⚡ What is a BI Visualization?
Creating a BI visualization is usually the first thing you'll do when you want to build your own dashboard. Before you can build one, you need to decide two things: what information you want included, and how you want to see it, whether that's a chart, a graph, a table, and so forth. A BI visualization is where you make those decisions.
Think of a BI visualization as a report built from specific data points in your account, such as employee details, payroll, or sales figures. Once you've built one, you can add it to a dashboard, where it becomes one piece of a bigger picture. A dashboard is really just a collection of BI visualizations, so the more you build, the more you can bring together in one place.
💡 | Tip: Want to see how BI visualizations come together on a dashboard? Check out our guide on Building a Custom Dashboard.
🔎 Why Create Your Own BI Visualization?
Here are some common scenarios where creating your own BI visualization can help:
- Fill the gaps prebuilt dashboards leave behind: Build a BI visualization from any data point in your account, then add it to a dashboard.
- Skip the rebuild: See something useful in a BI prebuilt dashboard? Duplicate the visualization and customize the copy to fit your own needs.
- Tell the story your way: Choose exactly which fields, filters, and chart type highlight what matters most to your business.
- Build once, use everywhere: Save a BI visualization once, then add it to multiple dashboards or share it with your team.
🔐 Access required
The BI Insights feature is only available with the BI Insights Add-On and can be purchased exclusively by accounts on the Supreme package.
If you do not have the BI Insights feature and are interested in learning more, please reach out to our PUSH Support Team, who can connect you with the right team member.
Who can create BI visualizations?
- Super Administrators: Have full access to BI Insights, including creating and managing BI visualizations, from the Enterprise Dashboard for the entire organization. Access is granted only if explicitly added; it's not provided by default. If you believe you should have access, please consult with your team. A user with access can request that the PUSH Support Team add new users.
Who does not have access?
- Team Administrators: Do not have access to the Enterprise Dashboard and cannot access BI Insights.
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Creating a New BI Visualization
Once you know what you want to track and how you'd like to see it, you're ready to start building. Here's how to create your first BI visualization.
- Navigate to the top right-hand corner and click the Company Name.
- Under Organizations, select the relevant Dashboard from the drop-down menu.
- Click the BI Tool tab.
- From the left-hand navigation bar, click the Plus (+) icon to start a new BI visualization.
- A new page will load where you can create visualizations and even dashboards.
- From the left sidebar under New Item, drag the Visualization block into the central canvas. When you see a blue “Drop Here” box, drop it in to start building.
💡 | Tip: Not sure what to create? Browse the All tab in the Saved Visualizations panel before starting from scratch. It includes visualizations shared by your teammates, as well as the ones Push has already built to power the prebuilt dashboards. You can use any of these as-is or as a starting point for your own. - The page will reload into the Visualization builder view. Refer to the section below for next steps!
📌 | Note: From this same screen, you can also build a dashboard directly, not just a BI visualization. Check out our guide on Building & Navigating a Custom Dashboard for that workflow.
Choosing a Visual Format
After opening the Visualization builder view, we recommend choosing how you want it represented first. Above the layout options, you'll see icons for each display format: tables, charts, bar graphs, and more. Hover over an icon to see its name, and click one to select it; it'll highlight in blue to confirm your choice.
💡 | Tip: You can switch between visual formats at any point while building, without losing your selected data points. If a format can't support a specific field, that field is temporarily hidden rather than removed, switch back, and it'll reappear.
Choosing and Organizing Your Data
Once you've decided how you want the data visually represented, you'll see a categorized list of all available data points in the left-hand panel, including company details, employee records, payroll information, and sales figures.
Use the search bar to find a specific field, or use the three icons at the top of the panel to narrow the list by data type:
- 123: Quantitative data points, like hours worked or dollar values.
- Metrics: Formula-based data points, like Overtime %, Turnover Rate, or Sales Per Labour Hour.
- ABC: Qualitative data points, like company names or department types. A calendar icon also appears here for date-based fields.
Building a Visualization
To build your BI visualization, drag a data point from the left panel into one of the blue-highlighted configuration areas, such as Metrics, Rows, or Columns (this will change based on the selected format). The centre of the screen updates in real time as you add fields, so you can see your data taking shape as you go.
To remove a data point, drag it back to the left panel and drop it in the highlighted trash area.
📌 | Note: Each data point's icon shows which layout sections it can be dropped into; some data points aren't supported in every layout or visual format.
Adding Filters
Filters let you control exactly what data shows up in your BI visualization.
- At the top of the page, drag a data point, like Date, into the Filters area.
- Click the filter to choose how you want to narrow the results. Date fields, for example, let you filter by specific periods like All Time, This Year, or Last Quarter, or set a custom range, and even compare periods against each other.
To remove a filter, drag it back toward the data list on the left and drop it in the highlighted trash area.
Customizing Your BI Visualization
Once your data is in place, use the Configuration section to fine-tune how your BI visualization looks. Available settings depend on the visual format you've chosen, but commonly include:
- Colours: Assign a specific colour to each metric or category, either from the palette or a custom hex code.
- Axes: Adjust label positioning, spacing, or scaling for the X-axis and Y-axis.
- Legend: Choose where the legend appears, top, bottom, left, or right.
Setting Up Alerts and Scheduled Exports
Beyond how your BI visualization looks, the Interactions section under Categories lets you decide how it behaves for anyone using it on a dashboard:
- Alerts: Notify you when a value crosses a threshold you set, useful for keeping an eye on metrics like labour costs without checking the dashboard every day.
- Scheduled exports: Deliver the BI visualization to your inbox, or your team's, on a recurring basis.
- Drill down: Let users click into a data point, like a monthly total or company average, for more detail.
All three are enabled by default for supported BI visualizations, but can be toggled off if you'd rather users not have the option to set up an alert or export.
Saving and Accessing Your BI Visualization
Once you're happy with your setup, give your BI visualization a clear, descriptive name under the Untitled Visualization box. This should be something that reflects what it covers, like payroll, employee trends, or sales performance, so it's easy to find and use later.
Not ready to save? In the top right corner of the page, click Cancel to exit, Clear to wipe your current setup and start over, or use the Back and Forward arrows to undo or redo recent changes.
Once saved, you'll return to the main BI Tool workspace, where your BI visualization appears in the Saved Visualizations panel under Created By Me. From here, you can drag it into any dashboard or continue editing it at any time.
💡 | Tip: Ready to add your new BI visualization to a dashboard? Check out our guide on Building a Custom BI Dashboard.
Frequently Asked Questions About Creating BI Visualizations
Have questions about building BI visualizations in BI Insights? This section covers a few of the most common ones.
Q: Can I use the same BI visualization on more than one dashboard?
A: Yes. Once a BI visualization is saved, you can add it to as many dashboards as you'd like from the Saved Visualizations panel.
Q: Can I use a visualization that someone else on my team built?
A: Yes. Any visualization shared with you will appear under builder page under the All tab in the Saved Visualizations panel, alongside your own.
Q: What's the difference between the visualizations I create and those built by PUSH?
A: Functionally, none. Both can be added to dashboards the same way. PUSH-built visualizations are pre-configured and appear under the All tab, so you can use them right away without building your own from scratch.
Q: What happens if I switch visual formats midway through building?
A: Your selected data points are kept. If the new format doesn't support a specific field, that field is temporarily hidden rather than removed, so switching back will restore it.
Additional Information
Need further help? Refer to our Getting Help & Contacting Support article for the latest support options and ways to connect with our team.
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