Epicor Dashboard Development Best Practices

Overview

Epicor dashboards are one of the most effective ways to deliver real-time business information to users. Whether tracking sales orders, inventory levels, production performance, or purchasing activity, a well-designed dashboard helps teams make faster and better decisions. For BAQ performance questions, search the EpiUsers BAQ best practices

The foundation of every Epicor dashboard is the Business Activity Query (BAQ). A dashboard will only perform as well as the BAQ behind it, making query design one of the most important aspects of dashboard development.

Build Efficient BAQs First

Before creating a dashboard, focus on optimizing the underlying BAQ. Only select fields that users actually need, avoid unnecessary joins, and use filters wherever possible. Large datasets can significantly impact dashboard performance and user experience. For advanced database optimizations, consult the SQL Server performance tuning guide.

Many Epicor developers recommend applying filters directly within the BAQ rather than relying solely on dashboard-level filtering. This reduces the amount of data processed and improves response times.

Use Parameters and Trackers

Dashboard trackers and BAQ parameters allow users to search for specific information without loading thousands of records. Instead of displaying all data by default, require users to enter search criteria such as customer, part number, job number, or date range.

This approach improves usability while reducing unnecessary database activity.

Design for the User Role

Different departments require different information. Production managers, buyers, customer service teams, and executives often need unique views of the same data. Focus each dashboard on a specific business process rather than attempting to display everything in a single screen. In modern Epicor environments, dashboards are built using Application Studio, which allows for fully responsive, role-based customization.

• Production dashboards for shop floor visibility
• Purchasing dashboards for supplier performance
• Sales dashboards for order tracking
• Executive dashboards for KPI monitoring

Performance Best Practices

• Return only required fields.
• Use BAQ parameters whenever possible.
• Avoid unnecessary calculated fields.
• Reduce complex subqueries when simple joins will work.
• Test dashboard performance with realistic data volumes.
• Regularly review dashboards that users no longer need.