Workbook Lifecycle: Exploration, Drafts & Publishing
Workbooks are a Sigma document type designed to support both ad hoc data exploration and longterm complex reporting. Their visual approach to data interaction, coupled with their collaborative interface, aims to make live data accessible for everyone in your organization.
This article explains the workbook lifecycle and will teach you draft and publish your work. For an introduction to Workbooks, visit Workbooks: An Overview (New).
Summary of Content
Workbooks for Ad hoc Data Exploration
Drafts & Version Publishing
Modes: Edit, Explore, and View
Revisit Unsaved Workbooks
Save (Publish) an Exploration
Edit a Published Workbook
Preview Drafted Changes in Explore or View Mode
Publish Drafted Changes
Return to Explore Mode from a Draft
Create a Copy of an Existing Workbook
Version History
View a Workbook's Version History
View and/or Restore an Old Version
Related Resources
Requirements
- To draft and publish new workbook versions, you must have Can Edit access to the individual workbook.
- To explore an existing workbook, you must have Can Explore access to the individual workbook.
Workbooks for Ad hoc Data Exploration
Workbooks are suited for both ad hoc data exploration and long term published reporting.
New workbooks are not automatically saved and only need to be saved if you wish to continue using them for repeatable analysis and reporting. Unsaved workbooks are referred to as explorations.
If you instead want to do in-the-moment ad hoc analysis, create an exploration, explore your data, and move on without saving.
Drafts & Version Publishing
Users with Can Edit permission on a workbook can draft and publish changes. Your drafts are not visible to others until you publish them as the newest version of the workbook.
Workbooks store a history of published versions, referred to as the workbook's version history.
If you are in the process of editing a workbook (Edit mode) you will also see your current draft listed in the version history. Only you have access to your pending drafts. Other editors may also have pending drafts only available to them.
Modes: Edit, Explore, and View
Published workbooks can be accessed in three different modes: Edit, Explore, and View. The mode(s) you have access to on any given workbook depend on the permissions granted to you for that individual workbook. To learn more about these modes, visit Workbook Modes: Edit, Explore & View.
Revisit Unsaved Explorations
- Open your Recents page from the left navigation panel (accessible from the home page).
- Click to open the EXPLORATIONS tab.
- Click to open any exploration in the list.
Save an Exploration
If your workbook has not yet been saved for the first time, click the Save As button in the workbook header. Then follow the prompts to name and select a destination for the workbook.
This will save and publish the first draft of your workbook.
Edit a Published Workbook
To begin editing an existing workbook, click the Edit button located in the workbook header.
When you enter into Edit mode, the Edit button will switch to an Editing menu.
The editor panel and sidebar will also appear on the left side of the page.
When you're in Edit mode, your changes will be automatically saved as a draft.
Now what?
- If you're ready to make your changes public, click Publish.
- To preview your changes as if they were published, select Editing. Then select either Preview as explorer or Preview as viewer.
- To return to the latest published version, click Editing > Latest published version.
Note: Return to your draft at any time by clicking the published version's Edit button. - To discard your drafted changes, click Editing > Discard draft.
Preview Drafted Changes in Explore or View Mode
All drafted changes can be previewed in both Explore and View modes prior to publishing. This is helpful if you want to see what a workbook will look like to users with limited access to the workbook.
- Click Editing.
- Select either Preview as explorer or Preview as viewer.
Now what?
To change states again, click Previewing (formerly Editing) and select your target state.
Publish Drafted Changes
To publish your edits, click the Publish button located in the workbook header.
Return to Explore Mode from a Draft
To return to the latest published version in Explore mode, click Editing > Latest published version.
Note: Return to your draft at any time by clicking the published version's Edit button.
Create a Copy of an Existing Workbook
- Click the caret (▼) button to the right of the workbook title in the header.
- Select Save as.
This will open the Save a Copy modal. - [optional] Enter a new Name.
- [optional] Select a Destination.
- Click Save.
Version History
View a Workbook's Version History
- Click the caret (▼) button to the right of the workbook title in the header.
- Hover over Version History.
View and/or Restore an Old Version
- Click the caret (▼) button to the right of the workbook title in the header.
- Hover over Version History.
- Click the version you would like to view.
- From the workbook header, you can:
- Restore the draft: Restore as draft
Note: When an older draft is restored, newer versions remain available in the version history. - Return to the latest version: Go back to latest version.
- Restore the draft: Restore as draft
Related Resources
Workbooks: An Overview
Create a Workbook
View Modes: Edit, Explore & View