Stories

The Stories feature allows you to tell a story using interactive snapshots of dashboards and views. The snapshots become points in a story. This allows you to construct guided narrative or even an entire presentation.

Let's consider an example in which story points might be useful. The executive managers are pleased with the Regional Scorecard dashboard you developed previously. Now, they want you to make a presentation to the board and highlight some specific issues for the South region. With minimal effort, you can take your simple scorecard, add a few additional views, and tell an entire story:

  1. First, we'll build a couple of additional views. Create a simple geographic view named ProfitRatio KPI by State. Make this a filled map with the KPI – Profit Ratio field, defining color.
  2. Add Profit Ratio to the Detail of the Marks card so that it is available for later use:
  1. Create one additional view named Profit Ratio by Quarter. Use Order Date as a continuous date value on Columns and Profit Ratio on Rows.
  1. Set the mark type to bars. Add a reference line for the Profit Ratio KPI Target parameter value (you can right-click the Profit Ratio axis and set it to Add Reference Line...).
  2. Add KPI – Profit Ratio to Color. You may also wish to click the Color shelf and add a border.
  3. Go ahead and filter the view to the south Region and use the drop-down menu to apply that filter to the Profit Ratio KPI by State view as well:

  1. Create a new dashboard with the two new views arranged in the same way as what's shown in the following screenshot. Add the Profit Ratio KPI Target parameter and Region filter if they do not show.
  1. Use the drop-down on Profit Ratio KPI by State to use that view as a filter:
  1. Create a New Story by selecting Story | New Story from the menu, or by using the new story tab at the bottom next to the existing sheets:
The Story interface consists of a sidebar with all visible dashboards and views. At the top, you'll see the Story Title, which can be edited. Each new point in the story will appear as a navigation box with text that can also be edited. Clicking on the box will give you access to the story point, where you can then add a single dashboard or view.

You can create new story points using the New Blank Point button (for a new story point), the Duplicate button (which will create a duplicate snapshot of the currently selected story point), or the Save as New Point button (which will capture the current state of the dashboard as a new story point).

Clicking on a story point navigation box will bring up the snapshot of the view or dashboard for that story point. You may interact with the dashboard by doing such things as making selections, changing filters, changing parameter values, and adding annotations. Changing any aspect of the dashboard will present you with an option to Update the existing story point to the current state of the dashboard. Alternatively, you can use the Revert button above the navigation box to return to the original state of the dashboard. Clicking the X will remove the story point.

Each story point contains an entirely independent snapshot of a dashboard. Filters selections, parameter values, selections, and annotations will be remembered for a particular story point, but will have no impact on other story points or any other sheet in the dashboard.

You may rearrange story points by dragging and dropping the navigation boxes.

We'll build the story by completing the following steps:

  1. Give the story the title South Region Analysis.
  2. Add the Regional Scorecard dashboard as the first story point. Select the South region in the map. Give the story point the following text: The South Region has not performed well the last 6 months:

  1. Click the New Blank Point button to create a new story point and add the Profit Ratio Analysis dashboard to the point.
  2. Give this story point a caption of Only one state has met the 15% target overall.
  3. Right-click Virginia on the map and select Annotate | Mark. Keep the state and profit ratio as part of the annotation:
  1. Click the Duplicate button to copy the current story point. Give this new story point a caption of 3 states would meet a goal of 10%. Set the Profit Ratio KPI Target to 10.00% and update the point.
  2. Click the Duplicate button again and give the newly created point a caption of Certain states have performed well historically.
  1. Right-click the annotation for Virginia, select Remove to delete it, and then add a similar annotation for Louisiana. Then, click Louisiana to select that state.
  2. Make sure to click the Update button to capture the state of the dashboard.

In Presentation Mode, the buttons for adding, duplicating, updating, or removing story points are not shown. Your final story should look similar to this:

Take some time to walk through the presentation. Clicking navigation boxes will show that story point. You can fully interact with the dashboard in each story point. In this way, you can answer questions on the fly and dig into details, and then continue through the story.

A great way to learn about dashboard techniques (and data visualization techniques in general) is to subscribe to Viz of the Day (http://www.tableau.com/public/community/viz-of-the-day). A new visualization, dashboard or story is featured each day. When you see a design technique or visualization you want to understand, you can download the workbook and explore the various techniques that were used.
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