Create a Custom Software Updates Dashboard using Bi for SCCM

Bi for SCCM is the only full replacement for the built-in Configuration Manager reports built on Microsoft Power Bi. Bi for SCCM ships with many very intuitive dashboards but we also expose over 200 Configuration Manager database fields that can be used to quickly and easily create your own custom reports. Bi for SCCM was specifically designed to allow anyone to create any report that they need with having to learn T-SQL query language or the Configuration Manager database. This allows business users to create their own reports taking that workload off the Configuration Manager Admin. 

If you aren't currently an Bi for SCCM customer you can install a fully functional trial from AppSource. Bi for SCCM requires no additional on-premises infrastructure other than the Power Bi Data Gateway which most customers install on the Configuration Manager site server.  The installation takes less than 5 minutes.

I find that many of our customers like to customize our Software Updates dashboard to better fit their deployment methodology. As you can see here, our inbuilt Software Updates dashboard contains a lot of info and not all of which is pertinent to all customers.

Customers have various ways that they’d like to show the status of their software updates deployment. This blog isn’t meant to be a one-size fits all solution; its purpose is to get you thinking about how you can make the Software Updates dashboard work better for you. We’ve separated out the fields for software updates into several main categories including:

• Software Update Classifications
• Software Update Deployment Details
• Software Update Deployment Status
• Software Update Details
• Software Update Groups
• Software Update Products

Each of these categories contain multiple fields which can be added to a Power Bi visual by simply dragging and dropping them onto a page. 

When creating a custom dashboard using Bi for SCCM it’s typically best to start by duplicating one of the inbuilt pages, for this example we will copy the Software Updates page. Begin by entering Edit Mode in the Power Bi Service, select the Software Updates page, right-click the tab and select Duplicate Page.

Make some space on the page by removing objects that don’t fit into how you report on updates. You may also want to remove some of the filters. Later, we will add filters to the new Filters pane recently introduced into Power Bi (only available if you have enabled the new look). Removing any object on the page is done by simply clicking the More actions drop-down and select Remove.

Once you’ve cleaned up the page a little it may look something like this.

Adding filters to the filters pane creates better user experience those who view your pages by removing all but the data you want them to focus on. The new Filter pane makes this much easier by removing the filters from the page and placing them onto a separate pane. Simply select fields from the Fields pane, drag them to the Filters pane and select the items you’d like to include in your custom Software Updates page. For example, you may want to only include Workstation operating systems on your page. To do so select Product from the Software Update Products category, drag it onto the Filters page, select basic filter and select the applicable workstation operating systems.

Continue to add other filters in the same manner. In my example I’m adding filters to show only Installed, Missing, and Unknown install status as well as the Definition Updates, Security Updates, and Critical Updates classifications.

The Filters on the Filters pane are typically static filters that the viewers won’t need to edit. You may also want to add filters directly to the page just so that they are more obvious to the report viewer who may want to change the filter.  For instance, you may want to make it obvious to viewers which updates have been deployed and which have not. To do so simply click the white space anywhere on the page, check the checkbox beside the “Is Deployed” field under the Software Update Details category. You will see the “Is Deployed” visual appears on the page. 

Select the Is Deployed visual on the page and turn it into a Slicer by selecting the Slicer visualization on the Visualizations pane. You will notice the Is Deployed visual changes to have checkbox selections. To change this to a drop-down select the More Actions dropdown then select the “dropdown” menu option.

The visual name “Is Deployed” may be confusing to your report viewer. To give the visual a more friendly name click the down arrow beside “Is Deployed” on the Visualizations page and select Rename and then type a new name for the Is Deployed visual. 

The Power Bi service have many visualizations right out of the box, but you can add even more from AppSource. I’m going to add a Timeline Slicer to the page. On the Visualizations pane select the More Actions dropdown then select Import from AppSource. Browse through the available visuals or search for Timeline Slicer. Click Add to add the Timeline Slicer to your available visualizations. 

Add the Date Released field to a blank space on the page by clicking the checkbox next to the Date Released field under the Software Update Details category. Select the Date Released visual on the page and then click the Timeline Slicer visualization on the Visualizations pane.

To make the Date Released slicer more visually appealing you may want to edit the amount of time shown on the slicer. To do so select the Date Released filter on the Filters pane, select the Advanced Filtering filter type and edit the Show items when the value: is on or after then select a date that would be the release date of the oldest updates you’d like to see.

Lastly you should simply organize the visualizations on the page. You will notice that each visualization on the page is fully interactive.  For instance, here I’ve selected the following filter options. 

1. True for “Update Has Been Deployed” which filtered the entire page to show only deployed updates.
2. The month of September in the year of 2016 which further filtered the page to show only updates released in September 2016.
3. The MS16-106 update which provides a list of computers which are missing the MS16-106 update.

Install a free 30-day trial of Bi for SCCM and create your own custom Software Updates dashboard today.