> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.solink.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.solink.com/docs/understand-your-business/data-explorer-user-guide.md).
# Data Explorer: User Guide
**Data Explorer** brings your operational data together in dashboards made up of charts, KPI tiles, and tables.
The **Explore** page in the Solink platform allows you to spot trends, compare locations, and answer business questions without exporting spreadsheets or building reports by hand.
Each dashboard is made up of a variety of widgets which can include:
* **KPI cards**: Headline numbers with optional trend lines.
* **Charts**: Bar, line, pie, area, and other visualizations.
* **Tables and pivot views**: Detailed breakdowns you can sort and explore.
Refer to this user guide for general information on Data Explorer and a universal user interface overview.
**Note**: Data Explorer launches with two pre-configured dashboards: **People Analytics** and **Vehicle Analytics.** More dashboards are planned to be added in the coming months followed by the ability to create and customize dashboards. The **Dashboard** page and all of your widgets and data continue to persist with the release of the **Explore** page.
***
## Data Explorer Overview
From the **Explore** tab you can:
* **Browse dashboards**: Solink provides fixed dashboards at launch.
* **Search**: Search for and filter the page by widget name/keyword.
* **Open a dashboard**: View KPIs and charts for the date range and filters you choose.
* [**Filtering**](#filter-data): Use presets like *Last 7 Days* or pick a custom range. Narrow results to specific locations when the dashboard supports it.
* [**Drill into details**](#drill-down-in-to-data): Select chart segments or table rows to break data down by region, location, employee, or other dimensions, down to individual transactions where supported.
* **Connect insights to video**: From transaction-level drill-downs, open related events or receipt details, and from there jump to linked video when footage is available.
***
## Filter Data
Global filters appear in the filter bar across the top of the dashboard. When you apply one, every widget on the page updates automatically.
Global filters include:
* **Date**: Choose the time period to look at. All numbers and charts refresh for that period. KPI cards highlight the **most recent day** in your range, with a small trend line showing how values changed across the full period. The date pill opens a panel with two modes:
* **Rolling**: Allows you to set a general time period, such as Today, Yesterday, Last 7 Days, **Last 2 Weeks**, Last 30 Days, etc. Rolling ranges are relative to today and refresh automatically (great for running totals and trend analysis).
* **Fixed**: Allows you to pick a specific date and date range:
* Between: Pick a start and end date from the calendar.
* Before: Show all data up to (and including) a specific date.
* After: Show all data from a specific date forward.
* On: Show data for one specific calendar date only.
* **Timeframe**: Changes how data is displayed over time. Use the dropdown next to the date filter to switch between **Hour**, **Day**, **Week**, and **Month**.
* **Day**: Shows one datapoint per day (good for trends over weeks).
* **Hour**: Shows one datapoint per hour. Good for granular data.
* **Week** or **Month**: Broader summaries for longer ranges.
* **Hour**: Filter the data by certain hours. For example, if you only care about displaying data between 9 AM to 5 PM, you can filter down to only data within these hours, based on your selected date/timeframe.
* **Location**: Choose all locations or specific ones to show data from.
**Note**: The filters outlined above are available across all dashboards. However, each dashboard may have additional filters unique to that dashboard.
### Clear Filters
Re-select a filter and then select **Clear** to remove the filter. This option is unavailable for the **Date** filter as a date must always be specified in order for the data to display correctly.
Alternatively select **Clear All** to reset all filters.
### Save a Filter Preset
If you want to re-use a filter or series of filters without manually re-entering, select the Preset button and save the filter(s) selection. You can then load the saved filter preset at any time:
***
## Compare Data
The **Compare** filter allows you to see how your current date range stacks up against an earlier period. Use Compare to answer questions like:
* Are sales up or down versus last month?
* Is traffic better or worse than the same time last year?
You keep the same dashboard filters (location, hour, etc.); Compare adds a **second time period** as a reference.
When you **Compare**, the following is reflected on your dashboard:
* **KPI cards**: A second value and a percentage change displays (e.g. “vs Prev Period” or “vs Last Year”).
* **Charts**: A comparison line or series displays alongside the current period.
**Note**: Compare works on **summary widgets** (KPIs and time-based charts). It is **not available** on dashboard tabs where every widget is a table or pivot only.
### How to Compare
To Compare your data:
1. Set your **Date** range first (e.g. Last 2 Weeks)..
2. Select **Compare** to turn comparison **on**.
3. Choose the comparison type:
* **Previous Period**: The same length of time immediately before your selected dates.\
(Example: Last 2 Weeks vs the 2 weeks before that)
* **Same Period Last Year**: The same calendar dates, one year earlier.\
(Example: Jun 16–30 this year vs Jun 16–30 last year)
Select **Compare** again to turn it **off**.
***
## Drill-Down in to Data
Drill-down lets you move from a summary on the dashboard (a bar, a KPI, a table row) to **more detail**, such as by location, employee, transaction, or individual events. While drilling-down, you stay on the same dashboard and a **side panel** opens with deeper data.
By drilling down into your data, you can follow this process:
1. Spot something on the dashboard.
2. Select a datapoint to drill down.
3. Narrow the data by hour, location, or zone, etc.
4. Review the events associated with the datapoint.
Each step cuts the noise until you're watching only the clips that matter.
**Example:** A dashboard shows a spike in line crossing events at one location on Tuesday afternoon. You drill down by hour to pinpoint the peak, then by entrance label to identify which door. You're now looking at 12 events instead of 400 — and you watch only those clips to understand what happened.
### How to Drill-Down
To drill-down on your data:
1. Select a data point within a widget (like a bullet point on a line graph or a bar in a bar graph). Typically the datapoint represents a specific day/period of time.
2. Select one of the "Drill down by" options:
3. Once you have selected a category to drill down by, the data is displayed based on the selected category. For example, if you select **Location Name**, the Drill-Down page breaks down data by location.
4. From this page, you can:
* Optionally drill-down even further. Select a datapoint at the top of the page and repeat the drill-down process. Breadcrumbs are displayed above the data to show you how far you have drilled down; select a breadcrumb to back out further from your drill-down:
* Hover over a specific item in the list > **View events** to see all events associated with that item on the day/time period you previously selected:
5. Now you can parse through the events to better understand how they contributed to the data point:
**Tip**: Select an event type on the left side of the page to filter by only that type. Additionally, use the filters in the top right to filter the displayed events.
***
## View Events from Data
You can easily watch any of the events tied to a specific datapoint.
To review events associated with a datapoint:
1. Select a datapoint.
2. Select **View Events**.
3. Find the event in the list and select **View Event**:
***
## Export Data
You can export widget data into a .CSV file.
**Note**: Some widgets, such as KPI cards, may not provide a .CSV export option.
To export data:
1. Hover over the widget and select the **More Actions** icon (three dots).
2. Select Download CSV to download a .CSV file to your device. Optionally you can select **Show underlying data** to preview the data that will be exported into the file:
***
## Data Explorer FAQs
This section provides a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) for Data Explorer.
### Can I create custom dashboards and widgets?
At launch, Data Explorer does not allow you to create custom dashboards and widgets. Dashboards are fixed for launch.
### Can I still use the Dashboard page while Data Explorer is live?
Yes, the Dashboard page is still available along with all of your existing reports and widgets.
### How is Data Explorer different from the Dashboard tab?
The Dashboard is your classic operational overview (location health, cameras, etc.). Data Explorer is an enhanced version of the Dashboard intended for deeper business reporting and a cleaner user experience.
### Why do widgets show “No data available”?
Common causes include: the date range is too narrow, location or other filters exclude all results, or the metric isn’t available for your sites. Try widening the Date range or clearing location filters.
### Why is my Explore page still loading?
Large date ranges or many locations can take a moment. If loading fails, refresh the page or check that you’re signed in and have network access.
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