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Creating and editing sheets

Quickly build sheets and visualizations in edit mode.

Click Edit sheets to start building sheets in an app. The edit mode interface helps you quickly create charts and lay them out in a sheet. With edit mode's smart grid, you can quickly place new visualizations beside or below a chart and click and drag them into their final positions. You can easily create filters in your visualizations, limiting the data that displays in the charts.

Your sheets are private until you make them public. For more information, see Granting access to sheets, sheet groups, bookmarks, and stories.

Creating sheets

  • In your app, do one of the following:

    • If you are in the app overview, click Create new sheet, give the sheet a title, and click the new sheet to open it.

    • If you are in a sheet in analysis mode, open Sheets in the assets panel, and then click Create new sheet. Give the sheet a title, and click the new sheet to open it.

    • If you are in a sheet in edit mode, in the assets panel, select Sheets, and then click Create new sheet.

Editing sheets

  • In a sheet in your app, click Edit sheet.

Creating visualizations

You can create visualizations in a few different ways:

  • Drag and drop visualizations from Charts in that assets panel.

  • Using analyses to create visualizations from analysis types.

  • Create visualizations using chart suggestions

Creating visualizations from the assets panel

  1. In edit mode, drag the visualization from the assets panel onto the sheet or double-click the visualization.

  2. Add dimensions and measures to the visualization.

    You can add dimensions and measures using the buttons on the visualization. You can also drag a field from the Fields tab of the assets panel and then select it to use it as a dimension or measure The number of dimensions and measures that are required depends on which visualization you select.

    If you want to add expressions as dimensions or measures, click in the properties panel, under Data, click add and then click Expression.

  3. Adjust the presentation: for example: sorting, coloring, or labeling.

    For more information, see Changing the appearance of a visualization.

Tip noteYou can also add a visualization by copying visualizations. This is useful if you want to use existing visualization settings in another visualization type. For more information, see Copying a visualization from an existing visualization

Custom objects are added in a similar manner. You start creating a visualization by dragging a visualization extension onto the sheet. For more information, see Creating a visualization using a custom object.

You can use tab containers to save space on your dashboard, by quickly switching between tabs with different visualizations. For more information, see Tab container.

The types of data you have in your tables and fields impacts whether they can be used as dimensions or measures.

  • Dimensions determine how the data in a visualization is grouped. For example: total sales per country or number of products per supplier. For more information, see Data grouping with dimensions.
  • Measures are calculations used in visualizations, typically represented on the y-axis of a bar chart or a column in a table. Measures are created from an expression composed of aggregation functions, such as Sum or Max, combined with one or several fields. For more information, see Measures.

Creating visualizations with analyses

Analyses allow you to build visualizations by starting with a type of analysis. You then select data for the analysis to use and then the analysis generates a chart. You can then adjust analysis-specific properties and style the visualization.

In analysis mode, analyses are identical to other visualizations.

Analyses are available from Analyses in the assets panel. For more information, see Creating and editing analyses.

Creating visualizations with chart suggestions

You can turn on chart suggestions in the properties panel. When turned on, as you add or remove fields, the suggested visualization adjusts itself based on your changes. You can customize a suggested visualization with a focused set of properties.

For more information, see Creating visualizations using Insight Advisor chart suggestions.

Moving visualizations on a sheet

  • Click and drag visualizations to reposition them on the grid.

Resizing visualizations

You can resize visualizations in their row.

  • Click and drag the borders of a visualization to resize it in the grid.

Copying visualizations

You can copy and paste visualizations in the following ways:

  • Using the edit bar on the sheet (Cut, Copy, and Paste).
  • By right-clicking and selecting Cut, Copy and Paste.
  • With the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+C, Ctrl+X and Ctrl+V.

Depending on what situation you are in, different things will happen when you paste a copied visualization on a sheet:

  • If a visualization is selected, then the selected visualization will be replaced.
  • If no visualization is selected, then the pasted visualization will be placed in the largest empty space.
  • If there is no empty space, then the largest visualization on the sheet will be split in half to make space for the pasted visualization.

For more information about copying and pasting visualizations, see Copying a visualization from an existing visualization.

Copying and pasting visualization styling

If you have applied custom styling to a visualization, you can copy its styling properties and paste them onto another visualization. For more information, see Copying and pasting visualization styling.

Converting visualizations

You can convert visualizations by clicking and dragging them onto another visualization.

  1. While editing a sheet, drag a new chart from the assets panel onto the visualization that you want to convert.

    The shortcut menu opens.

  2. Select the conversion option.

Deleting visualizations

  • Right-click a visualization and select Delete.

Learn more

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