---
title: "Using Mesa dashboards to monitor live data"
slug: "using-mesa-dashboards-to-monitor-live-data"
updated: 2026-06-11T14:51:20Z
published: 2026-06-11T14:51:20Z
canonical: "support.lusid.com/using-mesa-dashboards-to-monitor-live-data"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.lusid.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Using Mesa dashboards to monitor live data

You can visualise and monitor your data with customisable widgets and near-realtime updates using Mesa dashboards. Mesa abstracts away the underlying complexity of LUSID, providing role-appropriate interfaces for data administration, dashboard creation, and portfolio monitoring.

For a full explanation of how Mesa is structured, see [Understanding Mesa architecture](/v1/docs/understanding-mesa-architecture).

> [!CAUTION]
> Important
> 
> This feature is in [Early Access](/v1/docs/what-is-the-lusid-feature-release-lifecycle#early-access) and is subject to change.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/d575ad81-c0ed-4980-bbd1-d59ac5c3de82/Images/Documentation/image-5P4DPPBF.png)

Mesa dashboards provide a streamlined way to work with your LUSID data depending on your role and needs:

| User type | What you can do |
| --- | --- |
| **Data administrators** *Administrator* *Operations team* | Work with both LUSID and Mesa to maintain datasets and control which source data is available for use in Mesa dashboards. |
| **Dashboard builders** *Analyst* *Compliance officer* *Performance and analytics team* *Portfolio manager* *Risk manager* *Trader* | Build custom dashboards with selected data sources and widgets for colleagues or clients to consume. |
| **Dashboard viewers** *Director* *Partner* | Monitor live data across one or more dashboards and gain insights without needing to understand the underlying platform. |

## Understanding Mesa dashboards

Mesa organises data through a chain of concepts: source types, source factories, sources, dashboards, and widgets. For a detailed explanation of each, see [Understanding Mesa architecture](/v1/docs/understanding-mesa-architecture#architecture).

The key concepts to understand before building a dashboard are as follows:

- A [**source factory**](/v1/docs/understanding-mesa-architecture#source-factories) is a data source built on top of a [source type](/v1/docs/understanding-mesa-architecture#source-types) that defines which parameters are fixed for your organisation and which can be adjusted per widget.
- [**Sources**](/v1/docs/understanding-mesa-architecture#sources) are live instances of a source factory that specify the actual, up-to-date feed of rows that widgets subscribe to. A single source can be shared across multiple widgets on the same dashboard.
- [**Widgets**](/v1/docs/understanding-mesa-architecture#widgets) are the individual visualisations on your dashboard. Multiple widgets can share a source while each showing a different slice of it. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/d575ad81-c0ed-4980-bbd1-d59ac5c3de82/Images/Documentation/image-AZH6IEJ3.png)

### Workspaces and access control

Mesa dashboards are stored within [workspaces](/v1/docs/workspaces-and-dashboard-sets). You can control viewing, editing, and administrative rights for Mesa via LUSID’s role-based access permissions for workspaces. [See how to create a policy to control access to workspaces.](/v1/docs/how-do-i-create-a-policy-to-control-access-to-workspaces)

## Creating and using a dashboard

To create a dashboard:

1. Make your required source types available in Mesa.
2. Select the required sources for your dashboard: ![](https://cdn.document360.io/d575ad81-c0ed-4980-bbd1-d59ac5c3de82/Images/Documentation/image-QNPDKDKN.png)
3. Add widgets to the dashboard and configure each widget by specifying:

![](https://cdn.document360.io/d575ad81-c0ed-4980-bbd1-d59ac5c3de82/Images/Documentation/image-S0QE4D5A.png)
  - Data selection from available sources
  - Filter criteria to refine displayed data
  - Visualisation type and formatting options
4. Order and resize the widgets to suit your needs: ![](https://cdn.document360.io/d575ad81-c0ed-4980-bbd1-d59ac5c3de82/Images/Documentation/image-K420C28B.png)
5. Save the dashboard to make it available to permissioned users.