Introduction to Storyboards

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Prerequisites: None – this is the starting point for all Storyboard content

What you’ll learn

By the end of this article, you’ll understand:

• What Storyboards are and how they fit into your One Model instance.
• The different tile types available for building visualisations.
• How permissions control what you can see, create, and edit.
• Where to go next based on your role.

Overview

Storyboards are where you bring together data visualisations, text, and tables to deliver insights and tell a story with your data. Each Storyboard is made up of tiles - individual panels that display a chart, table, metric value, text block, or image. You arrange tiles on a canvas, apply filters, and share the finished Storyboard with the people who need to see it.

Think of a Storyboard as a live dashboard that stays connected to your organization’s data. When the underlying data refreshes, every tile updates automatically. You can build a single executive overview or a multi-page Storyboard that covers different topics across separate pages.

Storyboards live in the Storyboard Library, which you access from the Storyboards tab in the main navigation bar. From the library you can browse, search, open, copy, share, and manage your Storyboards.

Tile types

Every piece of content in a Storyboard is a tile. The tile type determines what kind of data or content it displays. When you add a new tile in Modify Mode, you choose from the following:

Tip: You don’t need to memorise every tile type. Start with Basic Charts and KPI Charts for most use cases, then explore the others as your Storyboards become more sophisticated.

How editing works: Modify Mode

To make any changes to a Storyboard such as adding tiles, rearranging the layout, changing a query, or adjusting colours, you enter Modify Mode by clicking the Edit (pencil) icon in the top toolbar. While in Modify Mode you can drag and drop tiles to reposition them, resize tiles by dragging their corners, and open the tile settings to configure each one.

Each tile’s settings are organised into up to four panels:

Not every tile type uses all four panels. Text tiles and image tiles, for example, have their own simpler editing interfaces. The four-panel framework applies primarily to chart and table tiles.

When you’re done editing, click Save and then Exit Modify Mode. If you want to discard your changes, exit without saving.

Pages

Every Storyboard has at least one page. You can add more pages to organise content into logical sections - for example, an HR review Storyboard might have separate pages for headcount, turnover, recruitment, and compensation. Pages appear as tabs at the bottom of the Storyboard, and viewers click a tab to switch between them.

Storyboard filters apply across all pages. When a viewer applies a filter, every tile on every page updates. This means you can use filters to narrow the entire Storyboard to a specific department, location, or time period without switching pages.

When to use multiple pages

Tip: Use the first page as an executive summary with KPI tiles and high-level charts. Link tiles on the summary page to detailed pages deeper in the Storyboard so viewers can drill down from the headline numbers.

Permissions overview

What you can see and do in Storyboards depends on your role and permissions, which are managed by your organisation’s Admin. Here’s a quick summary:

Note: Your Data Access Role also controls which data you can see. If a colleague’s Storyboard shows metrics you can’t access, the tiles will appear empty or restricted for you.

Multi-page Storyboards

A Storyboard can have multiple pages, letting you organise related content into logical sections. For example, an HR review Storyboard might have separate pages for headcount, turnover, recruitment, and compensation.

In Modify Mode, use the page menu at the bottom of the screen to add, rename, reorder, copy, or delete pages. Viewers navigate between pages using the same menu.

Next steps

Now that you understand what Storyboards are, you might want to explore:

• Navigating the Storyboard Library – how to find, search, and organise your Storyboards.
• How to create a new Storyboard – step-by-step guide to building your first Storyboard.
• Managing your Storyboards – copying, renaming, deleting, and organising Storyboards.
• Understanding the Define, Design, Discover, and Describe panels – a deeper look at the four-panel editing framework.