You can use a file as the data source for your story. While a model is the most common data source to use, having the option to use a file can help enhance your story with specific data that may be unique to your business unit, cost center, customers, etc.
When building a story using a file as the data source, you automatically create an embedded dataset. In the Data Preparation area, you can make changes directly to the data:
- Modify the name of the dataset: Select Edit to the right of the current dataset name in the Dataset Overview panel on the right side of the interface.
- Resolve warnings regarding the data quality in your dataset: Typically, these data quality issues involve missing data, measures containing non-numeric characters, or dimensions assigned a mismatched data type. Issues are displayed as links within the impacted column entries. Select the links to view more detailed information listed under Validation in the Details panel.
- Manage measures and dimensions: You may need to delete or rename entities, add geo-enriched data, define level-based hierarchies, change the data type, set up the default aggregation type for your measures, etc. You use the Details panel for these manipulations.
- Define transforms in cells, rows, or columns: You may need to filter or replace values, or concatenate or split columns.
You can use one of two transformation options to manipulate the data:
- Transform Bar
The Transform Bar lists suggested transformations to apply to the column, such as replacing the value in a cell with a suggested value. You can also select Create a Transform and choose from the options listed under the transformation bar displayed above the grid.
- Custom Expression Editor
The Custom Expression Editor accesses the Wrangling Expression Language (WEL) scripting editor to define your own transformations using predefined functions for specific wrangling capabilities. The following figure shows examples of the wrangling options you have.
