Create Worksheets in Setup

To model your use case in analyst onboarding, create a Worksheet.

To simplify data modeling, ThoughtSpot supports automated Worksheet creation during Setup. When creating a Worksheet through the Setup tab, you can view suggested joins, and take advantage of data modeling best practices, making your data easier to search.

About Worksheets

Users are often unfamiliar with tables and how they relate to one another. A Worksheet groups multiple related tables together in a logical way. Using Worksheets has the following advantages:

  • Pre-join multiple tables together.

  • Give a user or group access to only part of the underlying data.

  • Include a derived column using a formula.

  • Rename columns to make the data easier to search.

  • Build in a specific filter or aggregation.

  • Give users a filtered set of data to search.

For more information, see Create and use Worksheets.

Worksheet workflow

The typical workflow for creating a Worksheet is the following:

  1. Decide on a use case.

  2. Determine which tables are relevant to this use case, and how to join them.

  3. Build the Worksheet, using the tables relevant to the use case. Optionally add formulas and filters.

  4. Model the Worksheet for search: rename columns, add descriptions, and set aggregation types.

Create a Worksheet in Setup

To generate a Worksheet through the Setup tab, follow these steps:

  1. Enter Setup by logging in for the first time, or by selecting Profile from the user icon at the upper right of the page and selecting Revisit under Preferences.

  2. Complete Step 1 of Setup, setting up your connection.

  3. Select Step 2, Model data and create a Worksheet.

  4. Select Create Worksheet in the lower-left corner. A list of the available fact tables from your connection appears.

  5. By default, ThoughtSpot suggests the fact table with the largest number of rows. Select the box next to the fact table from which you would like to create your Worksheet and select Next.

    After the Worksheet is created, you will have the option to add more fact tables to its schema.

  6. A list of the available dimension tables from your connection appears. Choose the dimension table(s) to join to your fact table and select Next. You can choose up to four dimension tables.

  7. The joins interface appears, showing a join based on a column of data both tables contain. You can proceed with the suggested join, or select the column names to change the join.

    The default join type is Inner, which will yield all search results with matching values from the fact table and the dimension table. You can select the Venn diagram icon to change the join type.

  8. Select Next. The columns view of your Worksheet appears. You may notice that the column names have been changed to make them more easily searchable (for example, underscores may be replaced with spaces).

  9. [Optional] Select My Worksheet to change the name of your Worksheet.

  10. [Optional] Select the column titles to change the names of your searchable columns. You can also select the blue checkbox next to a column name to remove it from your Worksheet.

  11. [Optional] Select the data type under Type to change the recorded data type. For example, you can change a data type like Zip code from ‘Measure’ to ‘Attribute’. For more information, see Overview of data modeling settings.

  12. Select Save worksheet. Your Worksheet is now available to search and share.

    Joins created in the setup of a Worksheet are inherited at the table level. To remake your auto-generated Worksheet through the Setup tab, you must first delete the Worksheet, then delete the joins at the table level.

Next steps

  • Proceed to Search and visualize to complete Setup.

  • Optionally update the new Worksheet’s data modeling settings to provide a better search experience. For example, you can set aggregation types, add synonyms, and add geographical data settings.

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