After you share a dashboard, you can notify users of updates by automatically emailing the latest version on a schedule you configure. In this article, you'll learn to email dashboards to other agents, admins, and groups. On Enterprise plans, you can also email dashboards to end users.
This article contains the following topics:
Scheduling a dashboard delivery
After you open a dashboard, you can schedule a delivery to one or more groups. To create a schedule, you must have permissions to edit the dashboard.
To schedule a dashboard delivery
- In an Explore dashboard that you have previously shared, click Share > Schedule delivery.
On the Scheduled deliveries page, you'll see any delivery schedules you previously configured.
- Click Schedule delivery.
- On the Schedule delivery page, configure the following options:
-
Frequency: Use the drop-down lists to configure the time and recurrence for
when each dashboard should be run.
Note that the scheduled time isn’t exactly the same as the delivery time. The scheduled time of a dashboard is the point in time at which the dashboard’s reports are calculated using the data that's currently synced in Explore. Meaning, if you schedule a dashboard for 9 AM, recipients might not get the dashboard until sometime after 9 AM, but the reports they see when they do get the dashboard will reflect the data that existed in Explore as of 9 AM.
For complex reports or large sets of data, it might take some time for the data to be calculated and sent before the dashboard reaches recipients.
Note: If you're scheduling a dashboard that should return data for the entire previous day, make sure to schedule it for 2 AM or later. Explore's data sync can take up to two hours to complete, so scheduling your delivery for 2 AM ensures that the previous day's data has fully synced before the dashboard is sent. - Run for: From the drop-down list, select for how long you want to share the dashboard. You can select up to 12 months in the future.
-
Format: Select one or more delivery formats. Choose from:
-
CSV: Sends each report as a comma-separated values (.csv) file. The .csv
files for each tab are compressed as a .zip file.Note: Scheduled deliveries have an email attachment limit of 20 MB. If the total attachment size exceeds 20 MB, the email won't be delivered. To avoid hitting this limit when scheduling large dashboards, refrain from using both Image and PDF formats at the same time.
- Excel (formatted): Sends the dashboard as an Excel (.xlsx) file for each tab.
- PNG: Sends the dashboard as an image (.png) file for each tab.
- PDF: Sends the dashboard as a single PDF (.pdf) file that includes all tabs.
-
CSV: Sends each report as a comma-separated values (.csv) file. The .csv
files for each tab are compressed as a .zip file.
-
Frequency: Use the drop-down lists to configure the time and recurrence for
when each dashboard should be run.
-
People or groups: Choose the groups or users to send the dashboard to. You can
begin typing a group or user name in the search box, and then select it once it's
displayed in the list.
If you're using Explore Enterprise and want to schedule dashboard deliveries to end users, you must first enable this for each user by adding the explore tag to their user profile. For details, see Scheduling dashboard deliveries with end users.
You cannot schedule dashboards to users with Limited viewer and Limited editor permissions.
- When you're finished, click Save.
The schedule you configured is displayed on the Scheduled deliveries page.
Recipients of scheduled deliveries are grouped by language and time zone, with one email sent to each group. For details, see Why do Explore scheduled dashboard emails exclude some recipient addresses? If a scheduled delivery fails, a notification email is sent to the owner of the schedule only.
Reviewing and modifying an existing scheduled delivery
From the dashboards library, you can review and modify scheduled deliveries. Admins can see all scheduled deliveries, but editors can see only their own scheduled deliveries.
To modify a scheduled delivery
- In Explore, click the Dashboard icon (
) in the left sidebar.
The Schedules column shows you the number of schedules a dashboard is included in.
- Find the dashboard you want to review the schedule for and select it to open it.
- Click Schedule.
- On the Scheduled deliveries page, click the edit icon for the schedule you want
to modify.
- Make any changes to the delivery details or recipients as necessary. See Scheduling a dashboard delivery for help.
- When you're done, click Save.
Deleting a scheduled delivery
You can delete a delivery you previously configured from the Scheduled delivery page.
- In Explore, click the Dashboard icon (
) in the left sidebar.
- Find the dashboard you want to delete the schedule for and click to open it.
- In the dashboard, click Share > Schedule delivery.
- In the Scheduled deliveries click the trashcan icon for the delivery you want to delete, then confirm the deletion.
The schedule is deleted and users will no longer receive emails.
28 comments
Five Below, Inc.
I still need to schedule a delivery as a PDF. How do I do that?
4
Five Below, Inc.
I still need to schedule a delivery as a PDF. How do I do that?
3
Elisabeth Henderson
We also have several reports that need to be scheduled as PDF delivery. Why is this no longer an option?
3
Elaine Tan
Hi Zendesk Team, Walter Bellante
I’m reaching out to provide some feedback on the new dashboard, and I hope it will be considered seriously.
Firstly, while the dashboard allows exporting reports as PDFs, the scheduled reporting feature only offers CSV or Excel formats. This limitation reduces the usability of scheduled reports, as PDF exports are often more suitable for sharing and presentation.
Additionally, the new fixed intervals for report scheduling (1/3/6/12 months) are restrictive. We would appreciate it valuable features from the legacy dashboard could be restored.
We’re not asking for new features—just for the functionality that was already available and met our needs.
3
Kristel
+1 how can you remove the option for PDF format? This should be added asap!
3
Fernando
Not having PDF format as an option, is a huge regression. how are existing dashboards going to be affected by this?
Jonathan Aniano Can you please help us address this regression on functionality?
2
Mikey McLaughlin
+1 for the ability to schedule an export as PDF or Images
1
Casey
Why is there not an option to never stop the report? I don't want to have to set a reminder for myself in 12 months time to update the schedule run for time for another 12 months.
4
Walter Bellante
Dear customers,
Thank you for your feedback regarding dashboard schedules.
I am pleased to share that the ability to schedule dashboards in PNG/PDF formats will be available before the end of the year.
Regards,
Walter
-1
Pierugo Mazzaccheri
I have just noticed dashboard scheduled deliveries can only be run for a set amount of months, up to 12. What if we need them to be scheduled for longer? What happens when the limit is reached? Will the delivery simply stop??
2
Walter Bellante
Hello Pierugo Mazzaccheri ,
thanks for the feedback.
You will be notified via email when schedules are about to expire so you can renew them.
Regards,
Walter
1
Casey
Hi Walter Bellante, who will receive the notification? The dashboard creator? What if that person leaves the business?
0
Elaine Tan
Walter Bellante,
Can the scheduled delivery be set without a restricted interval, making it permanent? Admin will edit when they need.
We would appreciate it if valuable features from the legacy dashboard could be restored.
1
Walter Bellante
Hi Casey ,
the owner of the dashboard will be notified when the schedule is about to expire.
In case that person leaves, schedules are accessible to all admins.
Admins can review all dashboards and related schedules from the “All” tab in the dashboard library.
You can learn more about it here.
Regards,
Walter
0
Casey
HI Walter Bellante ,
Thank you for your reply! Unfortunately this does not suit our organisation, as we only have two Admins (for privacy reasons), checking dashboards/schedules in not part of their day to day. I am sure there are other organisations where this is the case as well.
Having to check dashboards/schedules regularly is not ideal, we try to avoid using features that require ongoing maintenance (one of the reason why we use and love Zendesk!)
I would like to put forward the suggestion to include and ongoing schedule option.
1
Torsten Serfling
Hi Walter Bellante
In the legacy dashboards we used cloned dashboards to provide KPIs for different product families used by hidden filter for form and bookmarks. This KPIs were allowed to access via dashboard, but was also provided as scheduled PDF on a monthly base.
With the new dashboards we are currently evaluating the possibilities of data restrictions and filtered views. For providing these KPIs as dashboard this works basically (with some limitations). But scheduled PDFs are not using the data restrictions. Is this planned to support that in future?
The alternative would be again cloning dashboards. Contrary to to the legacy dashboards it would also be necessary to clone the reports and set the filter for form within the reports. This would create significant efforts moving to the new dashboards and maintaining it in future.
0
Walter Bellante
Hi @Torsten Serfling,
Thank you for your feedback regarding the dashboard builder.
Currently, you can combine filtered views with scheduled dashboards to send a filtered version of the dashboard to someone. Additionally, the ability to schedule dashboards as PDFs will be available next week. This feature closely replicates what you previously had with hidden filters and bookmarks for scheduling. You can learn more about filtered views here.
Regarding scheduling dashboard restrictions, this is part of our roadmap. We plan to enable the combination of multiple dashboards into a single one; however, we do not have an estimated timeline yet. In the meantime, you can dynamically filter dashboards when they are shared.
Best regards,
Walter
0
Ashley Caputo
Glad to hear that PDFs will again be available for scheduled deliveries soon.
Please consider adding an “Until stopped” or “forever” option to the Run for section. This adds unnecessary maintenance to an automated task. Maybe instead there could be an automated email every 12 months as a reminder to remove the scheduled report delivery if it's no longer needed, but without an actual interruption to the delivery.
2
Walter Bellante
Dear customers,
I am pleased to announce that schedules in PNG and PDF formats are now available.
You can learn more here.
Regards,
Walter
2
Philene Chen
Happy to hear that PDF Formats are now available.
However, in the legacy dashboard, we used to be able to set scheduled delivery without a restricted interval. It would be extremely helpful if the team can consider the suggestion to include the ongoing schedule feature.
0
Holly
We need to schedule indefinitely as well. We have 100s of dashboards being sent out to customers that use them and if the owner leaves then there is no way for us to know when the schedules will send without us individually clicking into the dashboards. it's essential that we have this.
0
Jamie Noell
It seems like your documentation is out of date.
In an Explore dashboard that you have previously shared, copy the URL of the dashboard from your browser address bar (you'll need it later), then click Schedule.
should be
- Click the drop-down arrow by the Share button.
- Select Schedule delivery.
“Schedule” is no longer visible in the new dashboard builder.
0
David Froemke
I'm posting here in hope of someone pointing me in the right direction. I'm trying to do a scheduled send of a dashboard with restrictions. Am I to believe that this isn't an option?
UPDATE 1/7/2025 - I have spoken to Support and they said that the new dashboard builder is NOT in feature parity with it's predecessor. So, Zendesk pushed me into the ‘new’ tool, but doesn't support the features of the previous tool? Let's hope there is a pathway backwards so that we can increase productivity.
0
Rob Stack
Hi Jamie Noell thanks for this feedback. I've updated this article to reflect the latest UI. Thanks again!
0
Sebie Sharman
Previously when scheduling a report, you had the ability to include a Subject and Message, which would appear in the body of the email e.g.
This doesn't appear to have been included in the new format.
The personalisation in the email helps especially if recipients receive multiple reports, now that you have taken it away, what will the recipients now see? no text or subject? an empty email with just an attachment??
This seems like a step backwards, can you please put this back
4
권예은
제목과 내용이 없으면 스팸성으로 취급될 수 있어서, 꼭 필요한 기능입니다.
0
John Tieu
Agree with Sebie that the removal of customized subject and message is a step backwards.
With our current Explore dashboard deliveries, we include the dashboard link in the message to remind users they can view updated data at anytime. Is there a way to reproduce this?
0
Richard Pollocks
+ 1 for making the scheduling indefinite or until stopped.
+ 1 for having the ability to customise the email subject and text.
Also I don't recognise anyone discussing this but based on testing, the email delivery sends all data and ignores the receiving user's data restrictions. Please make it so it either recognises the user's restrictions when deciding what data to email or allow me to setup individual scheduled deliveries for each data set.
0