Difference between homepages, "Admin Home" and dashboards?

[kim-lindgren]

I'm studying for my CSA and am trying to understand the differences between these concepts but not finding a lot of material. What I've found is this:

"Every user has a 'Home' screen. This is either a Dashboard (record) or a Homepage (record) based on how the system is configured."

I take it that the 'Home' screen is equivalent to "Admin Home" that can be opened from Admin Center. Researching ahead, I read that you cannot in fact edit the dashboard on Admin Home because it is a "Shared admin dashboard". But that interface with the "Shared admin dashboard" does not appear in any of my instances. What I always get is the astronaut and his cat with a dashboard underneath. So what's going on here? Are there different versions of "Admin Home"?

Moreover, when logging into a lab instance I am not necessarily taken to the 'Home' screen with its static dashboard, but to a Dashboard page. This has a longer url than the /now/nav/ui/home that marks the Home screen, but when created as a Favorite it is still marked as 'Home'! So what exactly is the 'Home' screen now? Can it be the Admin Home page with a loaded dashboard or a Dashboard page that has nothing to do with Admin Home, or somehow both? 

Pardon my confusion but if someone could explain the relationships or at least point me to some good information about the subject, I would be grateful.

[Manmohan K · Accepted solution]

Hi @kim-lindgren 

In ServiceNow, there are different ways to display and organize information, including homepages, "Admin Home," and dashboards. Here's a breakdown of the differences between these concepts:

1. Homepages:
- Homepages in ServiceNow are customizable landing pages that provide users with an overview of relevant information and quick access to commonly used features.
- Homepages can be personalized based on user roles, allowing each user to have a tailored experience.
- Users can customize their homepages by adding and arranging various widgets and modules, such as lists, charts, reports, and links to applications or forms.
- Homepages serve as a starting point for users to navigate and interact with different areas of the ServiceNow platform.

2. "Admin Home":
- "Admin Home" is a specific homepage designed for users with administrative privileges in ServiceNow.
- It provides administrative users with quick access to administration-related features and functions, such as system configuration, user management, security settings, and other administrative tools.
- "Admin Home" is designed to centralize administrative tasks and provide a dedicated workspace for system configuration and maintenance.

3. Dashboards:
- Dashboards in ServiceNow are customizable visual displays that consolidate and present key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics in a graphical format.
- Dashboards typically include charts, graphs, tables, and other visual components to provide users with an at-a-glance view of important data and trends.
- Users can create their own dashboards or leverage pre-built dashboard templates to monitor specific metrics, track progress, and gain insights into various aspects of the organization's operations.
- Dashboards are commonly used to monitor service performance, incident trends, SLA compliance, resource utilization, and other relevant metrics.

[Manmohan K · Accepted solution]

Hi @kim-lindgren 

In ServiceNow, there are different ways to display and organize information, including homepages, "Admin Home," and dashboards. Here's a breakdown of the differences between these concepts:

1. Homepages:
- Homepages in ServiceNow are customizable landing pages that provide users with an overview of relevant information and quick access to commonly used features.
- Homepages can be personalized based on user roles, allowing each user to have a tailored experience.
- Users can customize their homepages by adding and arranging various widgets and modules, such as lists, charts, reports, and links to applications or forms.
- Homepages serve as a starting point for users to navigate and interact with different areas of the ServiceNow platform.

2. "Admin Home":
- "Admin Home" is a specific homepage designed for users with administrative privileges in ServiceNow.
- It provides administrative users with quick access to administration-related features and functions, such as system configuration, user management, security settings, and other administrative tools.
- "Admin Home" is designed to centralize administrative tasks and provide a dedicated workspace for system configuration and maintenance.

3. Dashboards:
- Dashboards in ServiceNow are customizable visual displays that consolidate and present key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics in a graphical format.
- Dashboards typically include charts, graphs, tables, and other visual components to provide users with an at-a-glance view of important data and trends.
- Users can create their own dashboards or leverage pre-built dashboard templates to monitor specific metrics, track progress, and gain insights into various aspects of the organization's operations.
- Dashboards are commonly used to monitor service performance, incident trends, SLA compliance, resource utilization, and other relevant metrics.

[kim-lindgren]

Thank you Manmohan. While this doesn't directly answer some of my questions, it is a very good breakdown of the differences between the three so I will accept it as a solution. 

[erichahn123]

Excellent explanation! 

[Community Alums · Accepted solution]

Hi @kim-lindgren ,

---Regarding---

"So what exactly is the 'Home' screen now? Can it be the Admin Home page with a loaded dashboard or a Dashboard page that has nothing to do with Admin Home, or somehow both? "

1. We used to have Homepages till ROME, later on it's been depricated.

2. When you login You will see a landing page it can be one among the option you selected under(User Menu-->Preferences-->Display-->Current start page)

Field Description

Use the default	Default landing page.
Use Dashboards	If using legacy dynamic dashboards, the start page is set to dashboards.
Use the page that I'm on now	Set the current page as your default start page.
Continue where I last left off	Set the last page you visited in ServiceNow as the start page when you next log in.

3. In order to achive this system property : glide.next_experience.user_selected_landing_page_enabled must be enabled.

I hope that I've answered your above queries.