NarrativesDB
NarrativesDB is a repository that houses all of PlexTrac's narrative sections. Its primary purpose is facilitating categorization, association with defined use cases, and reusability.
Users access by clicking Content Library in the application's main menu and then clicking NarrativesDB.
Overview
Reports use narratives to provide context, clarify complex information, and improve comprehension. These narratives also serve as persuasive tools, influencing opinions and motivating action through storytelling. By placing data and facts into real-life contexts, narratives help audiences understand the relevance of information, making them versatile and impactful tools. As a result, narratives are valuable assets in reports and promote effective communication.
NarrativesDB enables users to create and manage this messaging, freeing up time for problem-solving.
For example, instead of initiating each report from scratch and composing a unique narrative every time, organizations have the flexibility to create simple sections that serve as a starting point. These sections can be reused or further enhanced to align with the specific needs of each report, providing a time-saving and efficient solution for report generation.
NarrativesDB Home Page
The NarrativesDB home page consists of two tabs:
Repositories: A centralized location where all sections can be stored and managed.
Sections: A dedicated space to create reusable content for narrative sections within a report.
Repositories Tab
PlexTrac provides a sample narratives repository containing six sample narrative sections to demonstrate how content reuse might exist.
The sample repository is an Open repository that cannot be deleted but can be modified.
Sections Tab
Sections are containers that contain a title, body, and tags. They are reusable in reports and are stored in this tab.
Configuring Views
The table view can be customized by clicking the column view icon to the right of the search bar.
Once clicked, a modal appears that lists all fields. To remove a column, click X within the bar.
When fields are removed, an "Add Column" pulldown menu is added at the bottom left of the modal to store the field. Any removed fields can be added later by clicking Add Column and selecting the field to add.
This modal represents the sequence of fields provided in the table, meaning the bar on top will be the column on the table's far left.
The order of columns can be adjusted within this modal by clicking the six dots on the left of the bar for a field and dragging the bar to the desired sequence place.
Click Save when finished.
Managing Repositories
Changing Settings
Admins can modify the repository name, prefix, description and access setting.
Step 1: From the Repositories tab of the NarrativesDB home page, click the card of the repository to modify.
Step 2: Click Repository Settings.
Step 3: Click Update.
Copying a Repository
Step 1: From the Repositories tab of the NarrativesDB module, click the three dots in a repository card and click Copy Repository.
Step 2: Update the repository name, add a section ID, and validate access permissions. Click Copy.
The new repository is created and listed on the Repositories tab.
Deleting a Repository
This action will permanently delete the repository and all its sections for all users.
Admins can delete a repository in two ways:
Click the three dots in a repository card from the NarrativesDB home page, then click Delete Retory.
or
Go to the repository settings and click Delete Repository.
Configuring Views
The table view can be customized by clicking the column view icon to the right of the search bar.
Once clicked, a modal appears that lists all fields. To remove a column, click X within the bar.
When fields are removed, an "Add Column" pulldown menu is added at the bottom left of the modal to store the field. Any removed fields can be added later by clicking Add Column and selecting the field to add.
This modal represents the sequence of fields provided in the table, meaning the bar on top will be the column on the table's far left.
The order of columns can be adjusted within this modal by clicking the six dots on the left of the bar for a field and dragging the bar to the desired sequence place.
Click Save when finished.
Managing Users
If the repository is not an "Open" type repository, admins have the option of managing users by clicking Users & Permissions.
Adding Users
Step 1: From the Repositories tab of the NarrativesDB home page, click the card of the repository to modify.
Step 2: Click Users & Permissions.
Step 3: Click Add User.
Step 4: Type in the user from the pulldown menu and select the permission. Repeat as necessary. Click Add X Users.
Step 5: Edit the permission or delete a user, if needed. Click Done.
Deleting Users
Step 1: From the Repositories tab of the NarrativesDB home page, click the card of the repository to modify.
Step 2: Click Users & Permissions.
Step 3: Identify the user to remove and click the X in that row.
Step 4: Click Done.
Creating a Repository
Step 1: From the Repositories tab of the NarrativesDB module, click New Repository.
Step 2: Enter information in the fields (a red asterisk marks required fields), select the desired security access for the repository, and click Create.
The new repository is now listed on the Repositories tab.
Managing Sections
NarrativesDB comes with six sections that are part of the sample repository. These sections can be modified, copied to another repository, or deleted.
Editing a Section
Step 1: From the Repositories tab of the NarrativesDB module, click Sections.
Step 2: Navigate to the desired section to update and click Edit.
Step 3: Make desired edits to the section. Click Close when finished.
Copying a Section
Step 1: From the Repositories tab of the NarrativesDB module, click Sections.
Step 2: Navigate to the desired section to update and click Copy To.
Step 3: Select the repository to copy the section from the pulldown menu.
Step 4: Click Copy.
A notification confirms the action was successful, and the copied section now appears in the new repository.
Deleting a Section
Completing this task permanently deletes the section and cannot be undone.
Step 1: From the Repositories tab of the NarrativesDB module, click Sections.
Step 2: Click the three dots under the "Actions" column, then click Delete.
Step 3: A modal will appear, confirming the action. Click Delete Section.
Bulk Actions
When editing multiple sections, PlexTrac offers bulk action capabilities. Bulk actions provide several advantages, including time-saving and increased efficiency by processing numerous items simultaneously.
Bulk action options appear after selecting one or more sections by clicking the checkbox or the box next to the column header.
Click Actions to see the list of options available.
Configuring Table View
The table view can be customized by clicking the column view icon to the right of the search bar.
Once clicked, a modal appears that lists all fields. To remove a column, click X within the bar.
Fields that are required do not have an X available.
When fields are removed, an "Add Column" pulldown menu is added at the bottom left of the modal to store the field. Any removed fields can be added later by clicking Add Column and selecting the field to add.
This modal also represents the sequence of fields provided in the table, meaning the bar on top will be the column on the table's far left.
The order of columns can be adjusted within this modal by clicking the six dots on the left of the bar for a field and dragging the bar to the desired sequence place.
Click Save when finished.
