Create a Tableau Data Story (English Only)

Applies to: Tableau Cloud, Tableau Desktop, Tableau Server

Important changes for Tableau Data Stories

Tableau Data Stories were retired in Tableau Desktop, Tableau Cloud, and Tableau Server in January of 2025 (2025.1). With advances in natural language technologies, we're developing an improved interface that will make it easier to ask questions of your data and stay on top of changes. For more information, see How Tableau Pulse powered by Tableau AI is Reimagining the Data Experience(Link opens in a new window).

If you've ever written an executive summary of your Tableau dashboard, then you know it can be time-consuming. It takes time to choose which insights to share, and you have to rewrite your summaries each time the data is updated. Tableau Data Stories automatically generates narrative insights within your dashboard, saving time and surfacing relevant insights. As you explore the vizzes in your dashboard, the stories written by Data Stories adjust, allowing you to dive deeper into data and identify key insights faster.

From where you're already working in Tableau, you can quickly add the Data Story object to your dashboard. And you can customize the terms and metrics used in your story, so Data Stories speaks the language used by your business.

Today, you can write and view a Tableau Data Story anywhere you use Tableau. After you create your story, you can also view your Data Story in Tableau Mobile. However, Data Stories aren't included if you export your dashboard, for example to a PDF.

Understand how Data Stories handles data

To write Data Stories, Tableau uses a service hosted in your Tableau Cloud or Tableau Server environment. When you Add a Tableau Data Story to a Dashboard or view a Data Story from a dashboard, Tableau sends associated worksheet data to the environment that you’re logged in to (i.e., your Tableau Cloud site or your Tableau Server instance), using the security standards outlined in Security in the Cloud and Security in Tableau Server. Data Stories can be written and viewed from anywhere you use Tableau.

Learn about how Data Stories are written

Tableau Data Stories is powered by rules-based templated natural language generation (NLG). Data Stories performs automated analytics to determine relevant and accurate facts about the underlying data–from basic calculations to more advanced statistics. To write a story, Data Stories uses a library of predefined language templates to synthesize these facts into natural language insights. Data Stories processes these templates at run-time, using the most up-to-date summary data from the Tableau worksheet it is connected to. You can leverage the custom language feature to generate your own language templates, add functions, and define business rules, helping you build a more relevant and contextual Data Story.

Note: Data Stories doesn’t use generative AI, large language models (LLMs), or machine learning to write insights and stories.

Manage Data Stories for your site

Tableau administrators can choose whether Tableau Data Stories are available for their site. Data Stories are turned on by default.

  1. Sign in to your Tableau site.
  2. From the left pane, choose Settings.
  3. From the General tab, scroll to the Availability of Data Stories section.
  4. Choose whether you want to Turn on or Turn off Data Stories.

Note: If Data Stories are turned off, then turning the feature back on restores Data Stories that were already in dashboards.

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