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

# Which data do report viewers, analysts and managers see in a dashboard?

> Why a shared dashboard doesn't automatically show all data: sharing a dashboard and data access are two separate layers. Here is how to set up both.

[Go to Dashboards ↗](https://webapp.honestly.de/app#/dashboards) · Opens the webapp — please log in first

Admins always see every dashboard and all data. For everyone else who can log in — **report viewers**, **analysts** and **managers** — two settings work together:

* **Sharing the dashboard** decides who can open it at all.
* The person's **data access** decides which responses the dashboard shows them.

You set the two separately. A shared dashboard therefore doesn't show all data automatically, only the data that person has access to. Think of it as a window with a curtain: the dashboard is the window, and data access is the curtain that decides what can be seen through it.

<Note>
  Respondees have no access to the webapp. They only answer the surveys they are invited to, and no data access settings apply to them.
</Note>

### Roles at a glance

Report viewers, analysts and managers follow the same data access logic. What differs is what they are allowed to do in Honestly:

| Role              | See dashboards | Create dashboards | Export raw data | Create surveys |
| ----------------- | -------------- | ----------------- | --------------- | -------------- |
| **Admin**         | All            | Yes               | Yes             | Yes            |
| **Manager**       | Own and shared | Yes               | Yes             | Yes            |
| **Analyst**       | Own and shared | Yes               | Yes             | No             |
| **Report viewer** | Shared only    | No                | No              | No             |

A manager can only edit a survey someone else created if they have a permission on that survey or on one of its survey properties — or **Access to all employee data**. In the anonymous chat, managers and analysts see and reply only to responses they have access to; report viewers don't use the chat.

For the full list of what each role can do, see [Rights & roles](/help/employees/rights-and-roles).

### Layer 1: Share the dashboard

A new dashboard is visible only to the person who created it and to all admins. Admins and the creator can share it — so a manager or analyst can share their own dashboard, too.

1. Open the dashboard.
2. Click the three dots in the top right and choose **Dashboard permissions**.
3. Turn on **Share dashboard with additional employees**.
4. Choose who to share it with:
   * **Everyone** — all employees except respondees, or
   * **Employees based on name or role** — then search for individual people and/or pick whole roles under **Further roles that can access the dashboard**, for example all report viewers.
5. Click **Save**.

Everyone you share the dashboard with gets read access. Only the creator and admins can change it. For the same flow with screenshots, see [Assign a dashboard](/help/dashboard/assign-permissions).

### Layer 2: Set up data access

Which responses a person sees in a dashboard is set on the person: under **Employees**, open their row, and in **Edit employee profile** go to the **Permissions** tab. There you choose the **Role** and, under **Data access**, what their access is based on.

A person sees data that matches **any one** of the following rules — as long as the anonymity threshold is met:

* **Reporting structure** — leaders automatically see the responses of everyone who reports to them directly or indirectly. This follows from the supervisors stored for each employee; there is nothing to set in the dialog. [Reporting structures](/help/employees/reporting-structures) explains how to maintain them.
* **Employee attributes** — access to responses from employees with certain attribute values, such as a business unit, a department or a location.
* **Surveys** — access to all responses to the selected surveys.
* **Survey properties** — access to all surveys with the selected property values, including future ones. This rule is only available if your account has survey properties set up (**Account → Survey properties**).

The **Access to all employee data** checkbox next to the role gives the person access to every response in the account without making them an admin. Grant it sparingly.

### Attributes: OR within, AND between

Inside an employee attribute rule, two rules apply:

* Several values of **the same attribute** are combined with OR.
* **Different attributes** are combined with AND.

#### Example 1: Several values in one attribute

Someone should see the data of departments A and B. You select **Department = A, B**. They see responses from department A and from department B.

#### Example 2: Two attributes combined

Someone should see department A's data, but only at location X. You select **Department = A** and **Location = X**. They see only responses from employees who are in department A **and** work at location X.

To show someone more areas, add more values to the same attribute. To narrow their view further, add a second attribute.

### Survey permissions go beyond attributes

Because a person sees everything that matches **any one** of their rules, a permission on a survey lifts the attribute restriction for that survey: the person then sees all of its responses — not just those of their department or location. The anonymity threshold still applies. The info icon next to **Surveys** on the **Permissions** tab points this out as well.

|                | Dashboard sharing                    | Survey permission           |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------ | --------------------------- |
| **Controls**   | who can open a dashboard             | which responses are visible |
| **Scope**      | one dashboard                        | all responses to the survey |
| **Attributes** | narrow down the visible data further | don't apply to that survey  |

If someone should only see results for their own area, don't give them a survey permission — give them the matching attributes, or rely on the reporting structure.

### Which attributes appear as filters

Separately from data access, you decide which attributes a dashboard offers as filters. Go to **Employees → Attribute Management**, click **Edit** in the attribute's row, and choose under **Visible as filter for**:

* *All employees* — every role that can log in can filter by this attribute.
* *Admins & Managers* — admins and managers only. Analysts and report viewers do **not** see this filter.
* *Admins* — admins only. Suitable for sociodemographic attributes, for example.
* *No one* — the attribute doesn't appear as a filter for any role, admins included. Useful for attributes you only need for distribution lists or code participation.

Your choice is saved immediately. This setting only controls the filters — it doesn't change which responses a person may see. See [Attributes](/help/employees/attributes) for more.

### Roles in practice

* **Report viewers** receive shared dashboards and read them. They don't create dashboards or export raw data. The role suits team leads and managers who regularly check results.
* **Analysts** also create their own dashboards and export raw data, but don't create surveys. The role suits HR business partners, people analytics or organisational development.
* **Managers** can also create and send surveys. The role suits HR leads or regional HR.

### Check before you share

With [View as employee](/help/employees/proxy-view), you as an admin see Honestly read-only exactly as a specific person sees it — the safest way to check sharing and data access before you roll a dashboard out. View as employee is part of the Enterprise package; if your account doesn't include it, you can try it free for 30 days.

### Common pitfalls

* **Dashboard shared, but no data access:** the person can open the dashboard, but the charts show *Too few responses available. To ensure anonymity no data is being displayed.*
* **An extra survey permission:** the person sees all responses to that survey, not just those matching their attributes.
* **Mixing up OR and AND:** values in the same attribute widen the view, another attribute narrows it.
* **A filter is missing:** an attribute set to *Admins & Managers* doesn't appear as a filter for analysts and report viewers. Only *All employees* makes it usable for every role.
* **The wrong role:** a report viewer can't create their own dashboards. Conversely, an admin always sees everything — assign that role deliberately.

### Related articles

* [How can I assign a dashboard to a particular user?](/help/dashboard/assign-permissions)
* [What are the different rights / roles in the Honestly account?](/help/employees/rights-and-roles)
* [How Do Reporting Structures and Data Permissions Work in Honestly?](/help/employees/reporting-structures)
* [How can I ensure that report viewers don't see any survey results until after the current survey period ends?](/help/dashboard/delay-viewer-access)