Discover is Ardoq's simplified, contributor-focused experience designed to help business users easily consume architecture data and contribute insights.
This Beta is the outcome of our work focusing on creating consistency between Ardoq's core platform and Discover. It aims to improve the experience of building and sharing architecture data with the rest of your organisation.
What the new experience provides
One intuitive way of creating and sharing viewpoints. Admins can now visually build and share powerful viewpoints using the intuitive Core Visual Builder, eliminating the need for complicated triple-rules.
A single permission model. Access is managed through the same robust, granular permissions scheme used in Core, ensuring contributors see exactly what they are authorized for, without friction or confusion.
Same view styles and visualizations. All users benefit from the latest, most consistent views and visualizations available in the Core platform (e.g., Block Diagrams, Dependency Maps, plus new features like Bubble Charts).
One Platform. Zero Friction. Discover now lives entirely inside the core Ardoq application, and is no longer a stand-alone platform — it is now a seamless part of the Core platform.
Note: We aim to make the new Discover experience the generally available standard for all users by the end of Q1 2026. Your testing is essential to ensure a smooth transition, and we thank you for your valuable input.
Get started
This article explains how to configure and enable the new Discover beta features for your organization. To see what this new experience looks like for contributors, follow the link provided below.
How to enable the new Discover beta for your organization?
Configuring the new Discover experience (Beta)
Watch this video guide to get started:
1. Opting in to the open beta
To start using the new version of Discover, an Ardoq administrator must opt-in the organization into the beta.
Note: Please be aware that this change applies instantly to the entire organization; however, you can always return to switch the feature off again.
Navigate to Preferences > Organization settings > Features.
Locate the Unified Ardoq Discover and Core section.
Toggle the switch for New Discover to On.
Once enabled, the "old" Discover is still accessible via a banner on the new landing page ("Open old Discover"), ensuring a smooth transition.
2. Configuring Permissions for contributors
The new experience replaces the legacy Discover permissions with Ardoq’s robust, granular permission model. You must explicitly grant access to assets for contributors to see them.
A. Giving access to Components using Workspaces
To allow contributors to see data (e.g., Applications, Business Capabilities) in the Inventory and the Viewpoints shared with them, you first need to ensure they have the right access to the underlying components:
Locate the relevant Workspace (e.g., Applications) in the sidebar.
Right-click and select Manage Permissions.
Share with the Entire Organization, a User Group, or Individual users.
Set the access level to "Can view" to make the data available for contributors.
Save the changes
B. Sharing Viewpoints with contributors
This process permits users to see specific diagrams (Viewpoints) in Discover, when searching for component types.
Navigate to Viewpoints in the sidebar.
Right-click the desired Viewpoint and select Manage Permissions.
If you don't yet have any Viewpoints created, click Create new in the top right. See the "How to create a Viewpoint" article for details. ADD ARTICLE LINK
Grant "Can view" access to your target audience.
The Viewpoint will now show on the Overview Page for the given component type.
Note on Visibility: A viewpoint will only appear on the overview page for its starting component type. For example, a viewpoint starting with an Application will only be visible when a user is looking at Applications, even if it connects to other component types.
C. Additional asset permissions - Dashboards, Reports, and Surveys
Ensure the right permissions are configured correctly for other assets contributors who need to access, such as Dashboards, Reports, and Surveys:
Right-click the Dashboard, Report, or Survey you need to configure.
Select Manage Permissions.
Grant "Can view" access to the Entire Organization, a User Group, or Individual users..
💡 Tip: Double-check the permissions for any content you feature on the Discover landing page or in Quick Links. If you have pinned a Report or Dashboard, or added a shortcut to a specific asset, make sure those items are shared with Entire Organization > Can view, so all contributors can actually see them without error.
3. Customize the Discover Interface
You can customize the Discover experience by configuring the homepage content and search behavior.
How to access Discover Settings:
From the sidebar menu, navigate to Preferences > Organization settings.
Click on Open Organization Settings.
In the top menu bar, select Discover Settings.
Inside Discover Settings, you will see two main tabs: Home page content and Search.
1. Home page content (Quick Links)
This tab allows you to manage the "Quick links" that appear on the Discover homepage. These are useful for giving contributors easy access to key views, dashboards, or external resources.
Add content: You can add external links or link directly to Ardoq assets (like reports or dashboards).
Details: Give each link a Title and a Description to help users understand what it is.
Reorder: Drag the handles on the list items to change the order they appear on the homepage.
Remove: Click the X on the right side of an item to remove it.
2. Search Settings
Switch to the Search tab on the left to configure how the search function works for contributors.
Custom ID Search: You can select a custom field (like an "Enterprise ID") to be indexed, allowing users to find components using internal identifiers.
Ardoq ID Search: Toggle this ON to allow users to search for components specifically by their unique Ardoq ID.
This should cover everything you need to get your organization configured properly with the new Discover beta. If you need any further help, we're happy to answer any questions you have through our in-app chat function.
🚀 What's Coming Next: Continuous Improvement
We are committed to making this new experience a powerful and intuitive way to work. We are already building exciting new functionality to enhance your productivity. Here’s a sneak peek at what you can look forward to next:
AI-powered semantic search: A more powerful search experience that understands natural language, making it easier than ever to find exactly what you need. Learn more about this initiative on our Product portal.
Business-critical fields: Easily highlight your most important fields to be shown at the top of the Component Overview Page.
An even more intuitive and informative Component Overview Page to give you clarity at a glance.
Got feedback to share? You can submit your feedback directly on our Product Portal initiative here: Discover: Unify Core and Discover capabilities
How to Communicate the New Discover Experience to Your Team
To make it easier to prepare your wider team for the new Discover experience, we’ve included an email you can share with them below. Feel free to copy, paste, and adapt it as needed.
[BEGIN COPY/PASTE EMAIL FOR YOUR TEAM]
Subject: Upcoming Update: Introducing a new Discover experience
Hi everyone,
I’m writing to let you know that we will soon enable an updated experience for Discover - the portal you use to look up information, view dashboards and reports, and complete tasks assigned by the Architecture team.
What’s changing?
You’ll notice a refreshed, more intuitive homepage that makes it easier to:
Explore or search for information (such as applications, capabilities, teams, or people)
Access reports, dashboards, and presentations shared with you
See and complete your assigned tasks in one place
The goal is to make things simpler and more consistent, especially when you’re looking for information or responding to requests from our Architecture team.
What stays the same?
You will continue to log in the same way as today
Your access, responsibilities, and assigned tasks do not change
Any dashboards, reports, or data you previously worked with will still be available
Do you need to do anything?
No action is required from your side. The update will be applied automatically, and the next time you log in you’ll see the new homepage.
If you’d like a quick overview of how to navigate the new setup, here’s a short guide with screenshots and examples.
Questions or issues?
If something doesn’t look right or you need help, feel free to reach out to [Your Name / Designated Internal Contact].
Thanks for your support, and we hope the updated experience makes your work faster and easier!
[END COPY/PASTE EMAIL FOR YOUR TEAM]
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are the key changes in the new, integrated Discover experience?
A: The new Discover is now fully integrated into your core Ardoq application, bringing four main improvements:
Platform: Discover is no longer a separate portal; it functions as a landing page inside your core application.
Viewpoints: You now use the intuitive Visual Builder to create and modify viewpoints, replacing the older rule-based methods.
Permissions: Access management now uses the robust, granular permission model of the main application.
Visualizations: All views and styles are now identical across the entire application, eliminating the distinction between Discover and Core visualizations.
Q: What happens to the previous version of Discover?
A: During the open beta testing period, users who already have Discover can still access the "old" interface. You will see a banner at the top of the new Discover landing page UI with the option to "Open old Discover."
Q: What happens to the existing Discover viewpoints I created?
A: The new Discover works exclusively with the viewpoints built for the core Ardoq application.
Core Viewpoints: Every viewpoint you created for the main app will work out-of-the-box.
Legacy Discover Viewpoints: The old style of "Discover viewpoints" will not be available in the new UI. You will need to create these using the Visual Builder if you haven't already created a corresponding Core version.
Q: Has the web address for Discover changed?
A: Yes, the URL structure has been updated. The new Discover is accessed at yourorg.ardoq.com/app/discover. The previous version remains accessible at yourorg.ardoq.com/discover.
Q: How do I share a link to a report or dashboard with a contributor role now?
A: The previous "Copy Discover report URL" button has been removed. You now share links by simply copying the standard URL from the Dashboard or Report Reader page. This new link works the same way for all users. Just make sure you first grant access to view for contributors to the assets you are sharing.
Q: What will happen to the old links I previously shared or embedded?
A: Old links will remain accessible while the beta period is ongoing. However, we encourage you to start using the new standard links moving forward, as the previous links will be scheduled to be retired at a future date.
Q: When will the new Discover experience in Core become the standard version?
A: We plan to make the new integrated experience generally available (GA) for all users by the end of Q1 next year. To ensure a smooth and successful transition, we encourage you to test the new interface during the beta period thoroughly. Your valuable feedback is essential in preparing for a smooth full rollout!
Q: Where can I give feedback?
A: You can submit your feedback directly on our Product Portal initiative here: Discover: Unify Core and Discover capabilities
Q: Who can access the new Discover experience in the Open Beta?
The new Discover experience is available only to organizations that already have Discover enabled. If your organization does not currently use Discover and you’re interested in learning more, please reach out to your Ardoq Customer Success Manager to discuss availability and next steps.