Extending pivot widget panel limits in Sisense using user groups
Overview Pivot widgets in Sisense are often used to explore and visualize complex datasets with multiple dimensions and measures. In some scenarios, users need to build very large pivot tables with many rows, columns, values, or filters. However, pivot widgets enforce internal panel item limits that can restrict how many fields and dimensions can be added to each panel. While these limits are useful for protecting performance, load time, and usability in general, they can become a constraint for advanced users working with large datasets or detailed analytical models. At the same time, organizations may want to apply different limits for different groups of users rather than increasing limits globally for everyone. This use case describes a Sisense plugin that automatically increases pivot panel limits as widgets load, with support for both a global default and optional overrides based on user group membership. The challenge By default, pivot widgets in Sisense can reach panel item limits that prevent users from adding additional dimensions or measures. This can affect: Analysts building large exploratory pivot tables Power users working with wide schemas or detailed hierarchies Dashboards that rely on complex pivots with many fields Manually adjusting widget configuration is not scalable, especially when dashboards contain many pivot widgets or when widgets are opened independently outside a dashboard. In addition, organizations often want different limits for different user groups, rather than applying a single global setting. It is important to note that if a very large number of dimensions are used in an individual pivot widget, that widget may have an extended load time. What the solution does The PivotMaxPanelItems plugin automatically sets the panel.metadata.maxitems value for every panel in pivot-type widgets as they load. At a high level, the plugin: Applies only to pivot widgets Updates all pivot panels (rows, columns, values, filters) Works for widgets inside dashboards and for widgets opened directly Supports a configurable default limit for all users Supports optional overrides based on Sisense user group membership The plugin runs on dashboard and widget load events, ensuring that pivot panel limits are applied consistently without requiring manual changes to individual widgets. Role and group-based configuration The plugin can apply different panel limits depending on the user’s Sisense group membership. This allows organizations to: Grant higher limits to advanced users or analysts Keep more conservative limits for general users Control behavior centrally through configuration If a user belongs to multiple configured groups, the plugin applies the first matching group based on the order defined in the configuration file. If no group matches, the default limit is used. This approach provides flexibility while keeping behavior predictable and easy to manage. How it is used Configuration is handled through a simple configuration file included with the plugin. Administrators can define: A default maximum number of items per pivot panel Optional overrides for specific Sisense user groups Once configured and installed, the plugin will likely require minimal ongoing maintenance in most circumstances. It applies automatically whenever pivot widgets are initialized. The full plugin is attached as a Zip file to this article and is available to download. The code is not compressed or obfuscated, and can be modified as needed, or used as example code for similar plugins. The plugin can be installed as a standard plugin by placing the decompressed folder into the plugin folder. The plugin includes a Readme file with further information. Why it’s useful This approach allows organizations to remove artificial constraints on pivot widget design while still maintaining control over performance and usability. Key benefits include: Enabling larger and more flexible pivot tables Reducing manual widget configuration and rework Applying consistent behavior across dashboards and standalone widgets Supporting different usage patterns across user groups Centralized control through a single configuration file The solution is particularly valuable in environments where advanced users need more flexibility without changing defaults for all users. Outcome With the PivotMaxPanelItems plugin in place, pivot widgets can support more dimensions without manually adding widget scripts. Advanced users gain the flexibility they need, while administrators retain control over limits at the group level through simple configuration. By applying limits automatically and consistently at load time, the plugin ensures predictable behavior across dashboards and widgets, supporting scalable group and role-aware analytics and visualization in Sisense. Screenshots Without a plugin, if a panel type includes too many items, the Add Panel Button is hidden With the plugin, the Add Button does not disappear when below the new limit, as many dimensions and fields as needed can be added to the widget.Disabling navigation hover UI for viewer users in Sisense
What the Solution Does The RemoveNavigationHoverAndMenu plugin simplifies the Sisense navigation for viewer users by: Hiding the three-dots “more” menu in the left navigation. Hiding the dashboard metadata tooltip that appears on hover. Preventing hover-triggered UI behavior, so menus and tooltips do not activate. Leaving the default navigation fully intact for admins and authors. The plugin automatically detects the user’s base role (prism.user.baseRoleName) and applies these changes only for viewers. It uses scoped JavaScript and CSS to remove the unwanted hover interactions without modifying Sisense core files or affecting navigation performance. How it works: Viewer-only condition: Runs only for viewer users (where prism.user.baseRoleName === "consumer"). Hover interception: Capture-phase event listeners block hover tooltip appearance Scoped CSS: Injects a short style block to hide hover UI elements and remove tooltip styling. Installation: Download RemoveNavigationHoverAndMenu.zip. Extract the folder RemoveNavigationHoverAndMenu into your Sisense plugins directory:/opt/sisense/storage/plugins/Alternatively, upload it through Admin > System Management > File Management to the plugins folder. Refresh dashboards or restart Sisense to activate the plugin. Verification: Log in as a viewer user. Hover over dashboards or folders in the left navigation. Confirm the three-dots menu and metadata tooltip no longer appear. Log in as an admin and confirm the navigation behaves normally. Files included: RemoveNavigationHoverAndMenu/plugin.json RemoveNavigationHoverAndMenu/main.6.js RemoveNavigationHoverAndMenu/README.md Why It’s Useful Simplifying the Sisense interface for viewer users creates a cleaner, more focused environment that emphasizes content rather than controls. By removing hover-based menus and tooltips for viewers while preserving them for admins, this plugin improves usability without compromising functionality. This approach also supports governance and user-experience goals: Governance: Viewers no longer see or interact with features they do not need. Consistency: Admins and authors retain their full toolset for management tasks. Stability: The plugin modifies only the UI layer and requires no changes to data models or access permissions. With this small enhancement, organizations can deliver a more streamlined viewing experience while maintaining full control for those managing dashboards and content. Outcome After installation, viewer users experience a simplified left navigation that shows only essential content. The three-dots menu and dashboard metadata tooltip are removed, and hover-based interactions no longer trigger any UI overlays. Admins and authors retain the complete navigation behavior, ensuring full functionality for management and editing tasks. The result is a cleaner, more predictable interface for viewers and a consistent, role appropriate experience across the Sisense environment. Hover Before Change (for viewers): Hover After Plugin (for viewers): Three Dot Menu Before Change (for viewers): Three Dot After Plugin (Is not visible, for viewers): Side-by-Side Comparison Before and After Comparison:Week over week analysis with custom fiscal year: Use case of a fuel and convenience retail operator
Introduction Week-over-week (WoW) analysis is a key part of performance tracking for fast-moving, high-traffic businesses such as convenience stores, gas stations, and car washes. For these organizations, aligning the fiscal calendar with operational cycles rather than the standard calendar year makes reporting more meaningful. In this use case, the fiscal year begins on the closest Sunday to January 1st, ensuring each year starts with a full week. This structure simplifies weekly reporting and keeps week-to-week comparisons consistent across years, which is important for tracking trends like fuel sales, store traffic, and service volumes. While nonstandard, this setup is commonly used in practice. What the Solution Does For standard, fixed calendar or fiscal years, week-over-week analysis can be achieved using the “First Month of Fiscal Calendar” and “First Day of Week” settings, along with the PASTYEAR function. However, for dynamic fiscal years that begin on a weekday closest to January 1st, these features don’t provide a usable solution, since the start date can fall in the previous or following calendar year. The solution uses the Filtered Measure certified add-on and a custom dashboard script to handle the custom fiscal year. Two year filters are added to the dashboard: one represents the selected fiscal year (user-selectable), and the other represents the prior year for comparison (locked and optionally hidden), which is automatically set with a dashboard script. The Filtered Measure plugin applies the selected-year filter to the measure for the chosen period, while the prior-year filter applies to the measure for the corresponding period in the previous year. This approach ensures that week-over-week calculations respect the custom fiscal calendar, providing accurate comparisons across equivalent weeks. Note: In this particular implementation, the fiscal years and week numbers are pre-calculated in the database and stored as numeric columns. To create a Date dimension table in your Elasticube with fiscal years starting on the first Sunday closest to January 1st, refer to the SQL example below. Why It’s Useful This solution addresses the native functional limitation by respecting the custom fiscal calendar, ensuring weekly trends are comparable across years. As a result, teams can reliably track key metrics, such as fuel sales, store traffic, and service volumes, on a true week-by-week basis, supporting better operational planning and more informed decision-making. Attachments WeekoverWeekAnalysiswithCustomFiscalYear.dash.txt (dashboard) Sample ECommerce - Custom Fiscal Year.smodel.txt (elasticube) JS Script - Automatic Update for Second Year Filter.txt (dashboard script) SQL Query - Dim Date with Custom Fiscal Year.txt (custom table SQL query) For the script to hide the second filter, refer to this BINextLevel article: Hide dashboard filters. Note: remove the .txt extension before importing the dashboard (.dash) and the Elasticube (.smodel) files.
