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title Create a Real-Time Dashboard
description Learn how to create and customize Real-Time Dashboards to visualize data effectively using KQL queries and Copilot for seamless insights.
ms.reviewer mbar
ms.topic how-to
ms.date 03/30/2026
author spelluru
ms.author spelluru
ms.subservice rti-dashboard
ms.search.form product-kusto, Real-Time Dashboard
ai-usage ai-assisted

Create a Real-Time Dashboard

A dashboard is a collection of tiles, optionally organized in pages, where each tile has an underlying query and a visual representation. You can natively export Kusto Query Language (KQL) queries to a dashboard as visuals and later modify their underlying queries and visual formatting as needed. In addition to ease of data exploration, this fully integrated dashboard experience provides improved query and visualization performance. Copilot integration in the dashboard editing experience lets you use natural language to create and modify visuals directly, no KQL expertise required.

In this article, you learn how to create a new Real-Time Dashboard, add data sources, add edit tiles in the dashboard - manually or using copilot. You also learn how to enable auto refresh, use parameters, and export dashboards.

Important

Your data is secure. Dashboards and dashboard-related metadata about users are encrypted at rest using Microsoft-managed keys.

Prerequisites

Create a new dashboard

There are several ways to create a new Real-Time dashboard, select the tab that corresponds with your desired creation method.

Manual

[!INCLUDE Real-Time Intelligence create-real-time-dashboard]

  1. Complete dashboard setup by adding a data source to the dashboard. After the dashboard is connected to a data source, you can access all dashboard options like adding new tiles.

    :::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/dashboard-new-with-source.png" alt-text="Screenshot of Real-Time Dashboard with all options enabled." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/dashboard-new-with-source.png":::

Copilot

Copilot streamlines the creation of Real-Time Dashboards by automating the setup process, making it accessible even to users without advanced technical expertise. By using natural language input, you can describe the dashboard you want, and Copilot uses AI to generate it. Start by selecting a data table from the Real-Time Hub or a KQL Queryset. Copilot creates a Real-Time Dashboard tailored to your specifications, including an insights page for a high-level summary and a data profile page for in-depth analysis.

For detailed instructions, see Generate Real-Time Dashboard Using Copilot.

Queryset

  1. Open an existing KQL queryset.

  2. Write a query.

  3. Select Save to dashboard > To a new Dashboard.

    :::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/save-to-dashboard.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the save query to dashboard button in a queryset query." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/save-to-dashboard.png":::

  4. On the New Real-Time Dashboard popup, enter a name and workspace location for the dashboard, and select Create.

    :::image type="content" source="includes/media/create-real-time-dashboard/dashboard-name.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the New Real-Time Dashboard page with a name for the dashboard." lightbox="includes/media/create-real-time-dashboard/dashboard-name.png":::

  5. Select Create and then Open dashboard to view your dashboard immediately after creation.

  6. To give the tile a name, open the tile options and select Rename.

    :::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/rename-new-tile.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the Rename tile option in the tile menu." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/rename-new-tile.png":::

Replacing the file

Select the Manage tab, then choose Replace with file. Select the file you want to use to create a new dashboard, update an existing one, restore a previous version, or use a file received from another user.

:::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/replace-file.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the Replace with file option." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/replace-file.png":::

Add data source

Data sources are reusable references to a specific database in the same workspace as the Real-Time dashboard. Different tiles can be based on different data sources.

Select the tab that corresponds with your desired data source type.

Eventhouse / KQL Database

  1. Open your Real-Time dashboard.

  2. In the upper tool bar, select New data source > Eventhouse / KQL Database.

    :::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/event-house.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the data source menu showing a list of optional data sources with eventhouse/kql database highlighted." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/event-house.png":::

  3. In the OneLake catalog window, select a KQL database to connect to your KQL queryset, and then select Connect.

    Alternatively, close the OneLake data hub window and use the + Add data source menu to connect to a different data source.

Azure Data Explorer

  1. Open your Real-Time dashboard.

  2. In the upper tool bar, select New data source > Azure Data Explorer.

    :::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/azure-data.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the data source menu showing a list of optional data sources with Azure data explorer highlighted." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/azure-data.png":::

Azure Monitor

  1. Open your Real-Time dashboard.

  2. In the upper tool bar, select New data source > Azure Monitor and select either Application Insights or Log Analytics.

    :::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/azure-monitor.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the data source menu showing a list of optional data sources with Azure monitor highlighted." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/azure-monitor.png":::

  3. Enter your connection parameters or a full connection URI:

    To enter your connection parameters:

    1. Enter your Subscription ID. You can find the ID in the Azure portal by selecting Subscriptions > your subscription name > copy the Subscription ID from the resource Overview tab.

    2. Select the Resource Group that contains your Application Insights or Log Analytics database.

    3. Enter the Workspace Name for Log Analytics or the Application Insights app name for Application Insights. You can find the name in the Azure portal by selecting the Application Insights or Log Analytics resource.

    4. Select the Application Insights or Log Analytics database from the drop-down list. This list is populated with the databases in your selected database group.

    To enter a full connection URI:

    1. Select Connection URI and enter your Connection URI in this format:

    Replace <subscription-id>, <resource-group-name> and <ai-app-name> with your own values.

    For Log Analytics: https://ade.loganalytics.io/subscriptions/<subscription-id>/resourcegroups/<resource-group-name>/providers/microsoft.insights/components/<ai-app-name>

    For Application Insights: https://ade.applicationinsights.io/subscriptions/<subscription-id>/resourcegroups/<resource-group-name>/providers/microsoft.insights/components/<ai-app-name>

  4. Select a Database. Expand the list and select a database.

  5. In the Connect Azure Data Explorer cluster window, follow these steps:

    1. Enter the Connection URI for your Azure Data Explorer cluster.
    2. Select a database in the cluster.
    3. Select Connect.

A list of tables associated with this data source appears below the data source name.

Edit mode

To switch to edit mode, select Editing in the top-right corner.

:::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/edit-mode.png" alt-text="Screenshot showing the selection of the editing view." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/edit-mode.png":::

adding new tiles

:::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/home-tab.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the toolbar options under the Home tab." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/home-tab.png":::

Under the Manage tab, you can manage data sources, parameters, and configure settings for Auto refresh.

:::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/manage-tab.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the toolbar options under the Manage tab." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/manage-tab.png":::

Add/Edit tile

Dashboard tiles use Kusto Query Language (KQL) queries to fetch data and generate visuals. Each tile or query is designed to support a single visual representation. The tile editor gives you two options for authoring and editing a tile's query and visual:

  • Copilot (preview) - use natural language to generate the tile's KQL query and the tile visual. Copilot enables non-KQL experts, business analysts, and report creators who understand their data but aren’t fluent to build dashboard visuals independently.

  • KQL query - manually author the query and define the tile visual.

You can switch between the two options at any time.

:::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/tile-editing-panes.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the three panes in the tile editing window: Explorer, Run query, and Copilot.":::

Use Copilot to add/edit tile (preview)

Describe the insight you’re looking for. Start with a broad question and refine based on the results. You might begin with “Show me all error events” and follow up with “Filter to critical errors only” or “Group by error type.” Copilot maintains context within the conversation, so each follow-up builds on your previous requests. For more information, see Use Copilot for writing KQL queries.

  1. In your dashboard, switch to edit mode.

  2. Select Add tile from the dashboard canvas or New tile from the top menu bar.

    :::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/add-tile-button.png" alt-text="Screenshot showing the selection of the Add tile button." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/add-tile-button.png":::

  3. If you're editing an existing tile, open the tile options and select Edit.

  4. In the Copilot pane, enter a description of the tile in natural language. For example, "View the most available bike points including neighborhood, street name, and number of bikes at the station."

    :::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/new-tile-copilot-response.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the copilot pane with the results displayed in a table." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/new-tile-copilot-response.png":::

  5. View the result. Refine the result by asking Copilot a follow-up request. In this example, ask Copilot to "Change the visual to a map and show the 10 locations with the most bikes."

    :::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/new-tile-copilot-response-refined.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the copilot pane with the refined results displayed in a table." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/new-tile-copilot-response-refined.png":::

  6. Select Apply. You can now view and edit the underlying KQL query or continue with Copilot. The query is generated based on your natural language description and any follow-up refinements you made in Copilot.

    :::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/new-tile-copilot-apply.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the tile editor after selecting apply in copilot. " lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/new-tile-copilot-apply.png":::

  7. To add the tile to the dashboard, select Apply changes.

  8. In the dashboard toolbar, select Save to save the dashboard with the new or edited tile.

    :::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/save-button.png" alt-text="Screenshot showing the selection of the Save button on the ribbon." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/save-button.png":::

Use query editor to add/edit tile

Here you can manually author or edit the KQL query and visual in the tile editing pane.

  1. In your dashboard, switch to edit mode.

  2. Select Add tile from the dashboard canvas or New tile from the top menu bar.

    :::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/add-tile-button.png" alt-text="Screenshot showing the selection of the Add tile button."lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/add-tile-button.png"::::::

  3. If you're editing an existing tile, open the tile options and select Edit.

  4. Type a new KQL query, or edit the existing KQL query, and select Run.

    :::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/new-tile-query-editor.png" alt-text="Screen shot of the tile KQL query editor with a query written and the Run button highlighted." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/new-tile-query-editor.png":::

    For information about generating queries that use parameters, see Use parameters in your query.

    [!TIP] You can also use Copilot to edit the query with natural language. Copilot can generate a new query, replace the current query, or refine it without leaving the tile editor.

  5. To create a visual tile, open the visual formatting editor. Select + Add Visual on the lower ribbon, or select the Visual formatting icon on the horizontal tab.

    :::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/new-tile-visual-formatting.png" alt-text="Screenshot of tile query in Real-Time Dashboards." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/new-tile-visual-formatting.png":::

  6. In the Visual formatting tab, select a Visual type and configure the remaining options. For more information on how to customize the visual, see Customize Real-Time Dashboard visuals.

  7. Select Apply changes to add the visual to the dashboard.

    :::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/visual-formatting.png" alt-text="Screenshot of visual formatting pane in Real-Time Dashboards." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/visual-formatting.png":::

  8. In the dashboard toolbar, select Save.

    :::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/save-button.png" alt-text="Screenshot showing the selection of the Save button on the ribbon." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/save-button.png":::

Add tile from a queryset

You can add tiles to your dashboard directly from queries written in a KQL queryset.

  1. Open an existing KQL queryset.

  2. Write a query.

  3. Select Save to Dashboard.

    :::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/save-to-dashboard-existing.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the save query to existing dashboard button in a queryset query." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/save-to-dashboard-existing.png":::

  4. Select the existing dashboard from the list of dashboards and then select Connect to create the tile.

  5. Select Open dashboard from the pop-up message to view the new tile in the existing dashboard.

  6. To give the tile a name, open the tile options and select Rename.

    :::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/rename-new-tile.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the Rename tile option in the tile menu." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/rename-new-tile.png":::

Add page

Pages are optional containers for tiles. You can use pages to organize tiles into logical groups, such as by data source or by subject area. You can also use pages to create a dashboard with multiple views, such as a dashboard with a drillthrough from a summary page to a details page.

  1. Switch to the editing mode by selecting Editing in the top-right corner.

  2. On the Pages pane, select + Add page.

    :::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/new-page.png" alt-text="Screenshot of adding a page to a Real-Time Dashboard in Real-Time Intelligence in Microsoft Fabric." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/new-page.png":::

  3. To name the page, select the vertical More menu [...] > Rename page.

    :::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/new-page-rename.png" alt-text="Screenshot of renaming a page in Real-Time Dashboards." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/new-page-rename.png":::

Use parameters

Parameters significantly improve dashboard rendering performance, and enable you to use filter values as early as possible in the query. Filtering is enabled when the parameter is included in the query associated with your tiles. For more information about how to set up and use different kinds of parameters, see Use parameters in Real-Time Dashboards.

Tile legend

You can change the position of the legend in your tiles and use the legend to interact with the data.

Change the legend location

If you have edit rights on a real-time dashboard, you can change the location of the legend in your tile. Toggle to Edit mode and select the Edit pencil icon. In the Visual formatting pane, under Legend, you can select your location preference.

Interact with your data

You can use the legend to interact with the data in your tile. You can change what data you view by selecting the specific item in the legend. Use Ctrl to add or remove items from the selection, hold shift to select a range. Items not selected are greyed out.

The Search button allows you to search and filter items.

Use the Invert button to invert your selection.

The Up and Down arrows navigate through the list in the following ways:

  • When one item is selected, the up and down arrows select the previous or next item.
  • When more than one item is selected, the up and down arrows scroll through the list of items, and the data for any selected items you navigate to is highlighted.

:::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/interactive-legend.png" alt-text="Screenshot showing the buttons to use the legend to interact with your data." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/interactive-legend.png":::

View query

You can view the query in either viewing or editing mode.

  1. On the tile you want to explore, select the Tile options [...] > View query. A pane opens with the query and results table.

    :::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/view-query-menu.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the View query menu for a tile on the dashboard." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/view-query-menu.png":::

  2. Select Edit query.

  3. Choose either Existing KQL Queryset or New KQL Queryset. Proceed to edit the query in the KQL Queryset.

    :::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/edit-query.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the KQL query editor." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/edit-query.png":::

    [!NOTE] Any edits made to the query using this flow won't be reflected in the original Real-Time Dashboard.

Enable auto refresh

Auto refresh is a feature that allows you to automatically update the data on a dashboard without manually reloading the page or clicking a refresh button.

Dashboard authors can configure autorefresh settings for other viewers. By default, the refresh rate is set using the Default refresh rate, but viewers can adjust this rate for their own sessions.

The Minimum time interval defines the fastest refresh rate allowed and acts as a lower limit. For example, if the author sets the default refresh rate to 1 hour and the minimum time interval to 30 minutes, viewers can choose a refresh rate between 30 minutes and 1 hour, but not lower than 30 minutes.

This setting gives authors control over how frequently dashboards can refresh, helping to manage system load and performance.

  1. Select the Manage tab > Auto refresh.

  2. Toggle the option so auto refresh is Enabled.

  3. Select values for Minimum time interval and Default refresh rate.

  4. Select Apply and then Save the dashboard.

    :::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/auto-refresh.png" alt-text="Screenshot of auto refresh pane in Real-Time Dashboards." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/auto-refresh.png":::

Share the dashboard

To share the dashboard link:

  1. Select Share in the top-right corner of the dashboard.

    :::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/share-link.png" alt-text="Screenshot that shows the Share button." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/share-link.png":::

  2. In the Create and send link window, you can do the following steps:

    • To see a link to the dashboard and copy it to the clipboard, select Copy link.
    • To share a link to the dashboard via email, select by Email.
    • To share a link to the dashboard via Teams, select by Teams.

Export dashboards

Use the file menu to export a dashboard to a JSON file. Exporting dashboard can be useful in the following scenarios:

  • Version control: You can use the file to restore the dashboard to a previous version.
  • Dashboard template: You can use the file as template for creating new dashboards.
  • Manual editing: You can edit the file to modify the dashboard. The file can be imported back to the dashboard.

To export a dashboard, in the dashboard, select the Manage tab > |-> Download file. :::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/download-file-button.png" alt-text="Screenshot that shows the Download file button on the Manage tab button." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/download-file-button.png":::

The file contains the dashboard data in JSON format, an outline of which is shown in the following snippet.

{
    "id": "{GUID}",
    "eTag": "{TAG}",
    "title": "Dashboard title",
    "tiles": [
        {
            "id": "{GUID}",
            "title": "Tile title",
            "query": "{QUERY}",
            "layout": {
                "x": 0,
                "y": 7,
                "width": 6,
                "height": 5
            },
            "pageId": "{GUID}",
            "visualType": "line",
            "dataSourceId": "{GUID}",
            "visualOptions": {
                "xColumn": {
                    "type": "infer"
                },
                "yColumns": {
                    "type": "infer"
                },
                "yAxisMinimumValue": {
                    "type": "infer"
                },
                "yAxisMaximumValue": {
                    "type": "infer"
                },
                "seriesColumns": {
                    "type": "infer"
                },
                "hideLegend": false,
                "xColumnTitle": "",
                "yColumnTitle": "",
                "horizontalLine": "",
                "verticalLine": "",
                "xAxisScale": "linear",
                "yAxisScale": "linear",
                "crossFilterDisabled": false,
                "crossFilter": {
                    "dimensionId": "dragX-timeRange",
                    "parameterId": "{GUID}"
                },
                "multipleYAxes": {
                    "base": {
                        "id": "-1",
                        "columns": [],
                        "label": "",
                        "yAxisMinimumValue": null,
                        "yAxisMaximumValue": null,
                        "yAxisScale": "linear",
                        "horizontalLines": []
                    },
                    "additional": []
                },
                "hideTileTitle": false
            },
            "usedParamVariables": [
                "{PARAM}"
            ]
        }
    ],
    "dataSources": [
        {}
    ],
    "$schema": "https://dataexplorer.azure.com/static/d/schema/20/dashboard.json",
    "autoRefresh": {
        "enabled": true,
        "defaultInterval": "15m",
        "minInterval": "5m"
    },
    "parameters": [
        {}
    ],
    "pages": [
        {
            "name": "Primary",
            "id": "{GUID}"
        }
    ],
    "schema_version": "20"
}

Update or restore an existing dashboard from a file

You can update an existing dashboard, or restore a previous version, as follows:

  1. In the dashboard, select the Manage tab > Replace with file.

    :::image type="content" source="media/real-time-dashboard/replace-with-file-button.png" alt-text="Screenshot that shows the Replace with file button on the Manage tab button." lightbox="media/real-time-dashboard/replace-with-file-button.png":::

  2. Select the file to update the dashboard.

  3. On the Home tab, select Save.

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