Control Center Overview
Control Center: Overview & Navigation
| Article ID | RC-CC-21 — Control Center: Overview & Navigation |
|---|---|
| Domain | Control Center (Admin) |
| Applies To | REDCap administrators |
| Prerequisite | REDCap administrator access |
| Version | 1.0 |
| Last Updated | 2026 |
| Author | See KB-SOURCE-ATTESTATION.md |
| Related Topics | RC-CC-01 — Control Center: Notifications & Reporting (Dashboard); RC-CC-02 — Control Center: General System Configuration; RC-CC-07 — Control Center: Users & Access Management; RC-CC-09 — Control Center: To-Do List; RC-CC-25 — Control Center: Access Control Groups |
1. Overview¶
The Control Center is the administrative hub of a REDCap instance. It is only accessible to REDCap administrators (also called super users). Standard project users and project-level admins do not have access to the Control Center. Administrators reach it via the Control Center link in the left-hand navigation menu, which is only visible to accounts with administrator privileges.
From the Control Center, an administrator can configure system-wide settings, manage users, enable or disable features, monitor activity, and control how REDCap behaves across all projects on the instance.
Note: Changes made in the Control Center affect the entire REDCap instance, not individual projects. Use care when modifying settings that are already in active use.
2. Navigation Overview¶
The Control Center is organized into several top-level sections, each accessible from a sidebar menu. The sections and their primary purposes are:
Control Center Home¶
The landing page of the Control Center. Displays system notifications, recent errors, and a to-do list for items that may need administrator attention. No configurable settings live here — it is an informational dashboard. See RC-CC-01 — Control Center: Notifications & Reporting (Dashboard) for full details on the Notifications & Reporting dashboard, and RC-CC-09 — Control Center: To-Do List for the To-Do List.
REDCap Plus — A subscription add-on visible in the Control Center Home menu that unlocks premium features. See RC-PLUS-01 — REDCap+: Overview and Subscription for details.
Administrator Resources¶
Links to REDCap community resources, training materials, API documentation, and plugin/hook documentation. Also includes: - Language File Creator/Updater — for managing system language files - URL Shortener — a utility for generating shortened URLs from any link in the system (see RC-CC-10 — Control Center: URL Shortener)
Dashboards & Activity¶
Read-only statistical and monitoring views. Includes: - System Statistics — usage trends across the instance (see RC-CC-11 — Control Center: System Statistics) - User Activity Log — per-user activity history (see RC-CC-12 — Control Center: User Activity Log) - User Activity Graphs — visual usage trend charts (see RC-CC-13 — Control Center: User Activity Graphs) - FHIR Statistics — activity metrics for Clinical Data Interoperability Services (FHIR) if enabled - Map of Users — geographic distribution of user accounts (see RC-CC-14 — Control Center: Map of Users) - Top Usage Report — engagement summary across projects and users (see RC-CC-15 — Control Center: Top Usage Report) - Recent Errors — system error log - Database Activity Monitor — in-depth query-level monitoring of the database (see RC-CC-16 — Control Center: Database Activity Monitor) - Database Query Tool — allows administrators to run SQL queries directly against the REDCap database (see RC-CC-17 — Control Center: Database Query Tool)
Projects¶
Tools for looking up and managing individual projects: - Browse Projects — search and view any project on the instance - Edit Project Settings — modify settings for a specific project directly; individual project defaults are configured in other sections of the Control Center - Link Lookup — reverse-lookup which project a given survey or other REDCap link belongs to
Users¶
Administrative tools for user account management. See RC-CC-07 — Control Center: Users & Access Management for full details. Includes: - Browse Users - User Allowlist - Email Users - API Tokens - Banned IP Addresses - Administrator Privileges - Access Control Groups
Miscellaneous Modules¶
Configuration for optional or institution-specific modules: - Multi-Language Management (MLM) — Control Center configuration covered in RC-CC-20 — Control Center: Multi-Language Management; full feature documentation in RC-MLM-01 — Multi-Language Management - Clinical Data Interoperability Services (CDIS) — integration with clinical data sources (e.g., EHR systems) - Dynamic Data Pull (DDP) — custom real-time data pull from external systems - Custom Application Links — add institution-specific links to the left-hand project menu (e.g., help desk, training portal, external applications). See RC-CC-18 — Control Center: Custom Application Links. - Publication Matching — automated nightly PubMed search to associate research projects with PI publications. See RC-CC-19 — Control Center: Publication Matching.
System Configuration¶
The largest section of the Control Center, containing all system-wide behavioral and technical settings. Sub-pages include:
| Sub-page | KB Article | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| General Configuration | RC-CC-02 — Control Center: General System Configuration | Server settings, email config, system-wide text and branding |
| Security & Authentication | RC-CC-03 — Control Center: Security & Authentication | Authentication method, 2FA, login rules, security settings |
| User Settings | RC-CC-04 — Control Center: User Settings & Defaults | Project creation permissions, user defaults, public report access |
| File Upload Settings | RC-CC-05 — Control Center: File Storage & Upload Settings | Storage method, upload limits, file type-specific settings |
| Modules/Services Configuration | RC-CC-06 — Control Center: Modules & Services Configuration | Feature toggles, SMS services, e-Consent, external modules |
| Field Validation Types | RC-CC-08 — Control Center: Home Page, Templates & Project Defaults | Enabled/disabled validation types, custom validations |
| Home Page Settings | RC-CC-08 — Control Center: Home Page, Templates & Project Defaults | Contact info, announcement text, grant display |
| Project Templates | RC-CC-08 — Control Center: Home Page, Templates & Project Defaults | Default templates available to users when creating new projects |
| Default Project Settings | RC-CC-08 — Control Center: Home Page, Templates & Project Defaults | Language, encoding, logo, date format defaults for all projects |
| Footer Settings (All Projects) | RC-CC-08 — Control Center: Home Page, Templates & Project Defaults | Links and text displayed in the footer across all projects |
| Cron Jobs | — | View and manage scheduled background tasks (cron job list; max concurrency configured in RC-CC-02 — Control Center: General System Configuration) |
| External Modules | — | See your institution's External Modules policy |
3. Who Can Access the Control Center?¶
The Control Center is visible only to REDCap administrators (super users). On the left navigation, regular users will not see the Control Center link. Administrator accounts are managed under Users → Administrator Privileges in the Control Center itself (see RC-CC-07 — Control Center: Users & Access Management).
Different tiers of administrator access may exist depending on instance configuration — for example, some administrators may have full system access while others are granted limited privileges for specific environments (development, test, production).
4. Common Questions¶
Q: If I make a change in the Control Center, how quickly does it take effect across all projects? Most Control Center changes take effect immediately. For example, disabling a feature, enabling a module, or changing email settings updates the behavior system-wide right away. However, some changes may require users to log out and log back in to see the effect, or may only apply to new data created after the change. Always document when you make changes so you can explain timing to affected users.
Q: Can I restrict certain administrators to have limited Control Center access (e.g., only certain sections)? REDCap administrators at the instance level typically have full Control Center access. However, some institutions configure role-based or tiered administrator access through the "Administrator Privileges" section. Check with your REDCap administrator team or instance configuration to see if limited administrative roles are available. Project-level admins never have Control Center access.
Q: What happens if two administrators make changes to the Control Center settings at the same time? REDCap typically handles concurrent changes gracefully, but if two administrators save contradictory settings simultaneously, the last save will overwrite the previous one. To avoid confusion, coordinate major changes with your administration team or use a change management log to document who is making what changes and when.
Q: Can project users see the Control Center? No. Standard project users and project-level admins do not have access to the Control Center. The Control Center link only appears in the left-hand menu for accounts with super-user administrator privileges. Project-level admins can configure their own project settings, but they cannot access system-wide Control Center functions.
Q: How do I know which Control Center changes are safe to make on a live (production) instance? Many Control Center changes are low-risk (e.g., updating contact information, adding custom links). However, some changes are disruptive (e.g., disabling a feature used by active projects, changing authentication settings). Review the documentation for each setting, test changes in a development instance first if possible, and communicate planned changes to relevant project managers before implementing on production.
5. Common Mistakes & Gotchas¶
Making system-wide changes without considering impacts on active projects. Control Center settings affect all projects on the instance. For example, disabling file uploads, changing field validation types, or modifying default project settings impacts every project immediately. Always assess the downstream effects before making changes, and communicate with project managers when you are making system-wide modifications.
Forgetting to save changes before navigating away from a Control Center page. Some Control Center pages do not auto-save. If you make changes and navigate away without clicking "Save" or pressing CTRL+S, your changes will be lost. Make it a habit to explicitly save before moving to another page or section.
Assuming Control Center changes automatically apply to existing projects or data. Many Control Center settings establish defaults for new projects or new data created after the change. Existing projects and historical data may not be affected by system-wide changes. For example, changing the default language or date format applies to new projects, but projects created before the change retain their previous settings. Always clarify whether a setting applies retroactively or only to new items.