User Guide: Embed Dashboards on Microsoft Teams

Last updated on May 31, 2024

This user guide explains how to embed an InfoDesk Dashboard on Microsoft Teams.

Guide for Portal Admins and Dashboard Owners.

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Introduction

Integrating your Dashboard on Teams is a smart way to ensure that your stakeholders are updated on all news and insights from your InfoDesk platform. 

You can also integrate Dashboards on other websites. Please contact your InfoDesk Account Manager or Customer Success to discuss your needs and all possibilities.

Integration Prerequisites

When embedding Dashboards on other websites, you need an authentication mechanism. The recommended authentication mechanism is single sign-on, SSO. An alternative authentication mechanism is Key Authentication.

The main difference between SSO and Key Authentication is that SSO allows personalized dashboards and interaction, while Key Authentication doesn't. This means that interactive Dashboard widgets such as the Contribute widget and Subscribe to Personal Alerts from the Post list widget do not work with Key Authentication.

Single sign-on (SSO)

The easiest way to integrate is to use SSO which allows you to seamlessly access your portal from your intranet without the need for a username and password. The user is not required to have an InfoDesk account, as it will be created automatically.

Contact your InfoDesk Account Manager or Customer Success for more information and assistance with the SSO implementation.

 

(SSO) Machine Users/Key Authentication

If you don’t have SSO implemented, you can use Key Authentication to give your stakeholders access to the Dashboard on other websites and platforms. A prerequisite is that a dedicated Dashboard user with a generated authentication key, a so-called Machine user, is created on the User page in Admin.

You need help from InfoDesk Support to create the Machine user.  

Contact InfoDesk Support for more information and assistance.

How to Embed a Dashboard on Teams

In your InfoDesk Portal - with SSO implemented

To obtain the InfoDesk Dashboard URL, please follow these steps:

1. Log in to your InfoDesk account at https://ciportal.com
2. Navigate to the Dashboard page and select a Dashboard.
3. On the Dashboard card, click the More button (three dots) and select the Embed Dashboard option.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Copy the provided URL from the upper text bar on the Embed Dashboard pop-up. (The URL starts with https://api.ciportal.com/sso/ …)
5. Follow the instructions under the "In Microsoft Teams section" below to paste the URL when setting up the embedded Dashboard on Teams. 
   
   

In your InfoDesk Portal - without SSO implemented

If you haven’t implemented SSO, you need assistance from InfoDesk to implement SSO or create a machine user for the key authentication method.

Choose the Single sign-on (SSO) or Key Authentication tab on the Embed Dashboard pop-up to read more about the options and contact InfoDesk Support for assistance.

 

Single sign-on (SSO)

If you don’t have SSO implemented, it will look like this on the Embed Dashboard pop-up:

Read the instructions under Set up SSO and contact your InfoDesk Account Mangar, Customer Success, or InfoDesk Support for assistance.

 

 

Key Authentication 

You can use Machine Users/Key Authentication to give your stakeholders access to the Dashboard on Teams. You need help from InfoDesk Support to create the Machine user.  

When the Machine user is created by InfoDesk Support:

1. Go to the User page in Admin and select Machine Users.
2. Open the Machine User account and click the Display Key button.
3. Copy the Machine User Key.
4. Navigate to the Dashboard page and select a Dashboard.
5. On the Dashboard card, click the More button (three dots) and select the Embed Dashboard option.
6. Select the Key Authentication tab on the Embed Dashboard pop-up.
7. Replace “REPLACE_WITH_KEY” in the URL displayed in the upper text bar with the generated Machine User Key.
8. Copy the entire URL from the upper text bar in order to use it on Teams.

Follow the instructions under the In Microsoft Teams section below to paste the link when setting up the embedded Dashboard on Teams. 

In Microsoft Teams

You can add the InfoDesk Dashboard app directly from the Teams context you're working in, whether you're in a chat or a channel.

1. Log into Microsoft Teams.
2. Select Apps from the left side menu in Teams and type “InfoDesk Dashboards” in the "Search apps and more search" bar.
   
   
3. The InfoDesk Dashboard app will now appear on the screen. Click the Add button on the InfoDesk Dashboards app.
   
   
   
   
4. In the dropdown menu, select Add to Team or Add to Chat, and then select the channel or chat where you want to add the InfoDesk Dashboard app. 
   
   
   
   
5. Type and select a Team or Chat in the search bar.
   
   
   
   
6. Click on the Set up a tab button. 
7. In the Tab name field, name your dashboard tab. We recommend a name that helps viewers easily find the embedded dashboard.
   
8. In the Dashboard URL, paste the Dashboard URL you copied from the SSO or Key Authentication page in your InfoDesk platform and then click Save.
   
   
   
   
9. The Dashboard will now be available from the named tab in the selected Teams channel or chat. Open the tab to view the embedded Dashboard. 
   
   
   

Don’t forget to make your Teams channel available for others. Notify your stakeholders and invite them as members of your channel. 

 

Repeat the steps above to add more Dashboards to the same channel. Each Dashboard will have its own tab.  

 

Edit an Embedded Dashboard

Open the tab drop-down to change the tab name, expand the tab, or make any other changes to the settings in Teams.

Any modifications to the Dashboard and Dashboard widgets layouts and content must be made on the Dashboard within your InfoDesk platform. 

1. Open your Dashboard and click the More button (three dots).  
2. Select Edit to edit the layout and user access to the Dashboard.
3. Select Manage widgets to edit the widgets or add and remove widgets from the dashboard.
   
   

Remove Dashboard from Teams

Open the tab drop-down and select the Remove option to remove the Dashboard tab from Teams.