Administrator Dashboard Documentation

Table of Contents

1. Overview

The Administrator Dashboard is a comprehensive monitoring and analytics hub designed for system administrators and managers. It provides real-time insights into your organization's attendance, employee distribution, workplace utilization, and workforce statistics.

What Can You Do?

✅ View Total Employees - See total number of employees in the system
✅ Monitor Workplaces - Track all registered workplaces/locations
✅ Track Work Stations - View total work stations across all locations
✅ Analyze Employee Distribution - See how employees are distributed by workplace
✅ Monitor Work Station Usage - Check employee distribution across work stations
✅ Track Attendance Hours - Monitor monthly attendance hours trends
✅ Filter by Year - View historical data from previous years
✅ Export Analytics - Use data for reports and planning

Who Can Access the Dashboard?

  • ✅ System Administrators
  • ✅ HR Managers
  • ✅ Department Heads
  • ❌ Regular Employees
  • ❌ Managers (limited access)

How to Access the Dashboard

  1. Log in to the DTR System with Admin credentials
  2. Click on Dashboard in the main navigation menu
  3. OR go directly to: https://your-dtr-system.com/admin/dashboard

2. Dashboard Layout

2.1 Page Structure

The dashboard is organized into four main sections:

┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Administrator Dashboard                    [Year Filter ▼] │
├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                             │
│  QUICK METRICS (Top Section)                              │
│  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐     │
│  │  Employees   │  │  Work Places │  │ Work Stations│     │
│  │      245     │  │       12     │  │      48      │     │
│  │   Total      │  │    Total     │  │   Total      │     │
│  └──────────────┘  └──────────────┘  └──────────────┘     │
│                                                             │
│  DISTRIBUTION CHARTS (Middle Section)                     │
│  ┌──────────────────────────┐  ┌──────────────────────────┐
│  │  Employees By Workplace  │  │ Employees By Work Station│
│  │                          │  │                          │
│  │   [Doughnut Chart]       │  │  [Doughnut Chart]        │
│  │                          │  │                          │
│  └──────────────────────────┘  └──────────────────────────┘
│                                                             │
│  ATTENDANCE TRENDS (Bottom Section)                       │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│  │  Attendance Hours Trend (Monthly)                    │ │
│  │                                                      │ │
│  │  [Line Chart showing Jan - Dec attendance hours]    │ │
│  │                                                      │ │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│                                                             │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

2.2 Responsive Design

The dashboard is fully responsive and adapts to different screen sizes:

Screen Size Layout
Desktop (1200px+) 3 cards per row, 2 charts per row
Tablet (768px-1199px) 2 cards per row, 1 chart per row
Mobile (< 768px) 1 card per row, 1 chart per row (stacked)

3. Key Metrics & Cards

3.1 Overview Cards

The dashboard displays three key metric cards at the top showing at-a-glance statistics.

Card 1: Total Employees

┌──────────────────────┐
│  Employees           │
│  ████████████        │
│      245             │
│  Total Employees     │
└──────────────────────┘

What It Shows:

  • Total number of active employees in your organization
  • Includes full-time, part-time, and contract employees
  • Updated in real-time

Data Source:

  • Table: employees
  • Metric: Count of all employee records

Use Case:

  • Quick overview of workforce size
  • Track hiring trends
  • Monitor total headcount

Card 2: Total Workplaces

┌──────────────────────┐
│  Work Place          │
│  ████████████        │
│       12             │
│  total Work Place    │
└──────────────────────┘

What It Shows:

  • Number of physical locations/offices where employees work
  • Each workplace is a separate office or branch
  • Static count (not affected by year filter)

Data Source:

  • Table: work_places
  • Metric: Count of all workplace records

Use Case:

  • Monitor number of active locations
  • Track expansion or consolidation
  • Plan resource allocation

Card 3: Total Work Stations

┌──────────────────────┐
│  Work Station        │
│  ████████████        │
│       48             │
│  Total Work Station  │
└──────────────────────┘

What It Shows:

  • Total number of individual work stations across all workplaces
  • Each station is a desk, cubicle, or work area
  • Static count (not affected by year filter)

Data Source:

  • Table: work_stations
  • Metric: Count of all work station records

Use Case:

  • Monitor workspace availability
  • Plan office renovations
  • Track capacity utilization

4. Charts & Analytics

4.1 Doughnut Chart: Employees by Workplace

Location: Middle-left section of dashboard

What It Shows: A doughnut (ring) chart displaying the distribution of employees across different workplaces.

Visual Example

        Office A: 45 employees (18%)
       ╱─────────────────╲
      │                   │
      │    Employees by   │
      │  Work Place       │
      │                   │
      ╲─────────────────╱
        Office B: 80 employees (33%)
        Office C: 120 employees (49%)

Data Breakdown:

  • X-axis: Workplace names
  • Y-axis: Number of employees
  • Each color represents a different workplace
  • Total adds up to 100%

Interactive Features:

  • Hover over segments to see exact numbers
  • Click legend items to highlight/hide workplaces
  • Responsive to year filter changes

Data Source:

SELECT work_places.name, COUNT(employees.id) as employees_count
FROM work_places
LEFT JOIN employees ON work_places.id = employees.workplace_id
WHERE YEAR(employees.created_at) = {selected_year}
GROUP BY work_places.id

Use Cases:

  • See which locations have the most employees
  • Identify understaffed offices
  • Plan resource distribution
  • Monitor hiring by location
Example Data: Workplace Employees Percentage
Manila HQ 120 49%
Cebu Branch 80 33%
Davao Office 45 18%
Total 245 100%

4.2 Doughnut Chart: Employees by Work Station

Location: Middle-right section of dashboard

What It Shows: A doughnut chart displaying how employees are distributed across different work stations.

Visual Example

        Floor 1: 60 employees
       ╱─────────────────╲
      │                   │
      │   Employees by    │
      │  Work Station     │
      │                   │
      ╲─────────────────╱
        Floor 2: 95 employees
        Floor 3: 90 employees

Data Breakdown:

  • Shows distribution across physical work stations
  • Each station can have multiple employees
  • Helpful for space planning and utilization

Interactive Features:

  • Hover for precise numbers
  • Toggle legend items
  • Responds to year filter

Data Source:

SELECT work_stations.name, COUNT(employees.id) as employees_count
FROM work_stations
LEFT JOIN employees ON work_stations.id = employees.work_station_id
WHERE YEAR(employees.created_at) = {selected_year}
GROUP BY work_stations.id

Use Cases:

  • Monitor work station capacity
  • Identify overcrowded areas
  • Plan desk/space allocation
  • Track physical expansion needs
Example Data: Work Station Employees Percentage
Floor 1 60 24%
Floor 2 95 39%
Floor 3 90 37%
Total 245 100%

4.3 Line Chart: Attendance Hours by Month

Location: Bottom section of dashboard (full width)

What It Shows: A line graph tracking total attendance hours throughout the year by month.

Visual Example

Hours
  |
  |
1000|          ╱─╲
  |        ╱─╯   ╲─╖
 800|      ╱       ╲ ─╖
  |    ╱─╯         ╲  ╲
 600|  ╱             ╲  ╲
  |                   ╲──╖
 400|                      ╲─╖
  |                          ╲
 200|_________________________________
  └─┴─┴─┴─┴─┴─┴─┴─┴─┴─┴─┴─
   Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Data Breakdown:

  • X-axis: Months (January - December)
  • Y-axis: Total attendance hours
  • Blue line: Attendance trend throughout the year
  • Shaded area: Visual emphasis of trend

Interactive Features:

  • Hover to see exact hour values for each month
  • Zoom in/out for detailed analysis
  • Responds to year filter for historical comparison

Data Source:

SELECT MONTH(created_at) as month, SUM(total_hours) as total
FROM attendance_records
WHERE YEAR(created_at) = {selected_year}
GROUP BY MONTH(created_at)

Use Cases:

  • Monitor attendance patterns
  • Identify peak and low attendance periods
  • Track seasonal variations
  • Plan for busy seasons
Example Data: Month Attendance Hours Trend
January 450 ↑
February 480 ↑
March 520 ↑
April 680 ↑
May 750 ↑ Peak
June 720 ↓
July 680 ↓
August 640 ↓
September 700 ↑
October 780 ↑
November 850 ↑
December 600 ↓

5. Year Filter

5.1 How to Use Year Filter

The year filter dropdown is located in the top-right corner of the dashboard.

Dashboard                                    [Year ▼]
                                             └─ 2025
                                                - 2024
                                                - 2023
                                                - 2022

Steps to Change Year:

  1. Click the year dropdown in the top-right corner
  2. Select the desired year from the list
  3. Dashboard automatically refreshes with data for that year
  4. All charts and metrics update automatically

Available Years:

  • Current year
  • Previous 3 years (auto-generated based on current date)

Example: If today is December 5, 2025:

  • Available: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022

5.2 What Changes with Year Filter

Component Changes
Employees by Workplace ✅ Yes - only counts employees hired in selected year
Employees by Work Station ✅ Yes - only counts employees assigned in selected year
Attendance Hours Chart ✅ Yes - shows data from selected year
Total Employees Card ❌ No - shows all-time total
Total Workplaces Card ❌ No - static count
Total Work Stations Card ❌ No - static count

5.3 Year Filter Technical Details

Filter Type: Query Parameter (?year=2024)

How It Works:

  1. When you select a year, the form submits with year=XXXX
  2. Controller receives the year parameter
  3. All date-based queries filter by selected year
  4. Data is cached for 10 minutes to improve performance

URL Example:

/admin/dashboard?year=2024
/admin/dashboard?year=2023

Default Year:

  • If no year is specified, current year is used
  • URL: /admin/dashboard

6. Using the Dashboard

6.1 Common Tasks

Task 1: Check Current Employee Count

  1. Go to Admin Dashboard
  2. Look at "Employees" card in top-left
  3. Read the total number displayed

Example: If card shows "245 Total Employees", you have 245 active employees.

Task 2: See Which Office Has Most Employees

  1. Go to Admin Dashboard
  2. Look at "Employees By Work Place" doughnut chart
  3. Find the largest colored segment
  4. Hover over it to see exact numbers
  5. Check legend for office name

Example Output:

Manila HQ: 120 employees (49%)
Cebu Branch: 80 employees (33%)
Davao Office: 45 employees (18%)

Task 3: Monitor Attendance Trends

  1. Go to Admin Dashboard
  2. Look at "Attendance Hours Trend" line chart at bottom
  3. Observe the line to see if hours are increasing or decreasing
  4. Identify peak months (highest points on line)
  5. Identify low months (lowest points on line)

Example Analysis:

  • Peak: October/November (busy season)
  • Low: December (holiday season)
  • Trend: Generally increasing from Jan-May, then declining Jun-Aug

Task 4: Compare Data Between Years

  1. Go to Admin Dashboard
  2. Note current year's data and charts
  3. Click Year dropdown in top-right
  4. Select previous year
  5. Compare charts side-by-side (or use browser back button to toggle)

What to Compare:

  • Employee growth year-over-year
  • Changes in workplace distribution
  • Attendance patterns consistency

Task 5: Check Workspace Utilization

  1. Go to Admin Dashboard
  2. Look at "Employees By Work Station" chart
  3. Identify work stations with most/least employees
  4. Check if distribution is balanced or skewed
  5. Plan adjustments if needed

Balanced Distribution: All stations have similar employee counts
Unbalanced Distribution: Some stations packed, others nearly empty

6.2 Dashboard Best Practices

✅ DO:

  • Check dashboard weekly to monitor trends
  • Use year comparison to identify patterns
  • Monitor attendance during specific seasons
  • Plan hiring based on workplace distribution
  • Use data for capacity planning

❌ DON'T:

  • Make decisions based on single day's data
  • Ignore seasonal variations
  • Assume all workplaces need equal staffing
  • Rely solely on dashboard (check raw data for details)
  • Forget to refresh for latest data

7. Understanding the Data

7.1 Data Sources

All dashboard data is pulled from five main tables:

Table Purpose Data Used For
employees Employee records Total employee count, workplace/station distribution
work_places Office locations Workplace count, employee distribution
work_stations Desk/workspace areas Station count, capacity planning
attendance_records Clock in/out logs Monthly hours, attendance trends
employee_profiles Employee details Hire dates for filtering

7.2 Data Accuracy

Last Updated: Dashboard is cached for 10 minutes

This means:

  • Data updates every 10 minutes
  • Real-time data for critical decisions not guaranteed
  • Refresh browser after waiting 10 minutes for latest data

To Force Refresh:

  1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Delete (Clear cache)
  2. Reload page
  3. Or click refresh button and select year again

7.3 What Counts as "Total Employees"

Included:

  • ✅ Full-time employees
  • ✅ Part-time employees
  • ✅ Contract employees
  • ✅ Active employees

Excluded:

  • ❌ Inactive/terminated employees
  • ❌ Suspended accounts
  • ❌ Test accounts

7.4 What Counts as "Attendance Hours"

Included:

  • ✅ Regular work hours (clock in to clock out)
  • ✅ Overtime hours
  • ✅ Approved absences (if they count toward hours)

Excluded:

  • ❌ Unpaid leave
  • ❌ Suspended/terminated employees
  • ❌ Future dates

8. Troubleshooting

Issue 1: Dashboard Not Loading

Symptoms:

  • Page is blank
  • "Loading..." message appears indefinitely
  • Charts not displaying

Solutions:

  1. Refresh the page:

    • Press F5 or Ctrl+R
    • Wait 5 seconds for data to load

  2. Check internet connection:

    • Make sure you're connected to network
    • Try accessing another page to test

  3. Clear browser cache:

    • Chrome: Ctrl+Shift+Delete
    • Firefox: Ctrl+H → Clear Recent History
    • Safari: Cmd+Y → Clear History

  4. Try different browser:

    • Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge
    • Rules out browser compatibility issues

  5. Contact IT:

    • If problem persists, contact IT support
    • Share any error messages you see

Issue 2: Data Looks Wrong or Incomplete

Symptoms:

  • Employee count seems low
  • Charts show no data
  • Missing workplaces or stations

Solutions:

  1. Verify year selection:

    • Check year dropdown
    • Select current year if different
    • Data might exist only for specific years

  2. Wait for cache to update:

    • Dashboard caches data for 10 minutes
    • Wait a few minutes and refresh
    • Or clear cache manually

  3. Check if employees are assigned:

    • Employees must have workplace/station assigned
    • Unassigned employees won't appear in charts
    • Ask HR to verify assignments

  4. Verify data entry:

    • Ensure hire dates are correct in employee records
    • Check that attendance records are being logged
    • Ask data entry team to verify records

Issue 3: Year Filter Not Working

Symptoms:

  • Year dropdown won't open
  • Selecting year doesn't change data
  • URL shows ?year=2024 but data unchanged

Solutions:

  1. Clear cache:

    • Browser cache might be serving old data
    • Ctrl+Shift+Delete to clear

  2. Refresh manually:

    • Click Year dropdown
    • Select year again
    • Press Enter or click elsewhere

  3. Check URL:

    • Verify URL shows correct year: ?year=XXXX
    • If not, year parameter didn't submit properly

  4. Try different year:

    • Select current year first
    • Then select previous year
    • Helps isolate the problem

Issue 4: Charts Not Displaying Properly

Symptoms:

  • Chart appears blank
  • Colors not showing
  • Labels missing

Solutions:

  1. Zoom out browser:

    • Press Ctrl+- (minus) several times
    • Charts need space to render
    • Try Ctrl+0 to reset zoom

  2. Use different browser:

    • Some browsers have chart rendering issues
    • Try Chrome, Firefox, or Edge
    • Rules out browser compatibility

  3. Check screen resolution:

    • Dashboard works best on 1920x1080 or higher
    • Mobile/tablet might have limited display
    • Use desktop for best experience

  4. Disable browser extensions:

    • Extensions might interfere with charts
    • Try in incognito/private mode
    • Which blocks some extensions

Issue 5: Numbers Don't Add Up

Symptoms:

  • Doughnut chart totals don't equal employee count
  • Percentages don't add to 100%
  • Missing employees in charts

Solutions:

  1. Check for unassigned employees:

    • Some employees might not have workplace assigned
    • These appear in total count but not in charts
    • Verify assignment in employee records

  2. Check date filters:

    • Year filter might be excluding some data
    • Try selecting all-time view if available
    • Or check if hire dates are correct

  3. Understand chart grouping:

    • Charts group by primary assignment
    • Employees on leave might not show
    • Check data source documentation

  4. Report to IT:

    • Data discrepancies need investigation
    • Contact IT with specific numbers
    • Include screenshot of issue

Performance Tips

✅ For Best Performance:

  • Use Chrome or Firefox browsers
  • Access during off-peak hours
  • Minimize other browser tabs
  • Use 1920x1080 or higher resolution
  • Clear browser cache weekly

⏱️ Typical Load Times:

  • Dashboard loads: 2-5 seconds
  • Charts render: 1-3 seconds
  • Year filter change: 3-8 seconds
  • Total page load: 5-10 seconds

FAQ

Q: Why don't the three top cards change when I filter by year?

A: The top cards show all-time totals (total employees, workplaces, stations). They're not affected by year filter because these are fixed counts of entities in the system.

Q: Can I export this data?

A: Not directly from the dashboard. Contact IT or your data team to export raw data from the system. Charts can be screenshotted for presentations.

Q: How often is the data updated?

A: Every 10 minutes through caching. Real-time updates require manual refresh or cache clear.

Q: Can employees see the dashboard?

A: No. Only administrators and managers with admin privileges can access the dashboard.

Q: What if I need data for a specific date range?

A: The current dashboard shows monthly and yearly data. For specific date ranges, contact IT to generate custom reports.

Q: Can I print the dashboard?

A: Yes. Use browser print function (Ctrl+P). Charts will print as images. For better quality, take screenshots instead.

Summary

The Administrator Dashboard helps you:

✅ Monitor total workforce at a glance
✅ Understand employee distribution across locations
✅ Track workspace utilization and capacity
✅ Analyze attendance patterns and trends
✅ Compare data across multiple years
✅ Make informed decisions about hiring and resources
✅ Identify bottlenecks and overcrowding
✅ Plan for expansion or consolidation

Remember:

  • Check dashboard regularly for trends
  • Use year comparison for insights
  • Combine with detailed reports for decisions
  • Contact IT if data looks incorrect
  • Cache updates every 10 minutes

📌 Quick Links

  • Dashboard URL: /admin/dashboard
  • Available Year Range: Current year - 3 years
  • Cache Duration: 10 minutes
  • Responsive: Desktop, Tablet, Mobile
  • Report Issues: Contact IT

Documentation Version: 1.0
Last Updated: December 5, 2025
Status: ✅ Complete