Before You Begin

This tutorial shows you how to enable contextual insights so that users can get more information about selected data points in an Oracle Analytics visualization.

Background

You can enable contextual insights for consumers on visualizations in workbooks based on subject areas and datasets. Contextual insights can uncover hidden trends and patterns and provide a textual description in the data and visualization. Contextual insights compare selected data in a visualization with the rest of the visualization's data.

If you use a subject area for your workbook's data source, you must add the columns to use for contextual insights to Related Columns in the Grammar pane.

In Oracle Analytics, the contextual insights generated by the underlying AI prioritize the most relevant insights. When a consumer makes a filter selection in a visualization, the underlying AI generates new insights based on the consumer’s interactions.

What Do You Need?

• Access to Oracle Analytics
• Download sample_order_lines2023.xlsx to your computer

Create a Dataset

In this section, you add the sample_order_lines2023.xlsx to Oracle Analytics to create a dataset table.

1. Sign in to Oracle Analytics.
2. On the Home page, click Create, and then click Dataset.
3. In Create Dataset, click Drop data file here or click to browse, select the sample_order_lines2023.xlsx file, and then click Open.
4. In Create Dataset Table from sample_order_lines2023.xlsx, click OK. Click Save .
5. In Save Dataset As, enter sample_order_lines2023, and then click OK.

   
   

   

   Description of the illustration sample_order_lines2023_ds.png

Create a Visualization

In this section, you create a visualization and enable the contextual insights property in the visualization.

If you duplicate a visualization with contextual insights enabled, the duplicated visualization also has the Explain Visualization for end user property enabled.

1. Click Create Workbook. Close the Insights panel.
2. In the Data pane, hold down the Ctrl key, select Sales, Gross Unit Price, Product Sub Category, and Customer Segment. Drag the data elements to the canvas.

   
   

   Oracle Analytics creates a scatter visualization of the data elements.

   

   Description of the illustration scatter_vis.png

3. Click Properties . In Properties, click Advanced .
4. In Advanced, click Off in the Explain Visualization for end user row to enable (On) the property.
5. In the scatter visualization, hover over a data point, right-click and select Explain Selected.

   
   

   

   Description of the illustration explain_selected.png

6. In Insights for Gross Unit Price, click More to view the entire description.
7. Click Go to Page 2 to see the next generated visualization and then click Go to Page 3.
8. On Page 3, click Find New Insights.

   
   

   

   Description of the illustration new_insights.png

Add Insights to the Workbook

In this section, you add insights to the workbook and watchlists.

1. Click Preview .

   
   

   

   Description of the illustration preview_user_insights.png

2. Hover over the contextual insights visualization and click Add to Watchlist in the toolbar. Click New watchlist.
3. In Add to New Watchlist, enter Sample Orders Insights and click Add.

   
   

   

   Description of the illustration watchlist.png

4. Click Save. In Save Watchlist, enter a Name and click Save.
5. Click Go back to see the Sample Order Insights watchlist on your home page.

   
   

   

   Description of the illustration home_page_watchlist.png

Add Filters to the Workbook

In this section, you add dashboard filters that let consumers filter the data in the workbook. When a user selects a filter value, the underlying AI generates updated contextual insights visualizations.

1. On your home page, hover over your contextual insights workbook, click Actions, and select Open. Click Edit.
2. Click Visualizations . In Visualizations, drag Dashboard Filters and release it on the canvas above the scatter visualization.

   
   

   

   Description of the illustration db_filter_control.png

3. Click Data .
4. In Data, select and drag Product Category to the dashboard filter. Select and drag Customer Segment to the dashboard filter.
5. Click Preview .
6. Select Technology from Product Category and select Corporate and Small Business from Customer Segment.
7. In the scatter visualization, select a data point, right-click and select Explain Selected.

   

   Description of the illustration preview_w_db_filters.png

8. While contextual insights are open, select a different data point. Click Refresh to generate updated insights.

   
   

   

   Description of the illustration refreshed_insights.png

Learn More

• What Are Contextual Insights?
• Add a Contextual Insights Visualization to a Watchlist
• Dataset Support and Limitations for Contextual Insights

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Title and Copyright Information

Enable Contextual Insights in Oracle Analytics

G47495-01

January 2026

Copyright © 2026, Oracle and/or its affiliates. 

Learn how to enable contextual insights for users in your Oracle Analytics workbook.

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