see the data they are entitled to.
- Aligns delivery behavior with enterprise compliance policies.
Custom Calculations with AGGREGATE OVER
- Analysts can now use AGGREGATE OVER measures in custom calculations.
- Supports advanced scenarios like:
- Rankings
- Running totals
- Moving averages
- Removes the need to write SQL window functions directly.
- Allows filtering and aggregation on the same dataset across multiple widgets.
AI/BI GENIE:
1. Editable Results Filters
- Genie users can now refine answers by editing filters directly within the results panel.
- After receiving an answer filtered by a specific region or product, users can adjust filter values without rewriting the query.
- Results are regenerated instantly, helping users quickly correct queries.
- Benefit: Accelerates time to insight by reducing back-and-forth query adjustments.
2. Point Maps Now Supported
- Genie now supports point maps in visual responses.
- Allows users to view geographic data plotted as individual points based on coordinates.
- Ideal for use cases such as:
- Store locations
- Service requests
- Delivery routes
- Benefit: Brings location intelligence into conversational analytics, making geographic patterns more actionable.
3. Follow-up Questions for Text Responses
- Genie now suggests follow-up questions even for text-based responses without SQL or result sets.
- Previously, prompts appeared only after responses with data output.
- Now, responses like “Explain the dataset” will also include suggested follow-up questions.
- Benefit: Helps users discover new questions and deepen exploration within a Genie space.
4. Genie API List and Delete Operations
- New API endpoints programmatic list and delete operations.
- Developers can manage Genie spaces and conversations within a space.
- Enables organizations to:
- Automate governance
- Manage content at scale
- Integrate Genie into existing workflows and tooling
- Benefit: Provides a foundation for enterprise-wide Genie adoption and streamlined administration.
Vanshika Vanshika
Vanshika Vanshika is a skilled Business Intelligence Analyst specializing in data visualization, predictive modeling, and machine learning. With expertise in tools like Power BI, Tableau, and Python, Vanshika has delivered impactful solutions across industries such as finance, healthcare, and retail. Her ability to translate complex data into actionable insights has supported strategic decision-making and operational efficiency. Vanshika's passion for innovation and her commitment to continuous learning make her an asset in leveraging data for business growth