Unlocking the power of read-only sharing in Analysis Workspace

Learn how sharing Adobe Analysis Workspace projects as “read only” can create executive-ready dashboard reports with a clean user interface and predefined filtering options, as well as how the “mobile scorecard” can simplify sharing digital experience KPIs with executives on the go.

Sharing Adobe Analytics Workspace projects with colleagues is an essential use of Analytics to make better business decisions. We can share projects with other users for “edit original”, “edit copy”, and “read only” access rights. Most of the time, we probably share projects with edit original or edit copy access rights so we can collaboratively update the project or other users can duplicate the project as their own for further updates. However, sometimes read only sharing is a surprisingly good sharing option beyond the access control as suggested by the access right name.

Why read only

When a project is shared as read only, all editing functions and features are completely disabled and recipients can only change the dropdown to apply a filter to the panel in a predefined manner. Compare this to “edit copy” sharing, where the recipients can “save as” the project to make that their own, all editing features are available but only the “save” function is disabled. By disabling all editing functions and features, the left rail for panel/visualization/component and palettes is gone, giving the full-screen estate for the project content, and more space for tables and charts which simply looks better.

Moreover, since all components are read-only if there are any segments and calculated metrics being used in the project, we can ensure that recipients, even if they are administrators, cannot change the definition so they won’t accidentally mess up project or any other reference to the same segments or calculated metrics.

This helps the read-only project become an executive-ready dashboard report with a simple and clean user interface and predefined filtering options. If used with a panel/visualization link, it can also provide a “drill-down” feature as a complete BI solution.

The read-only project is also helpful for sharing data with users who have little Adobe Analytics experience, such as product marketing colleagues driving product launch campaigns and providing them with a campaign dashboard with predefined conversion and marketing channel breakdowns.