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Dashboard: a screen-by-screen guide

Every page of the Dashboard module in DesiERP, what it is for, how to use it, and what to enter in each field.

The Dashboard module is the first thing you see after signing in. It shows your sales, purchases, stock, dues and cash in tiles and charts, and holds the Approvals inbox where documents wait for a manager's yes. Each dashboard opens only for users whose role has Read permission on it.

2 sections5 screens4 fields explained

Dashboards

Four read-only dashboards: an overview of today's business, and separate views for sales, purchases and financial figures. The figures are worked out fresh every time the page opens, from the invoices, bills, returns, stock and accounts already entered.

Overview Dashboard

Menu path: /dashboard/overview

A one-screen summary of today's sales, purchases, expenses and gross profit, along with cash, stock and dues, and the sales and purchase trend for the last 12 months. Owners and managers use it to check the business at a glance.

How to use it

  1. Open Dashboard > Overview Dashboard. It is also the page you normally land on after signing in.
  2. Read the eight tiles at the top for today's figures and the current balances. Large amounts are shown in short form (for example in lakh); hover over a tile to see the exact amount.
  3. Use Period (3M, 6M, 12M) to narrow the trend charts and the totals beside them to the last 3, 6 or 12 months.
  4. Use Trends as (Bars or Lines) to switch the sales and purchase trend charts between bars and lines.
  5. Click any month on the sales trend chart to open the sales invoice list, or on the purchase trend chart to open the purchase list.
  6. Check Low Stock Alerts for items that need reordering, and Daily Business Summary for the last seven days.

Fields on this screen (2)

FieldTypeWhat to enter
Chart controls
Periodtoggle3M, 6M or 12M. Limits the Sales Trend and Purchase Trend charts, and the Sales, Purchases and Sales − purchases totals, to the last 3, 6 or 12 months. The pie charts are not affected. Your choice is remembered in this browser.
Trends astoggleBars or Lines. Changes how the sales and purchase trend charts are drawn. Remembered in this browser.

Tiles and figures (11)

Todays SalesTotal of sales invoices dated today, less sales returns dated today. Never shown below zero.
Todays PurchasesTotal of purchase bills dated today.
Todays ExpensesTotal of expenses dated today.
Today's Gross ProfitToday's sales (after returns) less the cost of the goods sold on today's invoices, where cost is the quantity sold × the item's purchase price. Other expenses are not deducted.
Cash & BankCurrent balance of your Cash in Hand, Bank and Bank in Transit accounts in the books, as on now.
Stock ValueCurrent stock quantity × purchase price, added up over all active items.
Outstanding ReceivablesWhat customers owe you now: customer opening balances, plus unpaid balances of invoices (except cancelled ones) and of sales orders (except cancelled or closed ones), less sales returns. Never shown below zero.
Outstanding PayablesWhat you owe suppliers now: purchase bill totals less the amounts already paid, over all bills.
Sales · Last N monthsTotal of the sales trend for the period chosen (3, 6 or 12 months).
PurchasesTotal of the purchase trend for the same period.
Sales − purchasesSales total less purchases total for the period. Shown in red when purchases are higher.

Charts (6)

Last 12 Months Sales TrendSales per month for the current month and the 11 before it: invoice totals less sales returns. A month with no sales shows zero.
Last 12 Months Payment Mode SplitPie chart of money received from customers since the start of the month 11 months ago, split by payment mode (cash, UPI, bank and so on). Receipts with no mode are shown as Other.
Last 12 Months Purchase TrendPurchases per month for the same 12 months: purchase bill totals less completed purchase returns. A month with no purchases shows zero.
Top 5 Selling ItemsPie chart of the five items sold in the largest quantity on all invoices to date, each slice sized by its sales value.
Low Stock AlertsUp to five active items whose stock is at or below their reorder level, lowest stock first. Columns: Item, Current Qty, Reorder Level, Avg Cost (the item's purchase price) and Stock Value (quantity × purchase price).
Daily Business SummaryOne row for each of the last seven days, today included: Date, Sales (invoice totals), Purchase (bill totals), Expenses, and Net Profit, which here means sales less purchases less expenses for that day.

Filters and search

Period: 3M, 6M, 12MTrends as: Bars, Lines

Buttons and actions

Click a month on a trend chartOpens the sales invoice list (sales chart) or the purchase list (purchase chart).

Good to know

Today's Gross Profit uses each item's purchase price from the item master, so keep purchase prices up to date for a true figure.

Daily Business Summary counts purchases as spending on the day of the bill, so its Net Profit is a cash-style view, not the gross profit shown in the tile.

Hover over any tile to see the exact amount behind the short form.

Sales Dashboard

Menu path: /dashboard/sales

Shows this month's sales and returns, the average invoice value, your customer count, the monthly revenue trend and your top customers. Used by owners and sales managers to follow sales.

How to use it

  1. Open Dashboard > Sales Dashboard.
  2. Read the four tiles for this month's sales, average invoice value, this month's returns and the number of customers.
  3. Look at Revenue Breakdown for the month-by-month trend.
  4. Use Customer Contribution and Top 5 Customers to see who buys the most.
  5. Check Recent Invoices for the five latest invoices and their status.

Tiles and figures (4)

This Month SalesTotal of invoices dated in the current calendar month (from the 1st to today). Returns are shown separately and are not deducted here.
Avg. Invoice ValueAverage total of all your invoices to date.
Sales ReturnsTotal of sales returns dated in the current calendar month.
Total CustomersNumber of active customers in your customer list (not only those billed this month).

Charts (4)

Revenue Breakdown (Current Year)Line chart of sales per month over the last 12 months (invoice totals less sales returns). Only months that have sales entries appear.
Customer ContributionDoughnut chart of your top five customers by total invoiced value to date.
Recent InvoicesThe five latest invoices by invoice date: Inv No, Customer (Walk-in when none), Amount and Status.
Top 5 Customers (By Volume)The five customers with the highest total invoiced value to date: Customer Name and Total Business.

Good to know

This Month Sales is before returns; compare it with the Sales Returns tile for the net picture.

Avg. Invoice Value and Top 5 Customers cover all invoices ever entered, not only this month.

Purchase Dashboard

Menu path: /dashboard/purchase

Shows this month's purchases, the average bill value, what you owe suppliers, the number of active suppliers, the purchase trend and your largest suppliers. Used by owners and purchase staff.

How to use it

  1. Open Dashboard > Purchase Dashboard.
  2. Read the four tiles for this month's purchases, average bill value, outstanding payables and active suppliers.
  3. Look at Procurement Trend for purchases month by month.
  4. Use Supplier Volume Share and Top 5 Suppliers to see where most of your buying goes.
  5. Check Recent Purchase Bills for the five latest bills.

Tiles and figures (4)

This Month PurchasePurchase bills dated in the current calendar month, less completed purchase returns dated in the same month.
Avg. Bill ValueAverage total of all your purchase bills to date, rounded to the rupee.
Outstanding PayablesWhat you owe suppliers now: bill totals less the amounts already paid, over all bills.
Active SuppliersNumber of active suppliers in your supplier list.

Charts (4)

Procurement Trend (Monthly)Line chart of purchases per month (bills less completed purchase returns) over the last 12 months. The months shown are the ones that also have sales entries.
Supplier Volume ShareDoughnut chart of your top five suppliers by total billed value to date.
Recent Purchase BillsThe five latest purchase bills by bill date: Bill No, Supplier, Amount and Status.
Top 5 SuppliersThe five suppliers with the highest total billed value to date: Supplier Name and Total Procurement.

Good to know

A purchase return counts against this month's purchases only once its status is Completed.

Reports Dashboard

Menu path: /dashboard/reports

A financial summary: cash and bank, this month's sales and gross margin, stock value, receivables and payables, low stock and pending documents, with a sales-versus-purchase chart and stock value by category. Used by owners and accountants.

How to use it

  1. Open Dashboard > Reports Dashboard.
  2. Read the nine tiles for balances and this month's figures.
  3. Compare sales and purchases month by month in Procurement & Revenue Analysis.
  4. See where your stock money sits in Category Valuation and Top 5 Items by Stock Value.
  5. Check Latest Ledger Entries for the most recent postings in your books.

Tiles and figures (9)

Cash & BankCurrent balance of your Cash in Hand, Bank and Bank in Transit accounts in the books.
SalesTotal of invoices dated in the current calendar month (before returns).
InventoryCurrent stock quantity × purchase price over all active items.
PayablesWhat you owe suppliers now: bill totals less amounts paid.
ReceivablesWhat customers owe you now: opening balances plus unpaid invoice and open sales order balances, less sales returns. Never below zero.
Customers on FileNumber of active customers in your customer list.
Gross Margin (MTD)For the current month: (sales less returns, less the cost of goods sold) ÷ (sales less returns) × 100, rounded. Cost of goods sold is the quantity on this month's invoices × each item's purchase price. Shows 0% when there are no sales.
Low StockNumber of active items whose stock is at or below their reorder level.
Pending Bills & OrdersNumber of sales invoices with status Pending plus sales orders with status Pending.

Charts (4)

Procurement & Revenue AnalysisBar chart of sales (less returns) and purchases (less completed purchase returns) side by side for each month of the last 12 months that has sales.
Category ValuationDoughnut chart of stock value (quantity × purchase price) by item category, for active items with stock above zero. Items with no category are grouped as General.
Top 5 Items by Stock ValueThe five active items with the highest stock value (quantity × purchase price).
Latest Ledger EntriesThe five most recent entries in your books: the account, whether it was debited (Dr) or credited (Cr), the amount, the date and the reference number.

Good to know

Gross Margin depends on the purchase price kept on each item, so update item purchase prices when your costs change.

Inventory, Low Stock and the stock tables use the stock quantity and purchase price kept on each item.

Approvals

When an approval workflow is set up for a document type, the document's main action (for example completing an order) waits until the right people approve it. This inbox is where approvers see and decide those requests.

Approvals

Menu path: /approvals

The inbox of documents waiting for approval. Approvers approve or reject them here, and people who raised a request can follow it or withdraw it. The last approval carries out the document's action on behalf of the person who asked.

How to use it

  1. Open Dashboard > Approvals. The For me tab lists requests waiting at a stage you can decide.
  2. Click the document number to open the document and check it.
  3. Click Approve to pass it to the next stage. At the last stage, approving carries out the action, such as completing the order or posting the expense.
  4. To refuse, click Reject, type the reason and click Reject again. The requester is told why.
  5. Use the Raised by me tab to follow your own requests, and Withdraw a pending one if it is no longer needed.
  6. Use the Everything tab to see all requests of the company, at every stage and status.

Fields on this screen (2)

FieldTypeWhat to enter
List
Search document, number, who…textNarrows the list on the screen to rows containing the words typed: document type, number, title or person.
Reject
WhyRequiredtextareaThe reason for rejecting, up to 400 characters. The requester sees it and can correct the document and try again. A rejection without a reason is not accepted.

Tiles and figures (4)

Waiting for meNumber of pending requests at a stage you can decide. Click to open the For me tab.
Raised by me, pendingYour own requests still waiting. Click to open the Raised by me tab.
Approved this monthRequests of the company approved since the 1st of this month, with the number rejected in the same period below it.
Pending in allAll pending requests of the company, at every stage. Click to open the Everything tab.

Columns in the list

Document (type, number, title and the action waiting)AmountRaised by (name and date-time)Where it stands (stage number, stage name and who it is with; or the outcome)Status (Pending, Approved, Rejected, Cancelled, Failed)Do

Filters and search

Tabs: For me, Raised by me, EverythingSearch boxColumn sorting by clicking a heading

Buttons and actions

ApproveApproves the current stage. If more stages remain, the request moves to the next approver, who is notified. At the last stage the document's action is carried out; if it fails, the request is marked Failed with the reason.
All stagesShown only to a super-approver allowed to do so: approves every remaining stage at once after a confirmation, and the action is carried out immediately.
RejectOpens a box for the reason; rejecting stops the request and notifies the requester.
WithdrawOn your own pending request (Raised by me or Everything tab): cancels it after a confirmation.
Open (arrow icon)Opens the document the request is about.
WorkflowsOpens Settings > Approval Workflows, for users with access to it.

Good to know

Documents that can need approval: quotation, sales order, sales return / credit note, purchase requisition, purchase order, purchase return, production order, payroll run, supplier payment, expense voucher, stock adjustment and invoice cancellation.

A workflow can be set so that the person who raised a request cannot approve it.

Rows where a workflow condition matched show the workflow name and the rule that applied.

Next guide →Masters: Parties & Items

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