This guide will help you get started and acquainted with Grafana. It assumes you have a working Grafana server up and running and have added at least one [Data Source](/features/datasources/).
Watch the 10min [beginners guide to building dashboards](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKNZMtoSHN4&index=7&list=PLDGkOdUX1Ujo3wHw9-z5Vo12YLqXRjzg2) to get a quick intro to setting up Dashboards and Panels.
Let's start with creating a new Dashboard. You can find the new Dashboard link on the right side of the Dashboard picker. You now have a blank Dashboard.
1. Side menubar toggle: This toggles the side menu, allowing you to focus on the data presented in the dashboard. The side menu provides access to features unrelated to a Dashboard such as Users, Organizations, and Data Sources.
2. Dashboard dropdown: This dropdown shows you which Dashboard you are currently viewing, and allows you to easily switch to a new Dashboard. From here you can also create a new Dashboard or folder, Import existing Dashboards, and manage Dashboard playlists.
3. Add Panel: Adds a new panel to the current Dashboard
4. Star Dashboard: Star (or unstar) the current Dashboard. Starred Dashboards will show up on your own Home Dashboard by default, and are a convenient way to mark Dashboards that you're interested in.
5. Share Dashboard: Share the current dashboard by creating a link or create a static Snapshot of it. Make sure the Dashboard is saved before sharing.
6. Save dashboard: The current Dashboard will be saved with the current Dashboard name.
7. Settings: Manage Dashboard settings and features such as Templating and Annotations.
Dashboards are at the core of what Grafana is all about. Dashboards are composed of individual Panels arranged on a grid. Grafana ships with a variety of Panels. Grafana makes it easy to construct the right queries, and customize the display properties so that you can create the perfect Dashboard for your need. Each Panel can interact with data from any configured Grafana Data Source (currently InfluxDB, Graphite, OpenTSDB, Prometheus and Cloudwatch). The [Basic Concepts](/guides/basic_concepts) guide explores these key ideas in detail.
When you click the `Metrics` tab, you are presented with a Query Editor that is specific to the Panel Data Source. Use the Query Editor to build your queries and Grafana will visualize them in real time.
You can Drag-and-Drop Panels by simply clicking and holding the Panel title, and drag it to its new location. You can also easily resize panels by clicking the (-) and (+) icons.
