docs: document dimension links — modeling + dashboard cell menu (#11148)

mngr · claude · web-flow · commit 3b60dd56144b · 2026-06-26T08:17:10.000-04:00
* docs: add Links section to the dimensions guide (drill-in dashboards + external URLs)

* docs: clarify dashboard-slug drill-in + cell menu for dimension links

* docs: expand dimension links guide — parameter table, icons, slug setup, behavior

* docs: clarify links icon name format in the reference

* docs: make it clear a dimension can declare multiple links (url/dashboard is per-link)

* docs: note links is a list (one or more) in the reference

* docs(table): document the cell menu — data-model links, drill-in, copy, drill-down

* docs(dimensions): cross-link the table cell menu from the links section

* docs(dashboards): document the Slug field (options sidebar) + no-required-order note

* docs(dimensions): cross-link dashboard slug + clarify there's no required order

* docs(table): drop stale Display-as Link/Image/Bar section (not in the product); keep the cell menu

* docs: note links require Cube v1.6.53; clarify dashboard param key resolution

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) &lt;noreply@anthropic.com&gt;

* docs: trim Cell menu section to the link-surfacing essentials (CUB-557)

Per review: the exhaustive cell-menu / keyboard-gesture writeup was more than
the table chart doc needs. Keep the one user-facing point — data-model links
surface in the cell menu alongside Copy value / Drill down — and drop the
gesture list and the redundant trailing paragraph.

* docs: add "Linking between dashboards" section to dashboards overview (CUB-557)

Per review: surface dashboard-to-dashboard linking on the dashboards
exploration page (not only the data-modeling reference). Explains drill-in
(`dashboard:`) and external (`url:`) cell links from an explorer's
perspective, and points to the slug section + Dimensions → Links for authoring.

---------

Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) &lt;noreply@anthropic.com&gt;
diff --git a/docs-mintlify/docs/data-modeling/dimensions.mdx b/docs-mintlify/docs/data-modeling/dimensions.mdx
@@ -379,6 +379,150 @@ See the following recipes:
 
 </Note>
 
+## Links
+
+Dimensions can declare **links** — clickable navigation targets that supporting
+tools (such as [Cube Cloud Workbooks][ref-workbooks]) surface next to the
+dimension's values.
+
+`links` is a **list**, so a single dimension can declare **any number of
+links** — they all appear together in the cell menu. Each link points either to
+an **external URL** (`url`) or to **another Cube Cloud dashboard** (`dashboard`,
+a drill-in), and its URL is built per row from the dimension's data. The example
+below declares two links on one dimension (an external search and a drill-in).
+
+<Note>
+
+Dimension `links` require Cube **v1.6.53** or newer.
+
+</Note>
+
+### Parameters
+
+`links` is a list of link objects. Each link accepts:
+
+| Parameter | Required? | Description |
+| --- | --- | --- |
+| `name` | **Required** | Identifier, unique within the dimension. Also used in the synthetic dimension name (see [Behavior](#behavior)). |
+| `label` | **Required** | The text shown for the link in the UI. |
+| `url` | **Either `url` or `dashboard`** | SQL expression that builds an **external** URL per row. May [reference][ref-references] columns and other dimensions. |
+| `dashboard` | **Either `url` or `dashboard`** | The target Cube Cloud dashboard's **slug** (a **drill-in**). Each link sets exactly one of `url` or `dashboard` — never both — but different links on the same dimension can mix the two. |
+| `icon` | Optional | A [Tabler icon][link-tabler] name (see [Icons](#icons)). Defaults to a generic link icon. |
+| `target` | Optional | Where to open the link: `blank` (default — new tab) or `self` (same tab). Applies to **external** links only — drill-ins always navigate in-app (see [Behavior](#behavior)). |
+| `params` | Optional | Extra per-row parameters. For `url:` they are appended as query parameters. For `dashboard:` they become **equality filters** on the target dashboard — each `key` is a member of the target dashboard's view (a cube path such as `orders.status` is auto-resolved to the matching view member), and `value` is the per-row value. |
+
+### Example
+
+<CodeGroup>
+
+```yaml title="YAML"
+cubes:
+  - name: orders
+    sql_table: orders
+
+    dimensions:
+      - name: status
+        sql: status
+        type: string
+        links:
+          # External link — opens a URL built from the row's value
+          - name: search
+            label: Search the web
+            url: "CONCAT('https://www.google.com/search?q=order+', {CUBE}.status)"
+            icon: brand-google
+            target: blank
+
+          # Drill-in link — opens another Cube Cloud dashboard, filtered by the row
+          - name: details
+            label: Open order details
+            dashboard: orders-detail   # the target dashboard's slug
+            params:
+              - key: orders_view.status
+                value: "{CUBE}.status"
+```
+
+```javascript title="JavaScript"
+cube(`orders`, {
+  sql_table: `orders`,
+
+  dimensions: {
+    status: {
+      sql: `status`,
+      type: `string`,
+      links: [
+        {
+          name: `search`,
+          label: `Search the web`,
+          url: `CONCAT('https://www.google.com/search?q=order+', ${CUBE}.status)`,
+          icon: `brand-google`,
+          target: `blank`
+        },
+        {
+          name: `details`,
+          label: `Open order details`,
+          dashboard: `orders-detail`,
+          params: [{ key: `orders_view.status`, value: `${CUBE}.status` }]
+        }
+      ]
+    }
+  }
+})
+```
+
+</CodeGroup>
+
+### Icons
+
+`icon` accepts any name from the [Tabler icon set][link-tabler] — the
+kebab-case name **without** any prefix, for example `brand-google`,
+`external-link`, `layout-dashboard`, or `send`. Browse and search the available
+names at [tabler.io/icons][link-tabler]. If `icon` is omitted, a default link
+icon is shown.
+
+### Setting a dashboard slug
+
+A `dashboard:` link targets another dashboard by its **slug** — a short, stable,
+human-readable identifier (e.g. `orders-detail`). The slug is **portable across
+environments**: it is resolved within the current deployment, so the same model
+works in development and production without hardcoding dashboard IDs.
+
+To set a slug in Cube Cloud, open the target dashboard, open its **options
+sidebar**, and fill the **Slug** field (see
+[Dashboards → Dashboard slug](/docs/explore-analyze/dashboards#dashboard-slug)).
+Slugs are **unique per deployment**, and the `dashboard:` value in your link must
+match the slug exactly.
+
+**There is no required order.** You can write the `dashboard:` slug in the model
+first (it won't break anything — a link whose slug doesn't yet resolve is simply
+skipped in the cell menu) and set the dashboard's slug later, or set the
+dashboard slug first and reference it from the model afterwards. The link starts
+working as soon as both sides use the same slug.
+
+### Behavior
+
+- **Per-row resolution** — each link's `url` (and its `params`) is evaluated for
+  every row, so the destination reflects the clicked cell. Internally a link
+  compiles to a hidden **synthetic dimension** named
+  `<dimension>___link_<name>_url` holding the resolved URL; it is added to the
+  query automatically and is never shown as a column.
+- **Null values** — if the source value (and thus the resolved URL) is null for
+  a row, that link is omitted from the menu for that row.
+- **Where links appear** — in Cube Cloud, links surface in the table
+  [**cell menu**](/docs/explore-analyze/charts/chart-types/table#cell-menu) on
+  every results table (dashboard and workbook table charts, embedded dashboards,
+  and Explore / SQL results). A left-click on a cell opens the menu listing the
+  dimension's links, alongside **Copy value** and, on measures, **Drill down**.
+- **Drill-in vs external** — a `dashboard:` link navigates **in-app, in the same
+  tab** (Cmd/Ctrl-click opens a new tab), ignoring `target`; a `url:` link opens
+  per its `target` (`blank` by default).
+- **Filters** — for `dashboard:` links, each `params` entry becomes an
+  **equality filter** on the target (the `key` is a view member, the `value` is
+  the per-row value). An unknown or inaccessible target slug is skipped
+  gracefully — the user is notified and no navigation happens.
+
+See the [`links` reference][ref-dimensions-ref] for the canonical parameter
+list.
+
 ## Hierarchies
 
 Dimensions can be organized into [hierarchies][ref-hierarchies] to define
@@ -418,6 +562,9 @@ cubes:
   and non-standard time periods
 
 [ref-dimensions-ref]: /reference/data-modeling/dimensions
+[ref-workbooks]: /docs/explore-analyze/workbooks
+[ref-references]: /docs/data-modeling/syntax#references
+[link-tabler]: https://tabler.io/icons
 [ref-measures-page]: /docs/data-modeling/measures
 [ref-joins]: /docs/data-modeling/joins
 [ref-type]: /reference/data-modeling/dimensions#type
diff --git a/docs-mintlify/docs/explore-analyze/charts/chart-types/table.mdx b/docs-mintlify/docs/explore-analyze/charts/chart-types/table.mdx
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 ---
 title: Table
-description: Display query results as a configurable table with pivots, conditional formatting, and inline visualizations.
+description: Display query results as a configurable table with pivots, conditional formatting, and custom styling.
 ---
 
-The table visualization presents query results in a structured grid. Unlike the raw results table in the query panel, the table visualization is designed for sharing — it supports pivots, column display overrides, conditional formatting, custom styling, and inline bar/link/image column rendering.
+The table visualization presents query results in a structured grid. Unlike the raw results table in the query panel, the table visualization is designed for sharing — it supports pivots, conditional formatting, custom styling, and a per-cell menu for links, copy, and drill-down.
 
 {/* TODO screenshot: styled table with pivot and conditional formatting (hidden — replace this comment with <Frame><img src="..." /></Frame> when image is ready) */}
 
@@ -49,30 +49,7 @@ Click the dropdown arrow on any field in the **Fields** section to configure it:
 | **Word wrap** | Allow cell content to wrap to multiple lines |
 | **Hide** | Show or hide the column |
 
-## Display tab — showing columns as links, images, or bars
-
-By default, columns display their raw value. The **Display** tab for each field lets you change this:
-
-### Links
-
-Display a field's value as a clickable hyperlink. To create dynamic per-row links:
-
-1. Add a [calculated field](/docs/explore-analyze/workbooks/calculated-fields) that produces a URL — for example:
-   ```
-   CONCAT("https://example.com/orders/", order_items.order_id)
-   ```
-2. In the table visualization, hide the calculated field column.
-3. In the **Display** tab for the field you want to link, set **Display as** to **Link** and select the hidden URL field as the source.
-
-{/* TODO screenshot: column display dropdown showing Link option selected (hidden — replace this comment with <Frame><img src="..." /></Frame> when image is ready) */}
-
-### Images
-
-Display a field as an image by setting **Display as** to **Image**. Configure height and width. To make the image a link, check **Link image** and set the **Link URL**.
-
-The URL must be publicly accessible without authentication.
-
-### Inline bars
+## Inline bars
 
 Display a numeric column as a proportional in-cell bar. In the column's per-column section on the **Style** tab, use the **Display as** control to add a bar. Each bar's length reflects the value's magnitude within the column's range.
 
@@ -88,6 +65,13 @@ When a column contains both positive and negative values, bars are drawn in both
 
 {/* TODO screenshot: table with inline bar column (hidden — replace this comment with <Frame><img src="..." /></Frame> when image is ready) */}
 
+## Cell menu
+
+Left-clicking a table cell opens a context menu with any [`links` defined on the
+dimension](/docs/data-modeling/dimensions#links) — drill into another dashboard
+(`dashboard:`) or open an external URL (`url:`) — plus **Copy value** and, on
+measure cells that support it, **Drill down**.
+
 ## Style options
 
 The **Style** tab controls the visual appearance of the table:
diff --git a/docs-mintlify/docs/explore-analyze/dashboards/index.mdx b/docs-mintlify/docs/explore-analyze/dashboards/index.mdx
@@ -18,6 +18,46 @@ Dashboards enable you to:
 
 In the dashboard builder inside your [workbook][ref-workbooks], select the reports you want to include and arrange them on the canvas alongside other [widgets][ref-widgets] to tell your data story, then publish the dashboard. This gives stakeholders direct access to the insights that matter most, without the complexity of the underlying analysis.
 
+## Linking between dashboards
+
+Dashboards can link to one another. When a table widget shows a dimension that
+has [links][ref-dimension-links] defined in the data model, left-clicking a cell
+opens a menu with those links: a **drill-in** link (`dashboard:`) navigates to
+another dashboard in the same deployment, filtered by the values in the clicked
+row, and an **external** link (`url:`) opens a URL. This is how you build
+overview → detail flows — click a row in a summary dashboard to jump straight to
+a focused dashboard scoped to that row.
+
+Links are declared once on the dimension in the data model (not configured
+per-dashboard), so every table that shows that dimension — in dashboards,
+workbooks, embedded dashboards, and Explore — offers the same links. A drill-in
+link targets a dashboard by its [slug](#dashboard-slug); see [Dimensions →
+Links][ref-dimension-links] to define them.
+
+## Dashboard slug
+
+A dashboard can have a **slug** — a short, stable, human-readable identifier
+(e.g. `orders-detail`) used to link to it from the data model. Data-model
+[dimension links][ref-dimension-links] with a `dashboard:` value reference a
+dashboard by its slug to drill into it.
+
+To set it, open the dashboard in the builder, open the **options sidebar**, and
+fill the **Slug** field. Slugs are **unique per deployment** and are resolved
+within the current deployment, so the same model works across environments. The
+dashboard's own URL is unaffected (it stays `publicId`-based).
+
+<Note>
+
+**There is no required order between the model and the dashboard.** You can
+reference a slug from a `dashboard:` link in the data model before any dashboard
+uses it, or set a dashboard's slug before any link references it — neither
+breaks. A link whose slug doesn't (yet) resolve is simply skipped in the cell
+menu, and starts working as soon as a dashboard in the deployment claims that
+slug. (If you later clear or change a slug that links still reference, the
+options sidebar warns you to update those links.)
+
+</Note>
+
 ## Download as PNG or PDF
 
 Open a published dashboard, click the **More actions** (`⋯`) button in the
@@ -37,5 +77,6 @@ refresh][ref-scheduled-refreshes].
 
 [ref-workbooks]: /docs/explore-analyze/workbooks
 [ref-widgets]: /docs/explore-analyze/dashboards/widgets
+[ref-dimension-links]: /docs/data-modeling/dimensions#links
 [ref-notifications]: /docs/explore-analyze/notifications
 [ref-scheduled-refreshes]: /docs/explore-analyze/scheduled-refreshes
diff --git a/docs-mintlify/reference/data-modeling/dimensions.mdx b/docs-mintlify/reference/data-modeling/dimensions.mdx
@@ -428,8 +428,9 @@ Using it with other dimension types will result in a validation error.
 
 ### `links`
 
-The `links` parameter allows you to define links associated with a dimension.
-They can be rendered as HTML links by supporting tools, e.g., [Workbooks][ref-workbooks].
+The `links` parameter allows you to define **one or more** links associated with a
+dimension (it is a list). They can be rendered as HTML links by supporting tools, e.g.,
+[Workbooks][ref-workbooks].
 
 Links are useful to let users navigate to related external resources (e.g., Google
 search), internal tools (e.g., Salesforce), or other pages in a BI tool.
@@ -440,11 +441,17 @@ in the [synthetic dimension](#synthetic) name.
 A link must specify either a `url` or a `dashboard`:
 - `url` is a SQL expression that constructs the link URL. It can [reference][ref-references]
   column and dimension values, just like the [`sql` parameter](#sql) or [`mask` parameter](#mask).
-- `dashboard` is a dashboard identifier. When set, the link URL is generated as
-  `/dashboard/<dashboard_id>`. The `params` object is still appended as a query string.
+- `dashboard` is a target dashboard reference. When set, the link URL is generated as
+  `/dashboard/<dashboard>` and `params` are appended as a query string. In Cube Cloud
+  this is the target dashboard's **slug** (set in the dashboard's options and resolved
+  within the current deployment); choosing the link drills in-app to that dashboard with
+  `params` applied as equality filters. Links surface in the table **cell context menu**.
 
 Optionally, a link might use the `icon` parameter to reference an icon from a [supported
-icon set][link-tabler] to be displayed alongside the link label.
+icon set][link-tabler] to be displayed alongside the link label. Use the icon's kebab-case
+name without any prefix (e.g. `brand-google`, `external-link`, `layout-dashboard`, `send`);
+browse the available names at [tabler.io/icons][link-tabler]. When omitted, a default link
+icon is shown.
 
 Optionally, a link might use the `target` parameter to specify [where to open it][link-target]:
 `blank` (default) to open in a new tab/window or `self` to open in the same tab/window.
