Build highly scalable dashboards

When a dashboard is shared using the Everyone (public) option, it may experience high demand and generate a large amount of traffic. High-demand activity can occur when a dashboard is picked up by social media, a news feed, or other outlets.

The best practices described below ensure that the traffic generated by a dashboard uses the scalable infrastructure of ArcGIS Online, and scales effectively in high-demand situations.

Dashboard data sources

Data sources are the web maps and web layers stored in your ArcGIS Online organization. Use the following guidelines to optimize the layers in dashboards:

  • Ensure that the dashboard and all referenced web maps and layers are shared with everyone.
  • Ensure that all layers used in the dashboard are a hosted feature layer, feature layer view, or hosted tile layer.
  • Ensure that editing, sync, and ownership-based access control are all disabled.
    Note:

    Ownership-based access control may still be enabled even after sync is disabled. Follow the steps in the Ownership Based Access for Feature Layers article to disable ownership-based access control on the layer.

    Note:

    If the data requires editing, don't share it with the public. If sharing is required, create a feature layer view and ensure that it follows the best practices described here.

  • Attribute updating is not recommended for public dashboards.
  • For hosted feature layers and feature layer views, set their cache control duration to a value that reflects how often the data is actually updated (the default is 30 seconds).
  • For hosted feature layers with a large number of features, create attribute indexes on any fields that are queried often.
  • For layer filters and view definitions, do not include relative date conditions. These are the in the last or not in the last operators.

Dashboard configuration

When authoring and sharing a dashboard, the following configurations ensure that the dashboard optimizes use of the platform's scalable infrastructure and that changes to a dashboard's sharing designation do not negatively impact your organization.

  • If the dashboard has one or more map elements that include map extent filters, ensure that the target layer is based on a map's operational layer.
  • When configuring a filter action, and the target is based on a different data source, do not use the Spatial method; use the Field method.
    Note:

    You may need to preprocess the data to add more fields before configuring the dashboard.

  • If the dashboard uses embedded content to include other apps that use ArcGIS Online content, ensure that they follow the best practices for scalable apps.
  • When sharing a dashboard URL or using a URL to embed a dashboard into another page, use the generic URL starting with www.arcgis.com instead of your organization-specific URL.
  • When configuring dashboard elements and selectors, don't use relative date filters with the following operators:
    • is within the last
    • is before the last
    • is within the next
    • is after the next
  • When using the is before or is after operators, do not use the default period Now.