nocodb/packages/noco-docs/content/en/setup-and-usages/dashboard.md

---
title: 'Dashboard'
description: 'Dashboard'
position: 500
category: 'Product'
menuTitle: 'Dashboard'
---

## Setup Your First Super Admin

Once you have started NocoDB, you can visit the dashboard via `example.com/dashboard`.

Click `Let's Begin` button to sign up.
<img src="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/35857179/126597128-f88df6e5-7625-4208-9817-68e9303410ff.png" width="75%"/>


Enter your work email and your password.

<alert>
  Your password has at least 8 letters with one uppercase, one number and one special letter
</alert>

<img src="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/35857179/126597144-0343b5ca-c7ca-47a4-926d-4e8df2f8c161.png" width="60%"/>

## Initialize Your First Project

Once you have logged into NocoDB, you should see `My Projects`.

![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/35857179/126597182-b74cadb4-e165-417e-9e95-9a3cb7dce8e5.png)

To create a project, you can click `New Project`.  
  
  
<img src="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/86527202/144373314-9146e855-0791-4815-a03f-303e5ffb2a63.png" width="60%"/>


### Creating Empty Project

Click `Create`, you need to specify the project name and API type. 

<alert>
A local SQLite will be used.
</alert>

<img src="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/35857179/126597259-b9552c71-d13b-463c-abc2-0f3be31627b2.png" width="60%"/>


### Connecting to External Database

Click `Create By Connecting To An External Database`, you need to specify the project name, API type, and other database parameters.

![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/35857179/126597279-c1722d8b-c885-4e9e-9e94-44711102af20.png)

Currently it supports MySQL, Postgres, MSSQL and SQLite.

![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/35857179/126597320-fd6b19a9-ed3e-4f4a-80b7-880a79a54a11.png)

You can also configure associated SSL & advanced parameters.

![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/35857179/126597342-0c61ab15-a112-4269-8f30-78455fa09081.png)

<alert type="success">
Tip 1: You can click Edit Connection JSON and modify SSL settings in "ssl".
</alert>

```json
{
  "client": "pg",
  "connection": {
    "host": "<YOUR_HOST>",
    "port": "5432",
    "user": "<YOUR_DB_USER>",
    "password": "<YOUR_DB_PASSWORD>",
    "database": "<YOUR_DB_NAME>",
    "ssl": {
      "require": true,
      "rejectUnauthorized": false,
      "sslMode": "no-verify"
    }
  }
}
```

<alert type="success">
Tip 2: You can click Edit Connection JSON and specify the schema you want to use in "searchPath".
</alert>

```json
{
  "client": "pg",
  "connection": {
    ...
  },
  "searchPath": [ "<YOUR_TARGET_SCHEMA>" ]
}
```

Click `Test Database Connection` to see if the connection can be established or not. NocoDB create's a new **empty database** with specified parameters, if the database doesn't exist.

### Creating Project from Excel

Click `Create Project from Excel`, you can either upload / drag and drop Excel file (OR) specify Excel file URL.

<alert>
A local SQLite will be used.
</alert>
    
<img src="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/86527202/144373863-7ced9315-a70b-4746-9295-325e463dc110.png" width="60%"/>  

Supported file formats

- Xls
- Xlsx
- Xlsm
- Ods
- Ots