# Set up workspaces for your admin website users
<a name="amazon-connect-workspaces"></a>

**What are workspaces?**  
A workspace is a collection of UI configurations that include:
+ Customized page layouts, created with the View designer
+ Custom pages
+ Custom visual themes

**Creating workspaces**

**Note**  
Pre-requisite: Security profile permission is required. From a Security profile, go to **Users and Permissions** to give access to the workspace resource.

To create a new workspace:

1. Open the Amazon Connect admin website.

1. Navigate to **UI Management** > **Workspaces**.

1. Click **Add new workspace**.

1. Provide a name and description for your workspace.

1. Identify the pages that are provided in this workspace.

   1. Use existing Connect page — choose from the list of eligible Connect pages, which will grow as more UIs are supported by Views.
**Note**  
Connect provides a default home dashboard page, which will display to all users that do not have a workspace with an alternative.

   1. Set page with custom page slug — identify a page name for the menu, a unique, user-friendly identifier (slug) for the URL, and the view that contains the desired page contents.
**Note**  
Up to 17 custom pages can be set up per instance.

1. Assign the workspace to the desired audience.

   1. Visible to all users — provide organization-wide access.

   1. Visible to assigned users — restrict to one or more users and/or routing profiles.

   1. Visible to no users — for testing and preparation, or retiring a workspace.

1. Optionally customize theme and branding elements.

   1. Logo, font and color scheme can be updated to match your branding.

**How workspaces relate to other assignments**  
Workspaces can result in changes to the left navigation menu, and the contents that render on certain pages.

The settings that cause pages and contents to differ from user to user are:
+ **Workspace assignment** — this determines if pages supported by Views are included in the left navigation menu. Custom UIs and the home dashboard page are not listed in Security profiles, and therefore are not shown or hidden based on those settings.
**Note**  
Views may contain components, such as third party applications, that require Security profile permission. If a View opens but individual components do not render, check their configuration.
+ **Security Profile assignment** — this is the traditional way to determine which Amazon Connect managed pages appear in the left navigation menu. This applies to user interfaces that are not powered by Views.
**Note**  
To determine if a page is powered by Views or not, open a workspace and initiate the addition of a page. The list of eligible pages only includes those powered by Views.

Other considerations to keep in mind:
+ **Page contents** can vary if the page is powered by Views. For example the home dashboard page can show different contents to Sales than it does to IT.
**Note**  
All Amazon Connect pages do not support multiple Views. Amazon Connect managed pages have the same layout and components, with only slight variations based on user permissions, for example an **Add** button that appears only to entitled users.
+ **Granular access control** can be applied to workspaces using tag-based access control (TBAC). This is useful if access needs to be restricted to certain records but not others, for example the workspace used by the Security team should not be visible to any other team member.

**Employ best practices**  
Always preview changes in a limited-access workspace before deploying to large groups of users.

**Note**  
After saving a workspace, refresh to see the changes.

**Note**  
To minimize disruption to users, a workspace can only be deleted if it is not assigned to any user.

**Accessing a workspace**  
After a workspace has been assigned to a user, it is visible in their header. If a user only has one workspace assigned, it opens automatically. If no custom workspace has been created or assigned, users will see the default Amazon Connect experience. Users **assigned to more than one** workspace can switch between assigned workspaces from the header control. Their last-used workspace will open by default in the next session.

# Customize the theme of a workspace
<a name="custom-theme"></a>

You can use themes to customize the visual appearance of a workspace, so it aligns with the brand identity of your organization. Custom themes can serve multiple purposes:
+ **Support multiple brand identities:** If your organization manages multiple products or services with unique branding, you can create a unique workspace for each, so users that are assigned to more than one see the logo, font and color scheme aligned with the brand they are currently managing.
+ **Differentiate between departments or business units:** Design different themes for different departments or business units, to help users quickly identify their current context.
+ **Create client-specific user interfaces:** For businesses serving multiple clients, create branded workspaces that match each client's brand identity.

Themes consist of a logo, a favicon, a font family, and a set of colors. By default, your workspace will use Amazon Connect's theme. In this example, the default settings have been replaced for 'Any Company', including the logo and color scheme.

![\[Workspace with a custom logo and color scheme.\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/workspace-theme.png)

+ **Logo** — You can replace the default Amazon Connect logo that appears at the top left of a workspace. To set a new logo, prepare and upload an image file in the specified dimensions and format.
+ **Favicon** — You can also replace the default Amazon Connect favicon that commonly appears in your browser's tab and bookmark bars, history, and search results. To set a new favicon, prepare and upload an image file in the specified dimensions and format.
+ **Font family** — Change the typography used throughout your workspace. To use a different font family, select one of the options from the drop-down menu.

![\[Workspace theme customization form.\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/workspace-theme-form.png)


**Actions**  
The actions drop-down menu provides the following options:
+ **Export** — Outputs theme configurations into a JSON file (in the same format as required for import) so it can be easily uploaded into another workspace.
+ **Import** — Import theming configurations either from other workspaces directly or upload a JSON file with these configurations. The format of the JSON file follows the same structure as the export file and the theme object on the workspace resource.
+ **Reset** — Similar to Cancel, this reverts changes back to what was last saved.
+ **Reset to default** — Changes the theme back to the standard theme offered by Amazon Connect.

**Customize the colors**  
You can customize the palette of colors that are applied throughout a workspace. You can set a color with its hex code; Red, Green, and Blue (RGB) values; hue, saturation, and lightness (HSL) values; or name.

**Note**  
Default colors provide sufficient contrast to ensure that content is readable and usable by all individuals, including those with visual impairments. *If colors are changed, they should be tested for accessibility*.

![\[Workspace theme customization form for color scheme.\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/workspace-theme-color-form.png)


Colors for the **canvas** will apply to the background elements on your workspace.

![\[Workspace theme for canvas color scheme.\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/workspace-theme-canvas-color.png)


Colors for **primary actions** will apply to buttons, links, and other key interactive elements.

![\[Workspace theme for primary actions color scheme.\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/workspace-theme-primary-actions-color.png)


Colors for the **header** will apply to elements of the header bar and settings menu at the top of a workspace.

![\[Workspace theme for header color scheme.\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/workspace-theme-header-color.png)


Colors for the **navigation** will apply to the navigation bar on the left side of a workspace.

![\[Workspace theme for navigation color scheme.\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/workspace-theme-navigation-color.png)


**Important considerations**

1. Test thoroughly to ensure the desired appearance, as well as accessibility (e.g. sufficient contrast).

1. If a style element is inconsistent with your workspace configuration, check for component-level configurations in its View. Component styling takes precedence over workspace styling. (View styling is only considered in the absence of workspace and/or component styling).

1. Users can specify light and dark mode, so test theme changes in both modes. If certain elements are not clear then specify a different logo, favicon, and set of colors for light and dark modes.

# Customize the home dashboard page
<a name="custom-dashboard"></a>

**Customizing the Home Page**  
Administrators can:
+ Use Views to create home page layouts
+ Assign Views to specific workspaces
+ Assign workspaces to appropriate users

**Access Control**  
There are different levels of permission for customizing the home page experience:

1. View resource — Users with this permission can modify the contents of the views related to a given page. For example, they can create 5 different flavors of the home dashboard. Set in Security profiles within the Flows section.

1. Workspace resource — Users with this permission can choose which view to apply to a given workspace, and what users have access to that workspace. Set in Security profiles within the Users and Permissions section.

There are no Security profile permissions specific to the home dashboard page. That UI is provided out of the box and the menu item appears to all admin website users.

**Widget components**  
The home page supports widgets that display information and provide quick access to common tasks. An administrator may modify the home page's View to change what is displayed, for example remove some of the widgets provided out of the box, rearrange or resize the page contents, or replace contents with third party apps.

**Note**  
The default home page blogs widget may appear empty depending on your selected language settings.

**Finding Legacy Home Page Content**  
All functionality from the legacy home page (prior to re:Invent 2025) remains available through the Amazon Connect navigation menu. 

For example, to use the test chat functionality, go to the Communications menu. For service level metrics, go to the **Analytics and optimization** menu, select **Dashboards and reports**, and open the **Queue and agent performance dashboard**.

# Create and configure data tables
<a name="data-tables"></a>

**Understanding data tables**  
Data tables allow you to store and manage data that impacts your configurations within Amazon Connect. Data tables can be referenced by other resources, for example Flows and Views. When changes or additions are made to data tables, they are available immediately via public APIs and on-screen, no redeployment necessary.

Use data tables to support scenarios ranging from simple routing rules to complex, time-based configurations, accessible and modifiable in real time. In contrast to [Predefined Attributes](predefined-attributes.md) which store simple key-value pairs, data tables support multiple columns, various data types, and complex relationships.

A Data Table consists of:
+ Table metadata (structure and validation rules)
+ Table values (the actual data)

Table metadata includes:
+ Attributes (columns) with defined data types
+ Primary keys to identify unique records
+ Optional default values that can be applied across records
+ Optional validation rules for data integrity

Table values are stored in records (rows) that contain values for each attribute (column).

**Creating data tables**

1. Go to the Routing menu and select **Data tables**.

1. Select **Add new data table**.

   1. Provide a **Name**.

   1. Optionally provide a **Description**.

   1. Indicate a **Time zone** to support time-based use cases.

   1. Define a **Lock level**. Locking prevents multiple editors from overwriting changes at the data table, record (row), attribute (column), or value (cell) level.

1. After saving, select Add attribute to define the first column in the table.
**Note**  
As attributes are added, they are inserted into the table in the leftmost column.

   1. Provide a **Name**

   1. Select a **Type**, choosing from

      1. **Single** text, number or boolean (yes/no) attribute

      1. **List** of text or numbers

   1. Optionally select **Use as primary attribute**.

      1. Primary keys help identify and reference specific records. They also enable granular access control to table data. One or more attributes can be designated as primary, and become the first column(s) of the table. If no primary attribute is defined, the table can contain only one record.
**Note**  
Primary attributes cannot be added or removed if the table contains data. For example, if a table's primary attributes are first name, last name and middle initial, you cannot add SSN as another primary attribute or remove middle initial, without first deleting all rows. However, you can edit the values in a primary attribute, for example a last name can be changed. You can also add non-primary attributes after a table is populated with data.

   1. Optionally provide **Basic validation** if the type is text or numeric (e.g. max length).

   1. Optionally update **Collection validation** if the type is text or numeric, to provide a choice of predefined values for this attribute, and even restrict to those values.

   1. Upon saving, your table will display with its first attribute (column).

   1. Repeat as needed.

1. When ready, select **Add value** to insert a row into your table.

   1. When adding the first value, you must acknowledge that primary attributes cannot be changed if values exist in the table.

   1. Data inputs are automatically validated (type, length, etc.).

   1. As values are added, they are sorted based on primary value(s), for example if the first column is text, the values (rows) will be sequenced from A-Z.

![\[Data table management page.\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/data-table-management.png)


Example of a table structure where two primary attributes are used to uniquely identify each record, and two attributes have been defined.


| Primary Attribute 1 | Primary Attribute 2 | Attribute 1 | Attribute 2 | 
| --- | --- | --- | --- | 
| Primary Value | Primary Value | Value | Value | 
| Primary Value | Primary Value | Value | Value | 
| ... | ... | ... | ... | 

**Add Records to data tables**  
Connect enforces required fields, data types, length limits and other requirements specified in the table definition.

**Note**  
Always test configurations that impact flows before impacting production workloads, and monitor system behavior immediately after significant changes.

**Edit data tables and their records**  
Connect enforces required fields, data types, length limits and other requirements specified in the table definition.

**Safeguards are provided for simultaneous edits to the same data.** The system automatically alerts users when changes occur outside their current session, prompting them to refresh their view to see the latest data.

**Note**  
For scenarios where preventing conflicts is critical, you can implement optimistic locking strategies, ensuring that updates are only applied if the data hasn't changed since it was last read.

**Changes take place *almost* immediately**. Changes made to data tables take effect in subsequent flow executions and API calls. Data is not cached in flows, so there is no lag required for refresh after a change.

**Note**  
While changes propagate rapidly, in rare cases, there might be a brief delay—typically just milliseconds—before all system components reflect the change. When feasible, plan updates during operational windows to minimize impact.

**Sample use case**  
Follow the steps below to create a simple translations table for prompts.

1. Create a new data table with a new primary attribute called “Language”. The primary attribute determines the key needed to access a record from the data table.

1. Create a new attribute for each message type, “Greeting” for example. If you need to create more than 99 types of messages, see the advanced example below.

1. Add the translations to your table.

1. Your table should look like this:


| Language (primary attribute) | Greeting | 
| --- | --- | 
| English | Hello | 
| Spanish | Hola | 

For advanced cases where more than one dimension is needed when querying a data table, additional primary attributes can be added.


| Language (primary attribute) | Department (primary attribute) | Greeting | 
| --- | --- | --- | 
| English | Sales | Hello. This is sales. | 
| Spanish | Sales | Hola. Soy del departamento de ventas. | 
| English | Marketing | Hi. You've reached marketing. | 

It's also possible to query for the exact message by adding a third dimension for the message type.


| Language (primary attribute) | Department (primary attribute) | Message type (primary attribute) | Message | 
| --- | --- | --- | --- | 
| English | Sales | Greeting | Hello. This is sales. | 
| Spanish | Sales | Greeting | Hola. Soy del departamento de ventas. | 
| English | Marketing | Greeting | Hi. You've reached marketing. | 
| English | Marketing | Farewell | Thanks for contacting marketing. | 

**Using data tables for dynamic lookups in flows**  
Flows can read and write values from data tables. For more information, see [Flow block in Amazon Connect: Data Table](data-table-block.md).

**Leverage Data tables to build custom user interfaces**  
Data tables can empower business users to make routine contact center operational adjustments without requiring direct access to underlying Amazon Connect systems. Custom interfaces can be created from Data tables using the Views no-code UI builder, then assigned to workspaces. Operations teams can then use the custom UIs to respond quickly to changing conditions, without requiring IT intervention and working within approved governance and security frameworks. Data tables can combine multiple resources, so business users do not need permission to each (e.g. flows, prompts, queues).

Purpose-built interfaces can allow authorized business users to control scenarios such as:
+ Managing queue assignments, operating hours, skill mappings, and escalation rules
+ Modifying routing by language, location or VIP status
+ Activating emergency protocols

For more information about building custom interfaces, see the [Views no-code UI builder](no-code-ui-builder.md).

**Access Control and Security for Data Tables**  
Control access to table primary values so business users are only allowed view or modify fields that relate to their responsibilities.
+ Security profile permissions provide view, edit, create, and delete choices for managing the data table resource in the Routing section.
+ Tag-based access control (TBAC) provides record-based restrictions. Use if multiple teams need to access different subsets of data within large, multi-purpose tables.

**Service quotas for Data Tables**  
Connect provides:
+ Tables — 100 total per instance
+ Attributes (columns) — 100 per table
+ Values (cells) — 1000 per table
+ Lists — 100 items for text and number list values
+ Characters — 5k for non-primary text values, 1k for TEXT\$1LIST items and primary text values

To learn more about service quotas and how to manage them, see [Amazon Connect service quotas](amazon-connect-service-limits.md).

**Track changes to Data tables**  
On-screen audit history provides recent changes to a resource and its before and after values. Data table audit history includes new or changed table structure (attributes, primary keys, default values), as well as new or changed records (rows) within each data table.

**Note**  
AWS CloudTrail tracks the history of all resource changes. For more information, see [Log Amazon Connect API calls with AWS CloudTrail](logging-using-cloudtrail.md).

# Notifications in the workspace header
<a name="amazon-connect-notifications"></a>

## Understanding in-app notifications
<a name="understanding-notifications"></a>

In-app notifications are on-screen alerts that appear in the Amazon Connect header. They provide a central way to communicate important information to users that are logged into Amazon Connect. Notifications can be sent to administrators and agents. No matter what page a user is on, the header icon will indicate if they have unread messages.

![\[The notifications widget showing three unread notifications.\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/header-notifications.png)


**Supported Use Cases**  
Notifications support the following use cases:
+ System notifications such as availability impacts, failover events, policy changes, and critical feature updates.
+ Custom organizational messages specified in API requests by your team for desired use cases, for example training reminders, schedule adherence alerts, and emergency notifications to your teams.

## How Notifications Appear
<a name="how-notifications-appear"></a>

Notifications display in the Connect header with an icon indicating an unread message(s). Users click the icon to view messages.

![\[The notifications widget showing a user's notifications.\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/notifications-widget.png)


The notification panel shows:
+ **Priority indicator**: Urgent messages are emphasized
+ **Message content**: Up to 500 characters per localized string, with support for embedded links
+ **Mark as read**: Users can mark as read or unread by clicking on the actions menu on the right of each message

Unread notifications appear in bold with a dot indicator, sequenced newest to oldest. Read notifications have reduced visual emphasis. Users that do not have time to react to a message they have opened can mark it as unread as a visual reminder.

Notifications have a default visibility period of one week. Expired messages are automatically removed.

## Creating and Managing Notifications (API only)
<a name="create-notifications"></a>

Any user can *receive* notifications without additional permissions, but special permission is required to create, edit, delete, and view sent notifications.

**Important**  
To compose and send a notification requires API permissions. For more information about leveraging notification APIs see the [API guide](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/APIReference/actions-by-resource.html).

Granular access controls are enforced for users with permission to manage notifications:
+ **Tag-Based Access Control (TBAC)**: Admins with TBAC restrictions can only create, edit, or delete notifications that match their assigned tags. They can also only send notifications to users who have matching tags.
+ **Hierarchy-Based Access Control (HBAC)**: Admins can only create or manage notifications sent to users below their hierarchy level.

Your team can perform the following notification actions:
+ Send rich text messages with embedded links
+ Translate message in different languages to align with user preferences (up to 500 characters per localized string)
+ Specify the duration of each message, its "time to live" i.e. TTL (default is 1 week)
+ Update or delete existing messages
+ Send to up to 200 users at one time, or if necessary, everyone in the instance
  + 
**Important**  
Only admins without tag-based access control (TBAC) restrictions or hierarchy-based access control (HBAC) restrictions can create notifications for all users in an instance
+ Flag urgent messages as high priority so they are more visible

### Best practices
<a name="notification-best-practices"></a>

**Important**  
Do not include Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

**Minimize notification overload**  
Up to 500 active notifications per instance are supported. Avoid the probability of notification fatigue by:
+ **Targeting specific audiences**: Cast the narrowest net possible.
+ **Consolidating related updates**: Group information into a single notification rather than sending multiple messages.
+ **Avoiding redundant messages**: Before creating a new notification, consider whether updating an existing one would be more appropriate.
+ **Using appropriate priority**: Reserve high priority for truly important messages to maintain its effectiveness.
+ **Providing succinct messages**: Include links to full documentation rather than lengthy content in notifications.

**Manage ongoing situations**  
For events that generate multiple updates (such as weather disruptions or system issues), consider:
+ Sending only the most pertinent status changes (e.g., "incident initiated" and "incident resolved")
+ Pacing updates at reasonable intervals—avoid overwhelming users with rapid-fire messages
+ Setting expectations about update frequency (e.g., "Updates will be sent every 10 minutes until conditions improve")
+ Using the update API to modify existing notifications rather than creating new ones for each status change

*Example*: If severe weather affects 320 agents in your IT support queue, send an initial alert with the impact. Five minutes later, update with current status: "170 agents remain without access." Continue with meaningful updates at defined intervals.

**When to use alternatives**  
Consider alternatives to notifications in these scenarios:
+ **For tracked action items**: Notifications provide CloudTrail auditing but are not as robust as the Tasks feature, which provides assignment, tracking, and reporting capabilities. The notification system does not provide delivery confirmation or read receipts.
+ **For scenarios that require data retention**: Notifications are only stored until their TTL expires or they are manually deleted. Default TTL is one week.
+ **For AWS console users**: Notifications only appear in the Connect website. They cannot reach users working exclusively in the AWS console.

**Testing and verifying receipt**  
Follow these guidelines when testing notifications:
+ **Test before broad deployment**: Send to a small group first to validate content and formatting.
+ Be aware that notifications are sent immediately upon creation; scheduled delivery is not supported.
+ **Verify delivery**: Include yourself in the recipient list to confirm the notification appears as expected.