KPI Chart Guide (Closed Beta)

Introduction to the KPI (Key Performance Indicator) Chart and Insights

We are continually enhancing our data visualization capabilities in Storyboards, and we're excited to introduce the KPI Chart as a powerful new option. KPI Charts are specifically designed to highlight key performance indicators, providing a clear and immediate visual representation of metrics, their current status, and performance against previous periods.

Before diving into creating your KPI Chart, it's beneficial to be familiar with the fundamentals of building basic charts or tables. For a refresher, please consult our guides on Creating basic charts and tables and Define (Explore in Storyboards) guide.

Getting Started and Permissions

During the beta period, you will need to have the feature flag enabled. Please raise an ADMIN - Activation ticket via the Help Center to activate this feature for yourself and a small group of beta testers. This step will no longer be required once the feature becomes Generally Available (GA). 

To get started using the KPI Chart, you will need to ensure you have the following permissions.

The permissions of CanExploreData and CanCreateDashboard are required to create or edit the queries or visualizations.  

These permissions are accessed from Admin > Application Role > Permission page.  The user will also need Storyboard edit permission to make any modifications to that Storyboard.  This permission is accessed from Admin > Data Access Role > Storyboard > Edit or via Storyboard Settings > Sharing > Can View & Edit.

Your Data Access Role permissions govern the actual data users are able to view based on their selected roles.

Authorized users can access the Define panel to create new queries or visualizations, as well as modify existing ones.

Creating the KPI Chart (Define)

The KPI (Key Performance Indicator) chart is designed to provide an at-a-glance overview of a company or organization's current performance.

1. To create a KPI Chart from within a Storyboard, click on the Edit [pencil] icon to enter Storyboard Modify Mode.

Click the Add [+] icon, then select the KPI Chart option.

2. A new window will appear where you can Define the query for the chart.

3. Choose your data:
   • For a basic KPI Chart, include 
     • 1 Metric, 
     • Time Period (Time).
   • For more specific analysis you can include:
     •  Filter (Optional dimension)   
4. Click Run & Preview Query to run the query and generate a preview of your chart.

5. Click the Table tab to switch to a table view of the data.  Click KPI to view the diagram. 

6. Click Insert to Storyboard to add your KPI chart to your Storyboard or you can edit the query definition and re-run the query to get the desired results before inserting the waterfall chart to your Storyboard. 
7. Your KPI chart will be added to the bottom of your Storyboard. 
8. Enter a name for the Tile Title, then click Save at the top right of the page, and Exit Modify Mode.

Editing the KPI Chart (Define)

1. To edit a KPI chart from within a Storyboard, click on the Edit [pencil] icon to enter Storyboard Modify Mode.  
2. From the Tile Configuration Panel, click the new icon Settings.

3. This will open the query definition window > Define tab 
4. Update or edit the query definition and click Run & Preview Query to run the new query.
5. Click Update to Storyboard to update the Storyboard Tile - the modal window will close.  Alternatively you can Cancel to return to the Storyboard with no updates applied.
   
    

Customizing the KPI Chart Visual Style (Design)

1. To customize the appearance of the KPI chart, click on the Edit [pencil] icon to enter Storyboard Modify Mode. 
2. From the Tile Configuration Panel, click the icon Settings to open the panel and navigate to the Design Tab.

Design properties for the KPI Chart are organized into three main sections:

• Key Value: These settings allow you to control the size, style, and color of the primary metric value displayed.
• Change Indicator: This section governs the appearance of the change (increase or decrease), including its color, as well as the display of the numerical and/or percentage difference.
• Chart Options: Here, you'll find comprehensive settings to control the overall look and feel of the visualization. This includes subsections like Chart Color Palette, Legend, Axis, and other properties consistent with those found in basic chart design settings.

Any updates to Design Settings configurations apply immediately to the KPI chart so simply click Update on Storyboard.

Customizing the KPI Chart Annotations & Insights (Describe)

1. To customize the appearance of the KPI chart, click on the Edit [pencil] icon to enter Storyboard Modify Mode. 

3. From the Tile Configuration Panel, click the icon Settings to open the panel and navigate to the Describe Tab.

The Describe tab for the KPI Chart provides tools for adding context and insights:

• Annotations: Add textual elements directly to your data visualization to highlight specific insights or provide additional context.
• Insights: Utilize a text area below the visualization to add specific qualitative insights and commentary about the KPI chart.  
  • Insights - toggle on/off to show or hide the text area.
  • Insight Type 
    • Static Text
    • Auto Insights *
    • Custom Insights (Analyze) *
      • Includes Analyze Prompt Question (Instruction Prompt) **
  • Styling options for Insights include (dependant on selection)
    • Text Style
    • Text Size
    • Text Color
    • Background Color
    • Text Area Max Height (%)

Insight Permissions

* To see and select ‘Auto Insights’ and ‘Custom Insights (Analyze)’ you will need to have the permissions of CanAccessOneAIAssistantVisualizations.

• Access to ‘Auto Insights’ is controlled by CanAccessOneAIAssistantInsights and CanAccessOneAIAssistantRecommendations Application Access Role permissions.  These insights are generated automatically by analyzing the data and surfacing key findings (trends, outliers and patterns in the chart of table) the same as One AI Assistant Insights. 
• Access to ‘Custom Insights (Analyze)’ is controlled by CanAccessOneAIAssistantAnalyze Application Access Role permission. These insights are generated by the user's natural language question about the chart or table which is entered in the prompt text box, similar to One AI Assistant Analyze, except only the specific response is rendered, not a back-and-forth conversation. 

Analyze Prompt Question (Custom Insights)

** Analyze Prompt Question (Custom Insights)

When utilizing the Custom Insights (Analyze) feature, you will enter a Question/Instruction Prompt that guides the AI on how to analyze the chart's data and format its response.

The complexity and breadth of your instruction prompt are critical factors that directly influence both the quality of the insight generated and the time it takes to process and load the chart:

Quality vs. Performance Trade-off: Prompts that demand high-level strategic reasoning (like identifying highest financial risk) deliver the most trusted insights but are computationally expensive, increasing the load time. Prompts focused purely on extraction and formatting are the fastest.

Read our detailed Prompt Guide for designers on how to structure questions for maximum quality and efficiency.

Feedback Form

We encourage our beta testers to complete this Feedback Form to let us know what’s working well, report any issues encountered, and share ideas for future enhancements.