# Dashboard Inspector and query performance tuning

*CRM Analytics and Einstein Discovery Consultant Study Guide · Analytics Dashboard Implementation · Last updated November 3, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/crm-analytics-and-einstein-discovery-consultant/analytics-dashboard-implementation/dashboard-inspector-and-query-performance-tuning*

Where and how to open the Dashboard Inspector, what its Performance tab and Query table measure per layout and page, how Show Details breaks a query's time into Metadata, Waiting and Query, and the best practices that make a slow dashboard fast.

- Certification: Salesforce CRM Analytics and Einstein Discovery Consultant
- Exam section: Analytics Dashboard Implementation
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/crm-analytics-and-einstein-discovery-consultant

**Official exam objective:**

> Given a scenario, monitor and optimize query performance using Dashboard Inspector.

## What the exam expects

- Open the Dashboard Inspector from the right place and know where it isn't available.
- Read the Performance tab and Query table, including how layouts and pages limit what they show.
- Use Show Details and Last Run Metrics to tell a slow query from one waiting on a binding, and use View More Details for failed queries.
- Recommend the documented performance practices: fewer queries per page, combined KPI queries, pages for secondary content, global filters, precomputed fields.

Key terms: **Dashboard Inspector** (the view-mode tool that measures a dashboard's load and lists its queries' run times); **Query table** (the inspector's list of queries that ran, with Max Time); **Show Details** (a widget menu option that summarizes one query and its Last Run Metrics); **Last Run Metrics** (Metadata, Waiting and Query times in milliseconds); **default page** (the page whose queries run when the dashboard loads).

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Where the inspector runs | View mode while browsing the app | [Optimize Dashboard Performance](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.bi_dashboards_inspector.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |
| Not available | Running the app, editing, embedded preview outside CRM Analytics | [Optimize Dashboard Performance](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.bi_dashboards_inspector.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |
| Opening it | More button, then Dashboard Inspector | [Optimize Dashboard Performance](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.bi_dashboards_inspector.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |
| Query table metric | Max Time (SEC) per query on the current page | [Optimize Dashboard Performance](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.bi_dashboards_inspector.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |
| Switching pages | Adds newly run queries; marks unused ones | [Optimize Dashboard Performance](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.bi_dashboards_inspector.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |
| Failed query | View More Details shows binding and query errors and the run query | [Optimize Dashboard Performance](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.bi_dashboards_inspector.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |
| Waiting | Time to resolve bindings | [Optimize a Query](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.bi_dashboard_step_optimize.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |
| Metadata | Fetched only on the first run | [Optimize a Query](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.bi_dashboard_step_optimize.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |
| Inspector and Show Details rows | Up to 200 results | [Table Widget](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.bi_dashboard_widgets_table_add_flex.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |
| Queries per page | Six or fewer where you can | [Performance Best Practices](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.bi_dashboard_performance.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |

## Check yourself

- Why can the Metadata time vanish after a query's first run?
- Which Performance tab factors can you skip?
- When should a very large dashboard become several dashboards?
- What should you do after optimizing the slowest queries?

## Sources

- [Optimize Dashboard Performance](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.bi_dashboards_inspector.htm&type=5&language=en_US)
- [Optimize a Query](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.bi_dashboard_step_optimize.htm&type=5&language=en_US)
- [Best Practices for CRM Analytics Dashboard Performance](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.bi_dashboard_performance.htm&type=5&language=en_US)
- [Best Practices for Building Your Own CRM Analytics Dashboard](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.bi_dashboard_build_tips.htm&type=5&language=en_US)
- [Add a Table Widget to Show Record Details](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.bi_dashboard_widgets_table_add_flex.htm&type=5&language=en_US)
- [Troubleshoot Unexpected Query Results](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.bi_dashboards_steps_troubleshooting.htm&type=5&language=en_US)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 8 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the CRM Analytics and Einstein Discovery Consultant pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams