# Creating a new Chart Deck

From any project, navigate to the **Report** tab and click **New Report > Chart Deck**. This opens a guided setup wizard that walks you through four steps.

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#### Step 1 — Research Brief

<figure><img src="https://1402057010-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FgtHd8o9ldznZ1hKHiZvc%2Fuploads%2FHgPa4WmulrgpxUvNxWux%2FScreenshot%202026-03-26%20at%2010.29.18.png?alt=media&#x26;token=77cfc4a1-1037-4a10-935c-3fa5990b71ac" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

Give your deck a name (e.g. *Q1 Brand Tracker Results*) and, optionally, provide a research brief so the AI understands the study context. You have three choices:

| Option               | When to use                                                         |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Select existing**  | A brief was already uploaded to the project. Pick it from the list. |
| **Upload brief**     | Drag-and-drop or browse for a DOC, DOCX, PDF, or TXT file.          |
| **Paste objectives** | Quickly type or paste the key research objectives inline.           |

Click **Continue** to proceed, or **Skip** if you don't have a brief handy — you can always add one later.
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#### Step 2 — Questionnaire

<figure><img src="https://1402057010-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FgtHd8o9ldznZ1hKHiZvc%2Fuploads%2FxZqMlYz5C9ae1Xbl6XIV%2Fcreate-deck-questionnaire.png?alt=media&#x26;token=3717204e-2057-4d2a-bc36-652acb881682" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

Select or upload the questionnaire document used for the survey. This helps the AI ground the presentation in the questions asked in the survey.

* If questionnaire files already exist in the project, pick one from the list.
* Otherwise, drag-and-drop a DOC, DOCX, PDF, or TXT file to upload.

Click **Continue** or **Skip**.
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#### Step 3 — Data Source

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This is where you connect your cross-tabulation data. Three options are shown:

| Option                             | Description                                                                                                                   |
| ---------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Upload cross-tab file**          | Upload an `.xlsx` or `.csv` file (max 10 MB). Tables are automatically extracted in the background using AI-assisted parsing. |
| **Reference existing tabulations** | If you have already run tabulations inside Metaforms, select specific tables from the workspace.                              |
| **Use sample cross-tab data**      | Load pre-built sample tables so you can explore the feature without your own data.                                            |

You can also click **Skip — I'll add data later** to proceed without any data.

**Uploading a cross-tab file**

Click the upload area and select an Excel (`.xlsx`) or CSV (`.csv`) file up to 10 MB. Once uploaded, Metaforms automatically extracts individual tables from the file in the background. You can track extraction progress in the **Cross-Tabs** panel on the right:

* **Extracting** — a progress banner shows the file name while tables are being detected and parsed.
* **Available** — extraction is complete. A **Build deck with AI** button appears so you can kick off AI-generated slides from the extracted data.
* **Failed** — if extraction encounters an error, an error message is shown. You can clear the file and try again.

{% hint style="info" %}
After uploading, the AI agent is **not** started automatically. This lets you review the extracted tables first, then click **Build deck with AI** when you're ready.
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**Selecting tables**

When you choose **Reference existing tabulations**, all computed tables from your tabulation workspace are pre-selected. You can search by name or variable and toggle individual tables on or off. A summary shows how many tables are selected before you continue.
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#### Step 4 — Choose How to Start

<figure><img src="https://1402057010-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FgtHd8o9ldznZ1hKHiZvc%2Fuploads%2FHNmVOSPOFxaGzqNHT8DG%2Fcreate-deck-mode-selection.png?alt=media&#x26;token=4db0cf63-5864-4516-831e-2000cae7c85c" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

Pick one of three starting modes.

**Blank**

Creates an empty deck. The AI agent is kicked off automatically and will propose an outline based on whatever brief, questionnaire, and data you provided.

**From Outline/Notes**

Paste slide notes or a narrative outline. The AI splits your content into logical slides. The AI Agent follows your outline to generate the first draft. Example of a slide by slide outline notes is given below

```
Intro to our strategy
• Key finding 1
• Key finding 2
---
Key metrics from Q1
• Revenue grew 12%
• NPS up 8 points
---
Next steps
• Launch phase 2
```

**Template**

<figure><img src="https://1402057010-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FgtHd8o9ldznZ1hKHiZvc%2Fuploads%2FjQMAk01KaqKF2aVGhp04%2Fcreate-deck-template-picker.png?alt=media&#x26;token=53cbfdb3-7e89-44b0-8e14-dc8dbc3178ba" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

Browse your organisation's uploaded PowerPoint templates. Select one, then tell the AI how to use it:

* *Use the design system only* — apply colours and fonts but generate fresh content.
* *Import both slides and content* — clone the template as-is.

You can also type a custom instruction (e.g. *"Import all slides and adapt the content for our Q1 report"*).

<figure><img src="https://1402057010-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FgtHd8o9ldznZ1hKHiZvc%2Fuploads%2FaYydOZMSDoE9PcXsyRAK%2Fcreate-deck-template-prompt.png?alt=media&#x26;token=7f109876-7db7-4014-8a02-0b7d4b4d99d0" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

{% hint style="info" %}
Don't have any templates yet? Click **Add new template** to navigate to the template management page and upload a `.pptx` file.
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#### Step 5 — Create Deck with AI (cross-tab upload)

<figure><img src="https://1402057010-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FgtHd8o9ldznZ1hKHiZvc%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-49ffefc42b36b489d76aa5ee7fd834762494954d%2Fcrosstab-data-panel.png?alt=media" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

If you uploaded a cross-tab file in Step 3, the deck opens without the AI agent running. Once table extraction is complete, the **Cross-Tabs** panel on the right shows all extracted tables and a **Build deck with AI** button. Review the tables, then click **Build deck with AI** to start the AI agent — it will use the extracted data along with any brief or questionnaire you provided to generate your slides.
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