Beta - Define (Explore in Storyboards) Guide

BETA - Using Storyboards - Define panel (Explore in Storyboards)

Introduction

The Explore tool has long been your go-to for delving into data and crafting captivating visualizations. But now, we're thrilled to introduce a game-changing addition with the Define Panel.
What is it? Think of it as Explore seamlessly integrated within your Storyboards. No more switching back and forth; now, you can uncover insights, create visualizations, and modify Tiles—all without leaving your Storyboard.

This beta release is NOT behind a feature flag and is now available to all users.

If you have been experimenting with the Sankey Diagrams, you will already be familiar with the Define panel. In this release, we have expanded the Define panel to include Basic Charts, Lists, Free Text Tiles and Key Values, with Geomaps to come in the release on 17 April 2024.

Let’s get started with the Define panel, your Explore in Storyboards.

Permissions

To get started using the Define Panel, 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.

Accessing the Define panel to create new visualizations

The Define panel was designed to be super-intuitive and easy to use. With a few simple clicks, you will create impactful data visualizations in Storyboards. Don’t like what you see? You can effortlessly make a few edits and refinements without ever leaving the Storyboard. So, let’s start by creating a new visualization on an existing Storyboard.

Step 1.

Navigate to your chosen Storyboard. To create a new query or visualization click on the Edit [pencil] icon to enter Storyboard Modify Mode.

Step 2.

Click the Add [+] icon to display the new ‘Build Storyboard’ panel

Step 3.

Click the visualization type you want to create to display the Define Panel. The left-hand side of the panel offers a starter guide with information about the basic requirements to create the selected visualization type.

Step 4.

Use the query builder on the right-hand side to define the chart query. The + icon adds, the eye icon indicates your selections, and your check and cross icons are your filtering selections.

Step 5.

Click Run to run the query to preview your visualization.

Step 6.

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

Step 7.

Click Insert to add the defined visualization into the Storyboard. You can also edit the query definition and re-run the query before inserting it to your Storyboard.

Step 8.

Enter a name for the Tile Title, then click Save at the top right of the page, and Exit Modify Mode.

Your new visualization has now been created and saved to your Storyboard. If you wish to add multiple visualizations, we recommend creating one at a time and saving after you have added each tile.