# Dashboard layouts, device layouts and stories

*Tableau Desktop Foundations Study Guide · Sharing Insights · Last updated October 29, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/tableau-desktop-foundations/sharing-insights/dashboard-layouts-device-layouts-and-stories*

How to place sheets on a dashboard, choose tiled or floating items and a Fixed, Range or Automatic size, add Phone, Tablet and Desktop layouts that load by window size, and build a story whose points stay linked to their sheets.

- Certification: Salesforce Tableau Desktop Foundations
- Exam section: Sharing Insights
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/tableau-desktop-foundations

**Official exam objective:**

> Create and modify a dashboard: Add worksheets to a dashboard; Add interactive elements for consumers (for example, show filters, data highlighter, tooltips); Add dashboard actions (for example, filter action, highlight action, parameter control, URL action); Configure a dashboard layout and create device-specific dashboards; Create a story and a story point.

## What the exam expects

- Add worksheets to a dashboard from the Sheets list, and add objects such as layout containers, text, images, web pages, blanks and navigation buttons.
- Choose between tiled and floating items, and between Fixed size, Range and Automatic dashboard sizing, given how the dashboard will be viewed.
- Create Phone, Tablet and Desktop layouts and predict which one a viewer sees.
- Build a story, add and update story points, and know how story points relate to their original sheets.

Key terms:
- **Tiled item:** a dashboard item placed in a single-layer grid that never overlaps other items.
- **Floating item:** a dashboard item that can be layered over other objects.
- **Layout container:** a Horizontal or Vertical object that groups items and resizes them together.
- **Device layout:** a Desktop, Tablet or Phone child of the Default dashboard, chosen by window size after publishing.
- **Story point:** one step in a story, holding a sheet that stays connected to its original.

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Adding a worksheet | Drag it from the Sheets list onto the dashboard | [Create a Dashboard](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/dashboards_create.htm) |
| Sheets and copy | Sheets in a dashboard cannot be copied as dashboard items | [Create a Dashboard](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/dashboards_create.htm) |
| Default item layout | Tiled; floating items can overlap others | [Dashboard size and layout](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/dashboards_organize_floatingandtiled.htm) |
| Float while dragging | Hold Shift | [Dashboard size and layout](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/dashboards_organize_floatingandtiled.htm) |
| Default dashboard size | Fixed size | [Dashboard size and layout](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/dashboards_organize_floatingandtiled.htm) |
| Range sizing | Scroll bars below the minimum, white space above the maximum | [Dashboard size and layout](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/dashboards_organize_floatingandtiled.htm) |
| Device layout items | Must first exist in the Default dashboard | [Device Layouts](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/dashboards_dsd_create.htm) |
| Tablet and Desktop layouts | Added manually; always independent of Default | [Device Layouts](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/dashboards_dsd_create.htm) |
| Layout thresholds | 500 px or less Phone; 501-800 Tablet; over 800 Desktop | [Device Layouts](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/dashboards_dsd_create.htm) |
| Publishing device layouts | Clear Show Sheets as Tabs | [Device Layouts](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/dashboards_dsd_create.htm) |
| Story sheet | Stays connected to the original sheet | [Create a Story](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/story_create.htm) |
| Keep a filter or sort on a point | Click Update on the story toolbar | [Create a Story](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/story_create.htm) |

## Check yourself

- Why can a Fixed size dashboard load faster once published?
- When does a Phone layout follow later changes to the Default dashboard?
- Why is Fit width recommended for Phone layouts?
- What must you clean up after replacing a sheet with Swap Sheets?

## Sources

- [Create a Dashboard](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/dashboards_create.htm)
- [Size and Lay Out Your Dashboard](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/dashboards_organize_floatingandtiled.htm)
- [Create Dashboard Layouts for Different Device Types](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/dashboards_dsd_create.htm)
- [Create a Story](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/story_create.htm)
- [Actions and Dashboards](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/actions_dashboards.htm)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 7 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Tableau Desktop Foundations pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams