Why Set a Dashboard Refresh Rate?
Many dashboards, such as those from Tableau, Salesforce, or Power BI, are designed with session timeouts. These timeouts are security features that end a session after a specified period of inactivity. If your screen doesn’t refresh before this timeout, it can cause dashboards to display outdated or inaccessible content on your screens.
By configuring a refresh rate in ScreenCloud Dashboards, you ensure your data remains live and accurate, preventing interruptions on your digital signage.
What Are Dashboard Session Timeouts?
Session timeouts occur when a connection to a dashboard is terminated after a certain period of inactivity. For example, if Tableau has a 30-minute timeout, the connection will close unless it is refreshed within that time.
Below are average session timeout durations for popular dashboards supported by ScreenCloud:
Dashboard | Average Session Timeout |
Tableau | 30 minutes |
Grafana | 60 minutes |
Salesforce | 2 hours |
Google Data Studio | 1 hour |
Trello | No fixed timeout (dependent on browser inactivity) |
Power BI | 1 hour (with Power BI app: no timeouts) |
GitHub | 30 minutes |
Sentry | 30 minutes |
Proving Ground | 45 minutes |
JIRA | 60 minutes |
DataDog | 60 minutes |
Zendesk | 30 minutes |
CloudWatch | 30 minutes |
Note: Timeout duration can vary depending on individual organization configurations.
How to Set Your Dashboard Refresh Rate
Follow these steps to configure your refresh rate in ScreenCloud:
Access the Manage Session Settings:
After adding your dashboard to ScreenCloud, click on the "Manage Session" button to set your refresh rate.Choose an Interval:
Select a time interval shorter than your dashboard's session timeout (e.g., if your dashboard times out after 30 minutes, set the refresh rate to 25 minutes).
Use the default setting (45 minutes) if unsure.
Save Your Settings:
Click “Save” to apply your refresh rate.
Optional - Turn Off Refresh:
If your dashboard doesn’t require session refresh (e.g., Trello), you can toggle this feature off.
Best Practices for Setting a Refresh Rate
Research Your Dashboard’s Timeout: Use the table above to find the recommended refresh time for your dashboard.
Avoid Overloading Your Dashboard: Setting refresh rates too frequently (e.g., every few seconds) can lead to unnecessary strain on the dashboard system.
Test Your Configuration: After setting the refresh rate, monitor your dashboard to ensure uninterrupted data display.
Using the Microsoft Power BI App
For users of Power BI, we recommend leveraging our dedicated Microsoft Power BI app instead of the dashboard integration. This app eliminates session timeout issues entirely and is optimized for seamless display on ScreenCloud.
By setting a refresh rate that aligns with your dashboard's session timeout, you’ll ensure your screens consistently display live, up-to-date data—keeping your team informed and engaged. If you’re unsure about your dashboard’s session timeout or encounter any issues, please reach out to our support team here. In addition, if you don't see ScreenCloud Dashboards in your account, please send a request to support to upgrade your account to the Pro or Enterprise plan.