This guide explains the key concept behind this error and how to resolve it.
Symptom
One or more dashboard widgets display Access Denied instead of data.
The report name behind the widget may not be visible due to the error.
The issue affects all viewers of the dashboard, not just one user.
The logged-in user is a CRM admin and has general reporting access.
Cause: The Dashboard Renders as a Selected User
Dashboards in Dazos CRM can be configured to render as a specific Selected User — for example, the Dazos Administrator account. When this is set, every widget on that dashboard checks report permissions against the Selected User's account, not the account of the person currently viewing the dashboard.
This means that if the Selected User does not have access to a report used by a widget, that widget will show Access Denied for everyone — regardless of the viewer's own permissions.
There are two common reasons the Selected User may be blocked from a report:
The report is set to Private. Private reports are only visible to their owner. If the report owner is not the Selected User, the widget will fail.
The report is shared by role, and the Selected User's role is not included. If a report is restricted to specific roles (e.g., Executives, Directors) and the Selected User's role is not in that list, the widget will return Access Denied — even if the report is not Private.
⚠️ Important: This is why fixing one or two widgets may not resolve all of them. Each report on the dashboard must be individually accessible to the Selected User. A role-restricted report requires a separate fix from a Private report.
How to Identify the Selected User for a Dashboard
A CRM admin can check which user a dashboard renders as by reviewing the dashboard configuration settings. The Selected User is the account whose permissions are used to load all widgets on that dashboard tab.
Solution: Update Report Visibility for the Selected User
To resolve Access Denied on dashboard widgets, update the sharing or visibility settings of each affected report so that the dashboard's Selected User has access.
Identify the Selected User configured for the dashboard (e.g., Dazos Administrator).
Navigate to Reports in the left navigation.
Locate the report used by the affected widget. If the report name is not visible on the dashboard due to the error, an admin can identify it by reviewing the dashboard widget configuration.
Open the report and go to its Visibility / User Access settings.
Check why the Selected User is blocked:
If the report is set to Private, change the visibility to include the Selected User or set it to All Users.
If the report is shared by role, add the Selected User's role to the list of allowed roles.
Save the report.
Repeat for each widget that shows Access Denied.
Refresh the dashboard and confirm all widgets load correctly.
✅ Expected result: Once the Selected User has access to all underlying reports, all widgets will load data normally for every viewer of the dashboard.
Tips & Notes
💡 Tip: If you fix some widgets but one still shows Access Denied, check whether that remaining report has a different restriction type. For example, two reports may have been Private (fixed by opening visibility) while a third was role-restricted and requires the Selected User's role to be added separately.
⚠️ Data privacy reminder: Before broadening the visibility of a report, confirm that the new sharing settings align with your organization's internal data-access and privacy policy — particularly for reports containing sensitive referral or admissions data.
💡 Tip: This behavior applies to any dashboard configured with a Selected User — not just the Referral Dashboard. If you see Access Denied errors on other dashboards, check whether those dashboards also use a Selected User and apply the same fix.
When to Contact Support
Contact Dazos Support if:
You have updated report visibility for all affected reports but widgets still show Access Denied after refreshing.
You cannot identify which reports are behind the affected widgets.
You are unsure which Selected User is configured for your dashboard.
When contacting support, please provide: the dashboard name, the widget(s) showing the error, the report name(s) if known, and the Selected User configured for the dashboard.
Related Resources
Users Can't Edit Dashboard Widgets — How to Fix with Dashboard Role Settings (CRM)
View Dashboards and Reports by User Group (CRM)
How Users Appear in Dashboard Reports Based on Record Assignments