Card Builder
The Card Builder is the visual editor you use to create individual Data Cards, assemble them into decks, and configure their layout and chart settings. It provides a streamlined interface designed for building compact, focused data visualizations.
Creating a Card
To create a new Data Card:
- Open the Card Builder from the Data Cards section of the platform.
- Click New Card to start with a blank card.
- Select a card type -- metric, chart, summary, or table.
- Connect the card to a data source by choosing a dataset, table, or query from your federated catalog.
- Configure the card's visual properties in the settings panel.
- Save the card.
Each card connects to a single data source. The data is fetched live through the Datafi federation layer, so the card always displays current information subject to your platform policies.
Before building a card, identify the single question it should answer. Cards are most effective when they focus on one metric, one trend, or one comparison. If you find yourself adding too much information, consider splitting the content across multiple cards.
Building Decks
A deck is an ordered collection of cards that you present together as a cohesive unit. To build a deck:
- Open the Deck Builder from the Data Cards section.
- Click New Deck and give it a name and optional description.
- Add cards to the deck by selecting from your existing cards or creating new ones inline.
- Arrange the cards in the order you want them to appear.
- Save the deck.
You can add the same card to multiple decks. Changes to a card are reflected everywhere it appears.
Layouts
The Deck Builder provides layout controls that determine how cards are arranged on screen.
| Layout Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Grid | Cards are arranged in a responsive grid that adapts to the screen size. You control the number of columns. |
| List | Cards are stacked vertically in a single column, ideal for narrow viewports or sequential reading. |
| Fixed | Cards are positioned at explicit coordinates, giving you precise control over placement and sizing. |
To change the layout, open the Layout panel in the Deck Builder and select your preferred mode. You can adjust column count, card spacing, and card dimensions from the same panel.
Grid and List layouts automatically adapt to the user's screen size. If you need pixel-perfect positioning for a specific display, use the Fixed layout instead.
Chart Settings
When you create a chart card, you have fine-grained control over how the visualization renders. The chart settings panel exposes the following options:
Chart Type
Select from available chart types including bar, line, area, scatter, pie, donut, and sparkline. The chart type determines the visual encoding of your data.
Axes and Labels
- X-axis -- Choose the field mapped to the horizontal axis, set the axis label, and configure tick formatting.
- Y-axis -- Choose the field mapped to the vertical axis, set the axis label, and define the value range.
- Legend -- Toggle the legend on or off and set its position (top, bottom, left, right).
Colors and Formatting
- Color palette -- Select a predefined palette or define custom colors for data series.
- Number formatting -- Control decimal places, thousands separators, currency symbols, and percentage formatting.
- Conditional formatting -- Apply color rules based on value thresholds (for example, red for values below target, green for values above).
When choosing custom colors, verify that your palette meets accessibility standards for color contrast. Users with color vision deficiencies should be able to distinguish between data series.
Editing and Updating Cards
To edit an existing card, select it from your card list and click Edit. Any changes you make are saved immediately and reflected in every deck that contains the card.
If you need to create a variation of an existing card without affecting the original, use the Duplicate action to create an independent copy that you can modify separately.
Next Steps
- Data Cards Overview -- Review the fundamentals of Data Cards and decks.