The Open Access feature allows you to share your dashboards with anyone, even if they are not a licensed SquaredUp DS user. It creates an Open Access version of the original dashboard that can be accessed via its own URL without the need to login. Open Access dashboards are perfect for embedding them in user portals like Sharepoint, pushing them to wall monitors or using them as high-level reports for managers.
Since there's no authentication needed, viewing Open Access dashboards does not consume Named User licenses which means you can share your dashboards with unlimited users.
Creating an Open Access version of your dashboard doesn't change anything about the original dashboard. The original version can still be accessed by logged in users.
How do Open Access dashboards work?
An Open Access dashboard is a less interactive version of the original dashboard.
For SquaredUp DS v4: Less interactive means viewers of the dashboard can't hover to see graph figures and labels or click to drill down. The Open Access dashboard is server-rendered bitmap version of the original dashboard, that refreshes every time the original dashboard refreshes.
For SquaredUp DS v5 and later versions: Less interactive means viewers of the dashboard can hover to see graph figures and labels. If your dashboard contains links to external tools, for example linked rows in a grid, vierwers can click those links. If viewers click on Azure data to drill down to further data they will have to log in.
You might like to watch this 2 minute introduction to Open Access:
Check the Server Spec and Sizing Guidelines (see Server Spec and Sizing) for information about memory recommendations for running Open Access.
Do I have to enable Open Access before I can use it?
Open Access dashboards use the Azure SquaredUp Enterprise Application (service principal) for displaying data since no user is logged in when viewing Open Access dashboards. Open Access dashboards will only show resources, resource groups or subscriptions for which the Enterprise Application has at least the role of Reader.
In the Azure portal browse to the resource, resource group or subscription you wish to give access to.
On the menu, click on Access control (IAM).
Click the Add button, then Add role assignment
In the Role box type Reader and select it from the list.
In the Select box type SquaredUpAzure and select your SquaredUp Enterprise Application. (If you have several SquaredUp DS applications you can identify the correct enterprise application by searching and opening Enterprise Applications > searching for SquaredUpAzure > clicking on the application with your SquaredUp server name in the Homepage URL column > clicking the Copy to clipboard button next to the Name > pasting the full name with GUID in the box here).
Click the Save button.
Now restart your SquaredUp virtual machine to allow the role take effect.
Check that the Open Access page now shows the resource, resource group or subscription you gave access to.
If the Azure SquaredUp Enterprise Application has not been given access to any of the resources or subscriptions that a tile is scoped to then users will see zero cost or one of the following messages depending on the tile:
No resources matched the specified scope.No entities found.The subscription was not found in the list of available subscriptions.There are no Azure subscriptions available: Check the Access Control (IAM) role and scope for the subscriptions you intend to access.
You can share dashboards and pinned perspectives (see Pinned Perspectives) with Open Access.
Who can share dashboards via Open Access?
That depends on where the original dashboard that you want to make available via Open Access is located:
Globally viewable dashboards can only be shared by administrators
A dashboard that is in a Team Folder (see Team Folders) can be shared by administrators and users with author or owner permissions on the Team Folder. Note: Remember that Open Access means that anyone who knows the URL can view the dashboard. The Team Folder permissions and restrictions do not apply to the Open Access version of the dashboard.
How to share a dashboard via Open Access
Go to the dashboard or pinned perspective you want to create an Open Access URL for. Note: If you want to create an Open Access URL for a pinned perspective, you need to be on the pinned perspective, not a general perspective that is not pinned. You can make sure you are on the pinned perspective by clicking on the name of the pinned perspective on the navigation bar. If you are on a perspective that is not pinned, you'll see a message that this perspective needs to be pinned first.
Make sure the dashboard or pinned perspective is already published. If it is still a draft, publish it first.
Click on the share this dashboard button. If you can't see the button, check if you are still in edit mode since this button is only visible when you are not in edit mode.
You'll see the following sharing options:
Sharing options
Normal
The sharing option Normal creates a link to the normal dashboard or perspective, meaning as a fully interactive version. Accessing the dashboard or perspective requires authentication with a SquaredUp DS user license. The link is based on the dashboard's or perspective's ID and does not change when the dashboard or perspective is renamed.
Normal: Just the URL based on the ID.
Full-screen:The URL based on the ID, but with ?display=fullscreen appended. This will hide the navigation bar.
Embed: The URL based on the ID, but with ?display=embed appended which will hide the navigation bar and page title.
If the URL already uses a ? then you will need to append & first, for example, &?display=embed
Open Access
The Open Access feature allows you to share your dashboards with anyone, even if they are not a licensed SquaredUp DS user. It creates an Open Access version of the original dashboard that can be accessed via its own URL without the need to login. Open Access dashboards are perfect for embedding them in user portals like Sharepoint, pushing them to wall monitors or using them as high-level reports for managers.
Since there's no authentication needed, viewing Open Access dashboards does not consume Named User licenses which means you can share your dashboards with unlimited users.
Creating an Open Access version of your dashboard doesn't change anything about the original dashboard. The original version can still be accessed by logged in users.
How do Open Access dashboards work?
An Open Access dashboard is a less interactive version of the original dashboard.
For SquaredUp DS v4: Less interactive means viewers of the dashboard can't hover to see graph figures and labels or click to drill down. The Open Access dashboard is server-rendered bitmap version of the original dashboard, that refreshes every time the original dashboard refreshes.
For SquaredUp DS v5 and later versions: Less interactive means viewers of the dashboard can hover to see graph figures and labels. If your dashboard contains links to external tools, for example linked rows in a grid, vierwers can click those links. If viewers click on Azure data to drill down to further data they will have to log in.
In the Open Access section toggle the enable open access button to on.
You will see the message 'Preparing your Open Access dashboard, please wait' and a thumbnail of the dashboard itself:
Click preview to view the dashboard in Open Access mode. The dashboard is given an Open Access URL and enabled for Open Access. You can now give the URL to anyone you want to be able to access the dashboard.
After a dashboard is updated the changes are shown on the Open Access dashboard when it next refreshes, usually in 60 seconds. On SquaredUp DS v4 this may take up to 20 minutes.
Browse to the right-hand menu ☰ > system > Open Access
Dashboards which are enabled for Open Access are listed and you can click remove to stop a dashboard being available in Open Access mode.
Tip: If you stop a dashboard being available in Open Access mode and later re-enable it then the dashboard will be given the same Open Access URL that it had previously.
The Open Access navigation bar is a different navigation bar to the one you see within SquaredUp DS, it is a navigation bar that is visible when users open an Open Access dashboard.
It is your choice if you want to make the navigation bar visible or not, but if you're using it, it will be visible on all Open Access dashboards.
To make the navigation bar visible, you just have to add at least one dashboard to the Open Access navigation bar from the right-hand menu ☰ > system > Open Access. Once you have done this, the Open Access navigation bar will be visible at the top of the screen on all Open Access dashboards.
Remember that the navigation bar is a global setting that affects all Open Access dashboards, including the ones that are not added to the navigation bar. This means anyone who has access to any Open Access dashboard will be able to see and access the Open Access dashboards that have been added to the navigation bar.
Make sure the dashboard you want to add to the navigation bar has been published and is no longer in draft. Dashboards with a draft cannot be added to the navigation bar.
Browse to the right-hand menu ☰ > system > Open Access
In the Navigation Bar section click on the plus button:
Start typing the name of the dashboard you wish to add to the Open Access navigation bar. SquaredUp DS will return all dashboards matching the text you have typed. Select the dashboard you're looking for and it will be added to the Open Access navigation bar.
Make sure the dashboard you want to add to the navigation bar has been published and is no longer in draft. Dashboards with a draft cannot be added to the navigation bar.
If the dashboard was not already enabled for Open Access mode it will be enabled and the message 'Preparing your Open Access dashboard, please wait' will be shown.
To create a folder on the Open Access navigation bar, type a name that does not match a dashboard and a folder will be created. You can then drag dashboards into the folder.
What is the default page on the Open Access navigation bar?
When you are using the Open Access navigation bar, you get a "default" Open Access page, which is the first dashboard on the Open Access navigation bar (the order of the dashboards on the navigation bar can be changed from the right-hand menu ☰ > system > Open Access.).
You can give users the link to the default Open Access page instead of giving them links to individual dashboards, and they can navigate to all other dashboards on the navigation bar from there. The link has the format
where SquaredUpServer is the server where SquaredUp DS is installed. For example http://SquaredUpServer/SquaredUp/openaccess/
You can also access the default Open Access page by clicking on the SquaredUp logo on the left side of the Open Access navigation bar.
Help for error messages when using the Open Access navigation bar
You may see this message when viewing the open access navigation bar if all the dashboards that were on the open access navigation have had Open Access disabled or are removed from the Open Access navigation bar.
You may see this message when viewing an Open Access URL for a dashboard that was previously enabled for Open Access but has since had Open Access disabled.
The timeframe of a tile defines the period of time for which data is returned, for example "show me data for the last 24 hours".
There are two aspects that influence the timeframe of a tile:
The timeframe configuration in the tile.
How a tile's timeframe is configured depends on the type of tile:
Some tiles, like the Azure Log Analytics tile, have a panel in the tile's configuration where you can set the timeframe. How the timeframe is configured is described in the individual tile's article.
Other tiles, like the Splunk tile, don't have a dedicated timeframe panel but you can specify a timeframe in the query or script the tile uses to return data. How to use timeframe in the tile's query or script is described in the individual tile's article.
Other tiles, like the Status tiles, don't use any timeframe as the data for those tiles doesn't need a timeframe.
The current page timeframe of the dashboard or perspective you are looking at. This only affects tiles that use the page timeframe in their configuration.
The page timeframe is the timeframe setting a dashboard or perspective is currently using. These timeframes are all relative to the current time, for example 7 days ago until now. When a user changes the page timeframe, all tiles that have use page timeframe set will adapt to the new timeframe. (Tiles that do not have use page timeframe set (i.e. are set to specific timeframe or custom timeframe) are not affected and won't change.)
How to change the timeframe for Open Access dashboards
Since users can't change the temporary page timeframe on Open Access dashboards you have to change the default page timeframe to change the timeframe for tiles that use the page timeframe.
The default page timeframe affects two areas:
Within SquaredUp DS, it decides which timeframe a dashboard or perspective uses when a user goes to the dashboard or perspective. Tiles set to use the page timeframe (not a fixed, specific timeframe) will use the default page timeframe every time the dashboard or perspective is opened. Users can change the page timeframe temporarily while they are on the dashboard or perspective, but their setting will only last until they leave the page. Their setting will only affect their view of the dashboard or perspective, not other users' views.
On Open Access dashboards, tiles that use the page timeframe according to their settings always use the default page timeframe.
Settings for the default page timeframe
You can change the default page timeframe for individual dashboards, or globally:
Changing the default page timeframe of a dashboard will affect this individual dashboard and it's Open Access representation. The default page timeframe for perspectives can't be changed individually, they always use the global default page timeframe. Pinned perspectives are treated as dashboards, which means you can change their default page timeframe settings.
The global default page timeframe is "last 12 hours". Changing this default setting will affect all dashboards (including Open Access dashboards) that don't have an individual default page timeframe setting. Perspectives always use the global default page timeframe as their timeframe can't be changed individually.
Note: If you are sharing the dashboard or pinned perspective via Open Access, these changes will also affect the Open Access dashboard.
Note: You can't change the individual default page timeframe of a perspective.
Go to the dashboard or pinned perspective you want to change the individual default page timeframe for.
On the dashboard, click the edit button
Click the settings button.
Choose the new default timeframe under Dashboard timeframe.
Click on the publish button to make the changes go live. The dashboard will now by default use the page timeframe you chose. Users can still temporarily change the page timeframe while looking at the dashboard. Tip: If you want to undo the individual page timeframe setting to let the dashboard use the global default timeframe again, you need to switch to the JSON view of the dashboard and delete the parameter that defines the dashboard's page timeframe (for example "timeframe": "last7days").
Note: This setting affects all dashboards and perspectives (including Open Access dashboards and pinned perspectives on Open Access).
On the SquaredUp server, run Notepad as administrator (Start, Run, type notepad, and then right-click and select Run as administrator).
In your SquaredUp DS folder, go to \User\Configuration and find the extensionpacks.json file.
Name of the SquaredUp folder
Location of the SquaredUp folder
If you deployed SquaredUp DS via the Azure Marketplace:
The default location for the SquaredUp folder is F:\SquaredUpv[Version Number]. For v5 it is F:\SquaredUpv5 and for v4 F:\SquaredUpv4.
If you installed SquaredUp DS using the installer:
A custom location may have been chosen during the installation.
The default location for the SquaredUp folder is C:\inetpub\wwwroot\SquaredUp
For v5 it is C:\inetpub\wwwroot\SquaredUpv5 and for v4 C:\inetpub\wwwroot\SquaredUpv4.
Open the extensionpacks.json file and add the property default-timeframe with the value for your new default page timeframe for all your dashboards and perspectives. Example for a default timeframe of 24 hours:
{
"default-timeframe": "last24hours"}
Possible values for the default-timeframe property:
last1hour, last12hours, last24hours, last7days, last30days, last3months, all
Open Access dashboards for new installations default to dark theme.
By default Open Access dashboards use the same theme, for example dark theme, as normal dashboards, and all users who navigate to any of the Open Access URLs will be affected by this setting. If required, Open Access dashboards can be given a different theme by changing the global setting for all Open Access dashboards, or changing it on a per dashboard level:
Global Open Access settings can be set and changed in the openaccess.json file. Global settings affect all Open Access dashboards, but some settings can be overridden on a per dashboard level in Dashboard Settings.
Json
Description
Default value
Suggested
oa-refresh-interval
Open Access dashboard refresh interval in seconds (not in ms) . Default is 60 seconds, but you might like to change this, for example "oa-refresh-interval": 120
60
120
oa-theme
Open Access dashboards in DS for Azure can be in light theme or dark theme, for example "oa-theme": "darktheme"
darktheme
lightheme
(if preferred)
oa-interaction
Open Access dashboards allow drilldown by default, and if the user isn't logged in they get the logon screen, to login or request a license. Drilldown can be switched off for all Open Access dashboards by changing this global value to false. Default value: true. Interaction can be changed on a per dashboard basis in System > Open Access (v5.5 and above).
On the SquaredUp server, run Notepad as administrator (Start, Run, type notepad, and then right-click and select Run as administrator).
With Notepad in administrator mode, open the openaccess.json file from the following path in the SquaredUp DS folder:
...\User\Configuration\openaccess.json
Name of the SquaredUp folder
Location of the SquaredUp folder
If you deployed SquaredUp DS via the Azure Marketplace:
The default location for the SquaredUp folder is F:\SquaredUpv[Version Number]. For v5 it is F:\SquaredUpv5 and for v4 F:\SquaredUpv4.
If you installed SquaredUp DS using the installer:
A custom location may have been chosen during the installation.
The default location for the SquaredUp folder is C:\inetpub\wwwroot\SquaredUp
For v5 it is C:\inetpub\wwwroot\SquaredUpv5 and for v4 C:\inetpub\wwwroot\SquaredUpv4.
If openaccess.json is blank or only contains {} then enter the setting and the value you require, for example:
{
"oa-refresh-interval": 120}
If openaccess.json already contains settings, then you will need to add a comma at the end of the previous line, and then enter your setting and value, to look something like this:
In IIS recycle the SquaredUp DS application pool for the setting to take effect. If you are unable to access SquaredUp DS ("Server Error in '/SquaredUpvx' Application", "SquaredUp DS cannot start due to an error" or "Startup failed for 'Configuration'") after editing openaccess.json then there is an error in the file. Correct openaccess.json and recycle the SquaredUp DS application pool again.
System > Open Access
This setting allows you to change the theme on a per Open Access dashboard basis.
This setting overrides the global Open Access theme.
By default Open Access dashboards use the same refresh rate as normal dashboards, refreshing every 60 seconds, and the last updated time can be seen at the bottom right of the Open Access dashboard. If required, Open Access dashboards can be given a different the refresh rate by changing the global setting for all Open Access dashboards or on a per dashboard level:
Global Open Access settings can be set and changed in the openaccess.json file. Global settings affect all Open Access dashboards, but some settings can be overridden on a per dashboard level in Dashboard Settings.
Json
Description
Default value
Suggested
oa-refresh-interval
Open Access dashboard refresh interval in seconds (not in ms) . Default is 60 seconds, but you might like to change this, for example "oa-refresh-interval": 120
60
120
oa-theme
Open Access dashboards in DS for Azure can be in light theme or dark theme, for example "oa-theme": "darktheme"
darktheme
lightheme
(if preferred)
oa-interaction
Open Access dashboards allow drilldown by default, and if the user isn't logged in they get the logon screen, to login or request a license. Drilldown can be switched off for all Open Access dashboards by changing this global value to false. Default value: true. Interaction can be changed on a per dashboard basis in System > Open Access (v5.5 and above).
On the SquaredUp server, run Notepad as administrator (Start, Run, type notepad, and then right-click and select Run as administrator).
With Notepad in administrator mode, open the openaccess.json file from the following path in the SquaredUp DS folder:
...\User\Configuration\openaccess.json
Name of the SquaredUp folder
Location of the SquaredUp folder
If you deployed SquaredUp DS via the Azure Marketplace:
The default location for the SquaredUp folder is F:\SquaredUpv[Version Number]. For v5 it is F:\SquaredUpv5 and for v4 F:\SquaredUpv4.
If you installed SquaredUp DS using the installer:
A custom location may have been chosen during the installation.
The default location for the SquaredUp folder is C:\inetpub\wwwroot\SquaredUp
For v5 it is C:\inetpub\wwwroot\SquaredUpv5 and for v4 C:\inetpub\wwwroot\SquaredUpv4.
If openaccess.json is blank or only contains {} then enter the setting and the value you require, for example:
{
"oa-refresh-interval": 120}
If openaccess.json already contains settings, then you will need to add a comma at the end of the previous line, and then enter your setting and value, to look something like this:
In IIS recycle the SquaredUp DS application pool for the setting to take effect. If you are unable to access SquaredUp DS ("Server Error in '/SquaredUpvx' Application", "SquaredUp DS cannot start due to an error" or "Startup failed for 'Configuration'") after editing openaccess.json then there is an error in the file. Correct openaccess.json and recycle the SquaredUp DS application pool again.
On the dashboard you wish to change the setting for:
Edit mode > Settings > Dashboard refresh
By default dashboards (and their Open Access versions) refresh every 60 seconds.
This setting allows you to change the refresh interval on a per dashboard basis, both for the normal dashboard and its Open Access version.
This setting overrides the global dashboard refresh interval.
For example, you may need to reduce the load on your external data, or for an API that has an access cost.
You can increase the refresh interval in increments, up to 6 hours. You can also decrease the interval down to 30 seconds on any given dashboard if you need to see the data refreshed more often.
By default Open Access dashboards allow drilldown or prompt the user to login. If required, drilldown can be switched off on a per dashboard level:
Global Open Access settings can be set and changed in the openaccess.json file. Global settings affect all Open Access dashboards, but some settings can be overridden on a per dashboard level in Dashboard Settings.
Json
Description
Default value
Suggested
oa-refresh-interval
Open Access dashboard refresh interval in seconds (not in ms) . Default is 60 seconds, but you might like to change this, for example "oa-refresh-interval": 120
60
120
oa-theme
Open Access dashboards in DS for Azure can be in light theme or dark theme, for example "oa-theme": "darktheme"
darktheme
lightheme
(if preferred)
oa-interaction
Open Access dashboards allow drilldown by default, and if the user isn't logged in they get the logon screen, to login or request a license. Drilldown can be switched off for all Open Access dashboards by changing this global value to false. Default value: true. Interaction can be changed on a per dashboard basis in System > Open Access (v5.5 and above).
On the SquaredUp server, run Notepad as administrator (Start, Run, type notepad, and then right-click and select Run as administrator).
With Notepad in administrator mode, open the openaccess.json file from the following path in the SquaredUp DS folder:
...\User\Configuration\openaccess.json
Name of the SquaredUp folder
Location of the SquaredUp folder
If you deployed SquaredUp DS via the Azure Marketplace:
The default location for the SquaredUp folder is F:\SquaredUpv[Version Number]. For v5 it is F:\SquaredUpv5 and for v4 F:\SquaredUpv4.
If you installed SquaredUp DS using the installer:
A custom location may have been chosen during the installation.
The default location for the SquaredUp folder is C:\inetpub\wwwroot\SquaredUp
For v5 it is C:\inetpub\wwwroot\SquaredUpv5 and for v4 C:\inetpub\wwwroot\SquaredUpv4.
If openaccess.json is blank or only contains {} then enter the setting and the value you require, for example:
{
"oa-refresh-interval": 120}
If openaccess.json already contains settings, then you will need to add a comma at the end of the previous line, and then enter your setting and value, to look something like this:
In IIS recycle the SquaredUp DS application pool for the setting to take effect. If you are unable to access SquaredUp DS ("Server Error in '/SquaredUpvx' Application", "SquaredUp DS cannot start due to an error" or "Startup failed for 'Configuration'") after editing openaccess.json then there is an error in the file. Correct openaccess.json and recycle the SquaredUp DS application pool again.
System > Open Access
This setting allows you to switch off interaction on a per Open Access dashboard basis.
Users of Open Access dashboards can hover to see graph figures and labels, but will be presented with a logon box if they click to drill down for more information.
As Open Access users will not be able to hover or drill down for more information you may wish to design your dashboards slightly differently with Open Access in mind. For example, you should consider adding a key to a performance line graph.
Web Content tiles (iframes) are not officially supported with Open Access, because in many cases they do not work:
Slow webpages will show as blank in Open Access.
Webpages requiring authentication will not work on an Open Access page because Open Access does not use any authentication.
Open Access displays the Web Content tile using a built in browser, that may support different features from your client browser.
No. If you share a dashboard within a Team Folder (see Team Folders) as Open Access by enabling Open Access URL, this dashboard will potentially be viewable by all users, and viewing will not controlled by the Team Folder permissions.
On SquaredUp DS v5: Re-generate the Open Access dashboard experiencing problems via the generate option.
If one particular dashboard is experiencing issues with Open Access we recommend you rerun the generate option for that dashboard.
To do this in SquaredUp DS click the top right-hand menu ☰ system > open access then click the generate link next to that particular Open Access dashboard.
Alternatively, from the dashboard itself you can disable Open Access and re-enable it, by toggling from on to off to on again, which will also run the regenerate option.
You will see the message 'Preparing your Open Access dashboard, please wait':
