Users log in to Information Console to start using BIRT dashboards. Users can then interact, export, or print data displayed in their personal dashboard or make new dashboards. The personal dashboard is associated with each user account and contains dashboards that the user subscribes to or has created.

Dashboards contain one or more gadgets that display data or enable user choices. For example, a user searches data by selecting a country name in a list gadget which filters data in a linked chart gadget. The chart gadget shows data for the selected country. Users can then select different perspectives of the chart data to view, such as viewing the chart data for selected years.

Each user’s personal dashboard contains dashboards created by the user or dashboards that the user subscribes to. Changes on a user’s personal dashboard persist across sessions in the user’s Information Console account. Users can reset their personal dashboard to display the system default dashboard, a blank dashboard, or a selected dashboard file.