In AWS QuickSight, you have access to a variety of datasets; however, these datasets need to be well-structured and visually organised to be useful. To transform raw data into a clear, insightful report, the next step is to create an analysis.
Creating an analysis is essential, as it serves as the foundation for building your dashboards. We will walk you through the process step by step.
You can begin creating an analysis in several ways:
After creating the analysis, here are a few steps to help you get started.
Creating an Analysis from a Dataset:
On the home screen, navigate to the Datasets tab. Here, you’ll see a list of all available datasets that you can use. Select the specific dataset you wish to work with to begin creating an analysis. This will open a new screen similar to the one shown below:
To create an analysis with this dataset, click the "USE IN ANALYSIS" button. This action will direct you to a new screen, as shown below, where you can begin building your analysis.
Creating an Analysis from the Analyses screen
From the home screen, go to the Analyses tab to view all the analyses available to you. To create a new analysis, click the "New analysis" button located in the upper-right corner. This will open a screen displaying all the datasets you can use to build your analysis.
At this stage, you can either select from an existing dataset or create a new one to use in your analysis.
From this point, the steps mirror those in the "Creating an Analysis from a Dataset" section. Simply click "Use in analysis" to select your dataset, and you can then begin building your analysis.
Creating Analysis from duplicating another analysis:
At times, you might already have an analysis that requires only a few adjustments or the addition of another dataset. Instead of starting from scratch, you can simply duplicate the existing analysis and make the necessary changes. To do this, open the analysis you want to copy, then go to File > Save as Analysis. This will create a duplicate that you can modify as needed.
A pop-up window will appear, prompting you to enter a name for the new analysis. After providing the name, simply click Save to complete the duplication process.
Adding Datasets to Analyses:
By default, the duplicated analysis will include the original dataset it was created with. To add additional datasets to the analysis, click on the "Datasets" icon if the datasets pane is not already visible on the left side. This will allow you to manage and incorporate more datasets as needed.
To add datasets, open the "Dataset" dropdown menu and select "Add a new dataset". You can also use the search bar to locate the specific dataset you want to include. Once selected, the dataset will be added to your analysis, allowing you to work with multiple data sources within the same analysis.
Note: Visuals can only be created using data from a single dataset at a time. If you want to incorporate data from multiple datasets into the same visual, you will need to combine the datasets first. This allows you to create a unified view of the data for more comprehensive analysis and visualisation. You can do this by following the steps outlined in the article on Joining Datasets.
Creating Visuals:
Visuals are individual boxes within your analysis that display different presentations of your data. When you create a new analysis, QuickSight automatically includes a blank visual to help you get started. You can add new visuals either through the Visuals pane or by duplicating an existing visual.
Using the Visuals Pane: Click the "Add Visual" icon in the top-left corner. This will automatically prompt you to select a visual type, allowing you to choose the best format for your data presentation.
Note: When creating a visual through the Visuals pane, the new visual will use the dataset currently selected in the "Dataset" dropdown under the Data tab. To ensure your visual reflects the right data, confirm that the correct dataset is selected before adding a new visual.
Duplicating an Existing Visual: You can quickly create a new visual by duplicating an existing one. To do this, select the visual you want to duplicate, click on the three dots in the upper-right corner of the visual, and then choose "Duplicate visual." This will create an exact copy, which you can then adjust as needed.
Note: When you duplicate a visual, all elements of the original—such as fields, filters, and formatting—are copied over to the new visual.
Configuring Visuals:
To begin, select a visual type. If the Visuals pane isn’t visible on the left side of the screen, click the "Visualize" icon in the top-left toolbar to open it. This will allow you to choose the most suitable visual type for your data.
Then please choose the visual type to choose how to present your data
Creating sheets:
Sheets serve as the pages or tabs within your report, each containing one or more visuals. When you start a new analysis, a default sheet named “Sheet 1” is automatically created, providing a workspace to arrange and display your visuals.
To create sheets, you can either:
Creating New: Click the “+” icon to the right of the rightmost sheet.
Note: Any cross-sheet filters set to apply across all sheets in your analysis will automatically apply to any new sheets you create. However, cross-sheet filters configured for specific sheets will not apply to the new sheet by default. To include these filters on the new sheet, you will need to reconfigure them accordingly.
Duplicating an Existing Sheet: To duplicate a sheet, select the sheet you wish to copy, click the downward arrow next to the sheet name, and choose "Duplicate." This will create an identical sheet, allowing you to retain the layout and visuals from the original.
Duplicating the visual will copy everything on the visual, including all visuals and filters.
Note: Any cross-sheet filters that are applied to all sheets in your analysis, or specifically to the sheet you are duplicating, will automatically apply to the newly duplicated sheet as well.
Creating Textboxes:
To create text boxes in your analysis, you have two options:
Creating New: Click the “Add Text” icon in the top-left corner. This will allow you to insert a new text box where you can add any necessary annotations or descriptions.
Duplicating an Existing Text Box: To duplicate a text box, click on the text box you wish to copy, then click on the three dots in the upper-right corner of the text box. Select "Duplicate text box" from the menu. This will create an identical copy that you can modify as needed.
If you have multiple sheets, you will also have the option to choose which sheet you want to duplicate the text box to.
Creating Custom Content:
To create custom content in your analysis, you have two options:
Create New: Click the “Add custom content” icon in the top-left corner.
To customise the visual, click on "Customize Visual." On the right-hand side, in the properties panel, you can enter the URL from which you want to display the content. This URL can link to a webpage or an image, allowing you to incorporate external resources directly into your visual.
Duplicating Existing Custom Content: To duplicate a piece of custom content, click inside the visual you wish to copy. Then, click on the three dots in the upper-right corner of the visual and select "Duplicate Visual." This will create an identical copy that you can modify as needed.
If you have multiple sheets, you will also have the option to choose which sheet you want to duplicate the text box to.
I hope you found this article helpful! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to our support team 😊