Tableau Story

What is Tableau Story?

Tableau Story is a series of visualizations placed sequentially that collaborate to convey certain key information to the end users. Stories can be created to relay a data narrative, provide a context, demonstrate a model linking the outcome to certain business decisions, or present a compelling case. Stories can be published on the web or presented to the intended users in Tableau.

Tableau story is a sheet or collection of sheets arranged sequentially. So, any amendments you perform to the sheet, such as creating, naming, or managing worksheets/dashboards, affect the stories as well. By creating a story, you allow your users to figure out specific information or get insight into the data through a series of interactions. A typical Tableau story looks something like the one below.

Tableau Story - Intro
Key Takeaways
  • Tableau Story is a series of visualizations placed sequentially that come together to convey certain key information to the end users. 
  • Stories can be created to relay a data narrative, provide a context, demonstrate a model linking the outcome to certain business decisions, or present a compelling case. 
  • The key components of a story include Tableau story points, title, caption, story layout and formatting, and dashboard.
  • You can customize the appearance of a Tableau story and embed the view on a blog, webpage, or any internet portal.
  • You can share the Tableau story either through presentation or by publishing it to the Tableau server or public.

Components

The key components of a story include:

  • Story Title – This refers to the title or central theme of a Tableau story
  • Tableau story points – This is nothing but each sheet or slide in a story. The points can be based on
    • a different view or dashboard
    • same visualization observed at different stages with different sets of filters and annotations
  • Story Text – You can add texts, a caption, and other essential information in a text box to provide clarity or message to the users.
  • Dashboard – Allows you to fit a dashboard to the size of the story.
  • Story Layout and formatting – Tableau allows you to customize the story layout and apply formatting to the story for enhanced user experience and readability.
  • Story presentation – You can use Presentation mode to present the story.

How to Create a Story in Tableau?

To create a story in Tableau, follow the instructions outlined below:

Step 1: Import your dataset into Tableau using the File Navigation.

Tableau Story - Step 1

Step 2: Create data visualization in the new worksheets using the imported data. You can arrange these worksheets in a sequence for your story creation.

For example, here we have built four different data visualizations, i.e., Regionwise sales.

Tableau Story - Step 1 - data visualization

Top Product categories with the highest sales:

Tableau Story - Step 1 - Product

Product categories with high returns:

Tableau Story - Step 1 - Product - high returns

Distribution of ship mode:

Tableau Story - Step 1 - Distribution

Step 3: Click on the New Story icon in Tableau.

Tableau Story - Step 3

Tableau will display a new story page along with the worksheets, a.k.a. Tableau story points, in the Story pane.

Tableau Story - Step 3 - new Story

Step 4: Rename the story tab. Right-click on the Story 1 sheet name, and click on the Edit Title to provide a name to the sheet.

Tableau Story - Step 4

Here, we have renamed the sheet to Superstore Sales Summary.

Tableau Story - Step 4 - Superstore Sales Summary

Click on OK. Tableau will rename the sheet using the specified name.

Tableau Story - Step 4 - Renamed

Step 5: On the Story pane, drag and drop the Regionwise sales to put it on the story sheet. In the caption box, click on the box to add the Tableau story points description text, as shown below.

Tableau Story - Step 5

Step 6: Click on the Duplicate button in the Story pane to use the first story point as a baseline for the next story point.

Tableau Story - Step 6

Step 7: Drag and drop the Top Product categories with the highest sales to the story sheet. As you can see, when you attempt to drop the visualization into the story sheet, a Replace box appears.

Update the text in the caption box as per your visualization.

Tableau Story - Step 7

You can notice the Tableau storyboard, i.e., the canvas where you have arranged and organized the visualizations, is now visible in the story tab.

Tableau Story - Step 7 - storyboard

step 8: Similarly, drag and drop the Product categories with high returns to the story sheet.

Tableau Story - Step 8

Step 9: Follow the above process to add another story sheet to your story.

Tableau Story - Step 9

Step 10: Add further customization in terms of look and feel if required. It also includes any navigation controls.

Tableau Story - Step 10

Step 11: Publish all your changes to the Tableau server, cloud, or public for your end users to view.

Note: You can use story templates and layouts to create your stories. Tableau story templates are pre-designed templates to organize visualizations and perform data narration.

Examples

In this section, we will go through different examples demonstrating the Tableau story creation functionality.

Example #1

In this example, we will demo creating a Tableau story using the Popular YouTube Channels dataset, which contains YouTube channel information, including Channel names, brand focus, subscriber base (in millions), primary languages, category, country, etc.

To create a story, follow the instructions highlighted below:

Step 1: Connect with the Popular YouTube Channels to the Tableau interface.

Example 1 - Step 1

Step 2: Create data visualization using the imported data in the new worksheets. For our demo purpose, we have created three visuals using the Popular YouTube Channels dataset. These include:

Category wise subscription distribution:

Tableau Story - Example 1 - Step 2 - subscription

Top 10 channel names by subscription:

Tableau Story - Example 1 - Step 2 - channel names

Primary language wise subscription distribution:

Tableau Story - Example 1 - Step 2 - Primary language

Step 3: In the new story tab, rename the worksheet.

Tableau Story - Example 1 - Step 3

Step 4: Drag and drop the Category wise subscription distribution to the story sheet. Add text to the caption box.

Tableau Story - Example 1 - Step 4

Step 5: Click on the Duplicate button and add the story point to the story sheet. Update the caption box as per the visual.

Tableau Story - Example 1 - Step 5

Step 6: Repeat the same process to add another story point to the story sheet. 

Tableau Story - Example 1 - Step 6

Now, your story is ready for presentation or publication to the server or public.

Example #2

In this example, we will demonstrate how to create a Tableau story using a different example. For this demo, we have used Top 100 Instagram Influencers, which contains the list of top 100 Instagram influencers, including their followers, engagement rate, country, topic of influence, and potential reach of these influencers.

To create a Tableau story, follow the step-by-step guide provided below:

Step 1: Import the Top 100 Instagram Influencers into Tableau using the File Navigator. After a successful import, the data can be viewed in the Data Source tab.

Example 2 - Step 1

Step 2: As a next step, we have built data visualization in Tableau. It is a pre-requisite to the Tableau story. These visualizations include:

The average rate of engagement by topic of influence:

Tableau Story - Example 2 - Step 2

Potential reach by country:

Example 2 - Step 2 - potential reach

Influencers by followers:

Example 2 - Step 2 - Influencers

These visualizations are the Tableau story points that we have used to create a story in Tableau.

Step 3: Now, click on a new story tab.

Example 2 - Step 3

Rename the story sheet to Instagram Influence, as shown below.

Example 2 - Step 3 - Instagram Influence

Step 4: Drag the story sheet. The average rate of engagement by topic of influence. Add a text description of the visual to the caption. As you can see, the artist is a significant influence on Instagram, so we have updated the caption box.

Tableau Story - Example 2 - Step 4

Step 5: Repeat the above process to add the Potential reach by country story sheet to the story sheet.

Example 2 - Step 5

Step 6: Similarly, we have added another story point, Influencers by Followers, to the story sheet.

You will notice the Tableau story board in the story sheet displaying the visualizations sequentially.

Example 2 - Step 6

Now, that we have added the story points sequentially to the story, our story is ready for publication for end users’ view.

Example #3

In this example, we will create a Tableau story in Tableau using a different dataset. We have leveraged a Sales Dataset that contains comprehensive sales information capturing product performance, customer behavior, and external influences. Ideal for analyzing market dynamics, optimizing inventory, and driving strategic decisions.

To create a Tableau story for narrating your data, follow the steps outlined below:

Step 1: Connect the Sales Dataset in Tableau using the File – Open.

Example 3 - Step 1

Step 2: Create data visualization using the imported dataset in Tableau. For our demo purposes, we have created three different data visualizations, which include:

Product Name by Revenue:

Tableau Story - Example 3 - Step 2

Inventory levels by Location:

Tableau Story - Example 3 - Step 2 - Inventory

Units Sold by Season:

Example 3 - Step 2 - Unit sold

To create these visualizations, you may refer to Tableau visualization documentation.

Step 3: In the new story tab, rename the story sheet with a meaningful name in the Edit Title screen. 

Example 3 - Step 3

Step 4: Drag the Product Name by Revenue story point to the story sheet. Now, in the Add a Caption box, provide a text description of your visual.

Example 3 - Step 4

We have updated the caption box with the narrative, as shown below.

Tableau Story - Example 3 - Step 4 - Caption

Step 5: Click on Duplicate in the Story pane to create a story slide. It will create a duplicate story slide for viewing.

Example 3 - Step 5

Drag and drop the inventory levels by location on the story sheet and update the caption box as applicable to the data.

Tableau Story - Example 3 - Step 5 - caption

Step 6: Similarly, drag and drop the Units Sold by Season story point to the story sheet. Accordingly, we have updated the caption box, as shown below.

Tableau Story - Example 3 - Step 6

Now your story is ready to be shared with your end users for data narrative and to provide a context for the data.

Important Things to Note

  • The effectiveness of conveying a compelling message through a Tableau story is dependent on framing your story and building on top of it. Hence, it is essential that the story should be focused on a specific question or narrative.
  • Tableau story must be presented sequentially to the user to clearly and logically communicate the critical theme of your process.
  • It is recommended that you follow the best practices for telling great stories.
  • Use the story points judiciously and add captions to your story to narrate the context of your data.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the difference between the Tableau story and the dashboard?

The differences between the Tableau story and the dashboard are outlined below:

FAQ 1

2. Can I customize the appearance of a Tableau Story?

Yes, You can customize the appearance of a Tableau story which includes formatting the story’s layouts, resizing options, shading, title, and text objects, or even clearing all the formatting in Tableau.

3. Can I share my Tableau Story with others?

Yes, you can customize the appearance of a Tableau story, which includes formatting the story’s layouts, resizing options, shading, title, and text objects, and even clearing all the formatting in Tableau.

4. Is there a way to embed a Tableau Story on a website or blog?

Yes, you can embed a Tableau story on a website, blog, wiki pages, web applications, or intranet portals. To embed first, you need to publish your story to the Tableau server, Tableau cloud, or Tableau public. Post-publication, users can view the story on the website. Note that user access follows the same licensing and authorization as applicable to your destination Tableau component, i.e., server, cloud, or public.

Download Template

This article must be helpful to understand the Tableau Story, with its formula and examples. You can download the template here to use it instantly.

This has been a guide to Tableau Story. Here we learn how to create a story in tableau with components, examples and points to remember. You can learn more from the following articles –

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