> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cognite.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

> ## Agent Instructions
> Cognite Data Fusion (CDF) is an industrial DataOps platform. Prefer English docs unless the user asks for another locale.
> Follow /_llms/ index links recursively until you reach page URLs ending in .md. Fetch those Markdown twins instead of HTML.
> For REST APIs, default to calendar version 20230101 (stable). Use 20230101-beta or 20230101-alpha only if the user is on a preview API. Cite paths under /api-reference/concepts/<version>/ and the Cdf-Version header. Prefer the Python SDK (cognite-sdk) unless the user is in JavaScript/TypeScript.
> Start here by task: platform overview /cdf/index.md; data modeling /cdf/dm/index.md; data integration /cdf/integration/index.md; access /cdf/access/index.md; CDF Toolkit /cdf/deploy/cdf_toolkit/index.md; REST quickstart /dev/quickstart.md; Python SDK https://cognite-sdk-python.readthedocs-hosted.com/en/stable/; Atlas AI /cdf/atlas_ai/concepts/index.md; Flows apps /cdf/flows/index.md; MCP and IDE setup /dev/guides/ide_ai_integration.md.
> For implementation work, also load /skill.md.

# Creating a dashboard with CDF data

> Create a Grafana dashboard that shows data from Cognite Data Fusion (CDF), from adding a visualization to choosing a query tab and setting the time range.

Use the Cognite Data Source for Grafana to build dashboards on data in Cognite Data Fusion (CDF).

## Before you begin

* Make sure an administrator has [set up the data source](https://docs.cognite.com/cdf/dashboards/guides/grafana/admin_oidc.md) in your Grafana instance.

## Creating a dashboard

**1. Sign in and create a dashboard**

Sign in to your Grafana instance, create a dashboard, and add a visualization. In the Data source field, select your Cognite Data Source.

**2. Choose a query tab**

Use the query tabs below the chart area to select a data source for your panel.

![The Grafana panel editor with the Cognite query tabs below the chart](https://apps-cdn.cogniteapp.com/@cognite/docs-portal-images/1.0.0/images/cdf/dashboards/grafana/panel-editor.png)

| Tab | Use it to |
| - | - |
| Time series | Search and select a time series and plot its data points. See [Plotting time series with the Time series tab](https://docs.cognite.com/cdf/dashboards/guides/grafana/timeseries.md). |
| GraphQL | Run a GraphQL query against a data model to show the instances it returns, or to select the time series to plot. See [Querying data models with GraphQL in Grafana](https://docs.cognite.com/cdf/dashboards/guides/grafana/graphql.md). |
| Synthetic time series | Compute new time series from expressions. See [Computing synthetic time series in Grafana](https://docs.cognite.com/cdf/dashboards/guides/grafana/synthetic_timeseries.md). |
| Activities | Show the activities related to assets, equipment, or time series. See [Showing activities in Grafana](https://docs.cognite.com/cdf/dashboards/guides/grafana/activities.md). |
| Records | List or aggregate records. See [Querying records in Grafana](https://docs.cognite.com/cdf/dashboards/guides/grafana/records.md). |

If a tab is missing, see [A query tab or variable tab is missing](https://docs.cognite.com/cdf/dashboards/guides/grafana/admin_oidc.md#missing-query-tab).

**3. Set the time range**

The panel shows the data in the dashboard time range. Use the time picker above the chart to show the period you're interested in.

**4. Save the dashboard**

Give the panel a title and select Save dashboard.

> [!TIP]
>
> The panel shows data from CDF and updates when you change the time range.

To let users narrow down what a visualization shows, for example, which equipment's time series to plot, add [dashboard variables](https://docs.cognite.com/cdf/dashboards/guides/grafana/variables.md).

## Further reading

* [Plotting time series with the Time series tab](https://docs.cognite.com/cdf/dashboards/guides/grafana/timeseries.md)
* [Querying data models with GraphQL in Grafana](https://docs.cognite.com/cdf/dashboards/guides/grafana/graphql.md)
* [Computing synthetic time series in Grafana](https://docs.cognite.com/cdf/dashboards/guides/grafana/synthetic_timeseries.md)
* [Showing activities in Grafana](https://docs.cognite.com/cdf/dashboards/guides/grafana/activities.md)
* [Querying records in Grafana](https://docs.cognite.com/cdf/dashboards/guides/grafana/records.md)
* [Query options for time series panels](https://docs.cognite.com/cdf/dashboards/guides/grafana/query_options.md)