Introduction
In SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC), Stories, Charts, and Tables are foundational elements used to visualize and interact with data. Understanding their differences and use cases helps users select the right tool for the insights they want to present.
What is a Story?
A Story is a flexible canvas that brings together different visual and data elements—charts, tables, images, text, filters—into a cohesive and interactive layout. It acts as the main interface for exploring and communicating insights.
Key Characteristics:
- Serves as the container for all visual elements.
- Supports multiple page types (e.g., canvas, responsive).
- Allows for filtering and interactivity across widgets.
- Often used for dashboards, reports, and presentations.
Example
- A marketing team could use a Story to view campaign performance metrics, with charts showing trends and tables breaking down regional performance.
What is a Chart?
A Chart is a graphical representation of data embedded within a Story. It allows users to quickly spot trends, compare metrics, or track KPIs.
Common Chart Types:
- Bar, Column, Line, and Pie Charts
- Tree Maps, Waterfalls, Donuts
- Time Series and Variance Charts
When to Use:
- To visualize trends, comparisons, or proportions.
- When you want an intuitive, glanceable view of performance.
- To enable drill-down or interactive exploration of data.
Customization Tools:
- Builder Panel: Configure measures and dimensions.
- Styling Panel: Control colors, labels, and formats.
What is a Table?
Features:
- Displays granular data with rows and columns.
- Supports model-based inputs and planning functionalities.
- Allows hierarchy expansions, drill-downs, and attribute selections.
When to Use:
- For detailed data validation, audits, or slice-and-dice analysis.
- When exact numbers or large volumes of data need to be shown.
- When working with planning input tasks or editing values.
Design Tools:
- Builder Panel: Choose dimensions and measures to display.
- Styling Panel: Apply formatting, colors, borders, etc.
- Tips: Tables have default drill limits (e.g., 500 rows by 60 columns), which can be adjusted for performance considerations
Comparison
| Feature | Story | Chart | Table |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Purpose |
Interactive data exploration |
Visual summary of trends |
Detailed numeric data |
|
Typical Use Case |
Dashboards, executive reports |
KPIs, comparisons, trends |
Audits, planning, deep analysis |
|
Interactivity |
Filters, input controls, links |
Drill-downs, tooltips, filters |
Sorting, filtering, hierarchy |
|
Layout Flexibility |
Multiple page types |
Fixed within story layout |
Structured rows and columns |
|
Data Entry |
N/A |
N/A |
Yes (in planning models) |
Tip
- Use Charts to grab attention, Tables to provide supporting evidence, and bring them together in a Story to guide decision-making.
