1. Tell me about your data
In Step 1 of the wizard, you characterize and prioritize the data fields you have selected for your narrative.
Tip
You must select at least the minimum number of data fields required for the NLG App you wish to use. The minimum requirements for each NLG app are described in the Selecting data section for that app.
Configure data fields as dimensions or measures
Arria for Power BI automatically categorizes each field in your selected data as a dimension or a measure, according to how they've been categorized in Power BI.
You can recategorize a dimension as a measure, and vice versa.
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Configure data attributes
Further characterize your selected dimensions and measures by adjusting their attributes.
Note
See Data requirements for detailed guidance on the expected format for each type of data field.
Dimension attributes
OPTION | DESCRIPTION | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
Alias | Adds an alternative name for the field (if desired). For example, you could give the Segment field the alias Default: |  |
Entity Type | Ensures appropriate handling of dates and locations in the narrative. Set the Entity Type field to For example, when you set Entity Type to If neither of these entity types applies, leave this selection blank. Default: |  |
Measure attributes
ATTRIBUTE | DESCRIPTION | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
Alias | Adds an alternative name for the field. For example, the Sales field could be given the alias Default: |  |
Entity Type | Along with a measure’s aggregation type, determines what type of analysis is appropriate, and therefore which apps can be used to analyze the measure. Not all aggregation and entity type combinations are supported by every app. For details of the combinations supported by a particular app, see the relevant page in the NLG Apps Directory. Also ensures appropriate language and formatting is used in the narrative. For example, when Default: NoteWhen analyzing percentages:
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Unit | Defines the appropriate unit for your measure (e.g. A number of ISO 4217 currency codes are supported. Select the code for the currency you want to use in the narrative. For example, when the Unit field is set to Default: |  |
Increase in Value is | Characterizes an increase in value for each of your measures as a positive, neutral, or negative change: Select Good, Neutral, or Bad. For example, an increase in Sales is a positive change, whereas an increase in Cost of Goods Sold is a negative change. Default: |  |
Important
Arria Answers currently supports only the Sum aggregation type and the None and Currency entity types. When switching from an NLG Apps narrative to Arria Answers, make sure the measures chosen to generate the narrative meet these requirements. If they don't, Arria Answers will return incorrect responses.
Prioritize data fields
The higher the position of a dimension or measure, the higher its priority for coverage in the generated narrative.
Fields are initially prioritized in the order you select them in the Power BI Fields pane. Drag and drop fields to change their priority order to suit the narrative you want to generate.
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Prioritizing dimensions
The priority order for dimensions is important for apps that perform drilldown analysis. For example:
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Prioritizing measures
The priority order for measures is important for apps that describe each measure in turn. For example:
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