Auto-Refresh
Configure automatic dashboard data refresh
Auto-Refresh
Keep dashboards current with automatic data refresh capabilities that balance real-time insights with performance.
Overview
Auto-refresh automatically re-queries your MongoDB databases to update dashboard widgets at configured intervals without manual page reloads.
Enabling Auto-Refresh
Dashboard-Level Refresh
Configure refresh for entire dashboard:
Available Intervals
Choose update frequency:
- 30 seconds - Near real-time monitoring
- 1 minute - Frequent updates for active monitoring
- 5 minutes - Moderate refresh for operational dashboards
- 15 minutes - Light refresh for hourly trends
- 30 minutes - Minimal refresh for daily summaries
- 1 hour - Sparse refresh for stable metrics
Match refresh interval to how often your data actually changes. Refreshing more frequently than data updates wastes resources.
Widget-Level Refresh
TeamIndividual Widget Settings
Override dashboard refresh per widget:
Common Use Cases
Different widgets need different refresh rates:
- Real-Time KPIs - 30 seconds (active users, current orders)
- Performance Metrics - 1 minute (error rates, API latency)
- Trend Charts - 5 minutes (daily revenue, signup trends)
- Historical Tables - 15-30 minutes (static reports)
Set high-priority widgets to refresh frequently and less critical widgets to longer intervals. Reduces overall query load.
Manual Refresh
Refreshing All Widgets
Update all dashboard data immediately:
- Click Refresh icon in dashboard header
- Press
Rkeyboard shortcut - All widgets re-query regardless of auto-refresh settings
Refreshing Individual Widgets
Update single widget:
- Click widget More menu (three dots)
- Select Refresh Now
- Widget re-queries and updates
- Other widgets unaffected
Force Refresh
BusinessBypass cache for guaranteed fresh data:
- Hold
Shiftkey while clicking Refresh icon - Clears query cache before refreshing
- Ensures absolute latest data
- Slower than normal refresh
Live Data Mode
BusinessEnabling Live Mode
Real-time updates using MongoDB Change Streams:
How Live Mode Works
Instead of polling, widgets update when data changes:
- Establishes MongoDB Change Stream connection
- Listens for insert, update, delete operations
- Pushes changes to dashboard in real-time
- No refresh delay or wasted queries
Requirements for Live Mode
Live data requires:
- MongoDB 4.0+ with replica set
- Business or Enterprise plan
- Change streams enabled on collections
- WebSocket connection support
Live mode requires an active WebSocket connection. May not work through certain corporate firewalls or proxies.
Limitations
Live mode has constraints:
- Maximum 10 live widgets per dashboard
- Only works with simple queries (not complex aggregations)
- Higher MongoDB server load
- Requires persistent connection
Performance Impact
Query Load
Auto-refresh affects database performance:
- Each refresh executes all widget queries
- More widgets = more query load
- Faster intervals = higher database load
- Consider MongoDB server capacity
Calculation Example
Dashboard with 8 widgets refreshing every 1 minute:
Queries per hour = 8 widgets x 60 minutes = 480 queries
Queries per day = 480 x 24 = 11,520 queries
Optimizing Performance
Reduce refresh overhead:
Audit Widget Queries - Review explain plans, add indexes where needed
Stagger Refresh Times - Use widget-level intervals to spread load
Enable Query Caching - Cache results for widgets with identical queries
Increase Intervals - Use longest acceptable refresh time
Check dashboard query performance in Settings → Performance. Shows query times and identifies slow widgets.
Refresh Behavior
What Gets Refreshed
Auto-refresh updates:
- Widget data from MongoDB queries
- Calculated metrics and aggregations
- Chart visualizations
- Table rows
What Doesn't Refresh
These remain static:
- Dashboard layout and widget positions
- Widget configuration settings
- Text widget content
- Dashboard title and description
Refresh During Editing
Auto-refresh while editing:
- Pauses automatically when dashboard in edit mode
- Prevents layout disruption from data updates
- Resumes when edit mode exits
- Manual refresh still available
Advanced Refresh Settings
Conditional Refresh
BusinessRefresh only when conditions met:
- Time-Based - Only refresh during business hours
- Change Detection - Skip refresh if data unchanged
- Threshold-Based - Refresh when metric exceeds value
- User Activity - Pause when dashboard not visible
Configuration Example
Business hours only refresh:
{
"autoRefresh": {
"enabled": true,
"interval": "1m",
"conditions": {
"timeWindow": {
"start": "09:00",
"end": "17:00",
"timezone": "America/New_York",
"daysOfWeek": [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
}
}
}
}
Smart Refresh
EnterpriseAdaptive refresh intervals:
- Analyzes data change frequency
- Adjusts refresh rate automatically
- Slows down when data stable
- Speeds up when detecting rapid changes
- Optimizes query load vs. data freshness
Refresh Indicators
Visual Feedback
Know when data is updating:
- Spinning Icon - Widget currently refreshing
- Last Updated - Timestamp of most recent refresh
- Progress Bar - Shows refresh countdown
- Stale Indicator - Warning if refresh failed
Refresh Status
Check refresh health:
- Hover over widget Last Updated timestamp
- See detailed refresh info:
- Last successful refresh time
- Next scheduled refresh time
- Refresh interval
- Any errors or warnings
Handling Refresh Failures
Common Failure Causes
Refresh may fail due to:
- MongoDB connection timeout
- Query execution timeout
- Network connectivity issues
- Database authentication errors
- Query syntax errors
Automatic Retry
Failed refreshes retry automatically:
- First retry after 30 seconds
- Second retry after 1 minute
- Third retry after 5 minutes
- Then follows normal schedule
Error Notifications
Stay informed of failures:
Persistent refresh failures may indicate connection issues or slow queries. Check MongoDB performance and network connectivity.
Refresh Scheduling
Time Zone Handling
Refresh respects time zones:
- Uses workspace default timezone
- Override per dashboard if needed
- Ensures consistent behavior across distributed teams
- Useful for business-hours-only refresh
Coordinated Refresh
BusinessSynchronize multiple dashboards:
- Create refresh schedule
- Assign multiple dashboards to schedule
- All dashboards refresh simultaneously
- Reduces database load spikes
Mobile Refresh Behavior
Mobile Considerations
Auto-refresh on mobile devices:
- Pauses when app backgrounded
- Resumes when app brought to foreground
- Longer intervals recommended (5+ minutes)
- Reduces battery and data usage
Mobile Settings
Customize mobile refresh:
- Enable Mobile-Specific Interval in settings
- Choose longer interval than desktop
- Toggle Pause on Cellular to use WiFi only
- Reduces mobile data consumption
Monitoring Refresh Activity
Refresh Metrics
EnterpriseTrack refresh performance:
- Total refreshes per day
- Average refresh time per widget
- Failed refresh rate
- Database query load from refreshes
Alerts
Get notified of refresh issues:
- Navigate to Settings → Alerts
- Create alert for refresh failures
- Set threshold (e.g., 3 consecutive failures)
- Choose notification method (email, Slack)
Best Practices
Choosing Intervals
Select appropriate refresh rates:
- Operations Dashboards - 30 seconds to 1 minute for active monitoring
- Business Metrics - 5-15 minutes for hourly trends
- Executive Summaries - 30 minutes to 1 hour for daily overviews
- Historical Reports - Disable auto-refresh, use manual refresh
Resource Management
Optimize refresh overhead:
- Index frequently queried fields
- Use covered queries when possible
- Limit result set sizes
- Avoid complex aggregations in fast-refresh widgets
- Monitor MongoDB server load
Run a test with auto-refresh enabled and monitor your MongoDB server metrics. Adjust intervals if CPU or query load spikes.
User Experience
Balance freshness and performance:
- Don't refresh faster than users can consume information
- Show clear refresh indicators
- Provide manual refresh for user control
- Use stale data warnings for critical metrics
- Document refresh intervals in dashboard descriptions
Troubleshooting
Refresh Not Working
If auto-refresh stops:
- Check dashboard settings show refresh enabled
- Verify MongoDB connection is active
- Test manual refresh to check query validity
- Review browser console for JavaScript errors
- Check if edit mode is active (pauses refresh)
Inconsistent Refresh Times
If refresh timing is irregular:
- Server load may delay query execution
- Check query performance with explain plan
- Verify network latency to MongoDB
- Review concurrent dashboard usage
- Consider increasing refresh interval
Data Not Updating
If widgets show stale data:
- Force refresh with
Shift + Refresh - Check MongoDB replica lag
- Verify query filters include recent data
- Clear browser cache
- Check widget error indicators
Browser tab throttling may pause auto-refresh when dashboard tab is inactive. Some browsers slow down background tabs to save resources.