The numbers on the Orders & Inventory › Overview dashboard are not always counted fresh when you open it. This article explains why a figure may show zero right away, how old the number may be, and how to get a current number.
Why a Figure Can Show Zero Right Away
Most dashboard figures need a moment to be counted or pulled from a saved answer, so they show a loading indicator first. When there are no matching records to count, Rhythm returns zero right away instead of using that same loading step. If one figure settles into a number while the one beside it is still loading, the figure that finished immediately most likely found nothing to count.
How Current a Figure Is
After Rhythm calculates a figure, it saves that answer and reuses it for up to one day instead of recalculating every time the dashboard opens. This works the same way for every figure in every Rhythm account; nothing shortens or extends the one-day window for a specific figure. In practice, this means:
- The first time someone requests a figure after its saved answer expires, Rhythm calculates it fresh from your Rhythm account's current orders and inventory records, then saves the new answer for up to another day.
- Every other request during that day reuses the same saved answer, so opening the dashboard again a few minutes later shows the same number instead of counting it again.
- Nothing recalculates a figure in the background on its own. An expired saved answer stays expired until someone requests that figure again, which triggers the fresh calculation.
Getting a Fresher Number
When a dashboard tile offers a refresh control, use it to ask Rhythm to calculate the figure again right away instead of reusing the saved answer. The new number becomes the saved answer for the whole Rhythm account, so every staff member sees the refreshed figure the next time they load the dashboard, not just the person who refreshed it.
Tip
If a figure looks wrong right after something changed, such as an order you just shipped, refresh its tile before assuming the number is broken. It may simply be reusing an answer from earlier in the day.