# Looking for a better method to import dashboards **URL:** \ **Category:** Kibana\ **Created:** [February 12, 2018, 3:57pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/looking-for-a-better-method-to-import-dashboards/119506 "2018-02-12T15:57:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dorj1234](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/dorj1234/32/21339_2.png) [@dorj1234](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/dorj1234)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 3:57pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/looking-for-a-better-method-to-import-dashboards/119506/1 "2018-02-12T15:57:56Z")
Hello, looking for advice on a set of visualizations and their dashboards, that I need to duplicate. I am hoping there is a better way than what I do below. I have index1 with existing dashboards. Same data from different source goes into index2. After bulk-edit and import I now have a new set of visulizations with new IDs for index2. **The challenge** Exported dashboard files use the old visualization IDs. There is no bulk edit that can fix the file before importing copied dashboards. To point to the new visualizations I am forced to: 1. Look for the old visualization ID 2. Look for the new visualization ID of the equivalent one 3. Put the new ID in the file 4. Repeat the search/edit for every visualization Any advice welcome, thank you. JD ---
**Author:** ![Brandon\_Kobel](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/brandon_kobel/32/14829_2.png) [@Brandon\_Kobel](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Brandon_Kobel)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 5:03pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/looking-for-a-better-method-to-import-dashboards/119506/2 "2018-02-12T17:03:29Z")
@dorj1234 so you're trying to copy Visualization/Dashboard from one index pattern to another index pattern? Unfortunately, I'm not aware of a more elegant workflow than the one that you've mentioned. Can you instead use a more generic index-pattern that covers both of the Elasticsearch indices and then use filters to create the isolation? ---
**Author:** ![dorj1234](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/dorj1234/32/21339_2.png) [@dorj1234](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/dorj1234)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 9:56pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/looking-for-a-better-method-to-import-dashboards/119506/3 "2018-02-12T21:56:44Z")
That would be ideal, since it's the same data sets. However - the data is sensitive (customer names) and even seeing the names of the visualizations or the names of the filters may be sensitive. My dashboards are a little complex but not too complex. So based on your answer, after I copy the visualizations (bulk edit of export file) then I can just create a new dashboard and recreate from the original. **My feedback to Elastic Product team** is to think about a more elegant way to do it. For example: (apologies, it's a bit raw thinking) Visualizations: give a group name to visualizations. Then copy them all to a new index. Dashboards: allow to link to a visualization-name not just the ID. Maybe give a prefix/suffix to visualization groups and dashboards and allow users to change the suffix. For example visualization "my-pie-chart-customer1" (customer1 as the suffix). All visualizations I choose become "something-customer1". The dashboard then points to a set of visualizations, and when I add a customer2 then the dashboard starts pointing to my new set of visualizations that I copied, that end with customer2. I can explain this more in depth, but the purpose is to change little in how Kibana manages json structures, and allow more flexibility. Best, JD ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 9:56pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/looking-for-a-better-method-to-import-dashboards/119506/4 "2018-03-12T21:56:56Z")
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