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Deck Structure

Deck Structure is the core of a workflow - it defines which slide categories to include, in what order, and with what specific instructions.

Understanding Deck Structure​

A deck structure is an ordered list of required sections, where each section specifies:

  • A slide category (e.g., "Text Content", "Quantitative Content")
  • Custom instructions for that section
  • Whether it can generate multiple slides or just one
  • Optionally, a specific template slide to use

The AI follows this structure when generating presentations, ensuring consistency and completeness.

Structure Item Components​

1. Category Selection​

Each structure item starts with selecting a slide category from your template:

Structural Categories

  • Presentation Title - Opening slide
  • Table of Contents - Agenda/overview
  • Section Divider - Section transitions

Content Categories

  • Text Content - Paragraphs, bullets, key points
  • Visual Content - Image-focused slides
  • Quantitative Content - Charts/tables only
  • Mixed Text & Visual - Text + images
  • Mixed Text & Quantitative - Text + data

Special Categories

  • Contacts - Team, testimonials, contact info
  • Closing Content - Summary, thank you, CTA

Important: Only slides matching these categories in your template can be selected by the AI.

2. Custom Instructions​

For each structure item, provide specific guidance (max 150 characters):

What to include:

  • What specific content this section should cover
  • Any data requirements or comparisons needed
  • Key messages to emphasize
  • Specific focus areas

Examples of good instructions:

  • "Q4 revenue vs target by region with YoY growth %"
  • "Top 3 customer wins with logos and testimonials"
  • "Product roadmap for next 6 months with key milestones"
  • "Risk assessment with mitigation plans for each"

Examples of poor instructions:

  • "Revenue" (too vague)
  • "Show some data" (not specific)
  • "Make it look good" (not actionable)
  • "" (empty - provide guidance!)

3. Use Only Once​

This toggle controls whether the AI can generate multiple slides for this category.

When set to YES (Use Only Once):

  • AI generates exactly ONE slide for this category
  • Even if there's lots of content
  • Use for: Titles, summaries, specific sections

When set to NO (Allow Multiple):

  • AI can generate 1-3 slides depending on content richness
  • Distributes content across multiple slides
  • Use for: Data sections, content sections with variable amounts

Guidance:

  • Structural slides → Use only once
  • Content slides → Allow multiple
  • Data slides → Usually allow multiple
  • Executive summaries → Use only once
  • Detailed sections → Allow multiple

4. Specific Slide (Optional)​

By default, the AI chooses any slide from the specified category. You can override this:

When to specify:

  • You have a signature slide for openings/closings
  • A specific layout works best for that section
  • You want pixel-perfect consistency

How it works:

  • Click "Select Specific Slide"
  • Choose from slides in that category
  • AI uses exactly that slide for the first occurrence
  • If "allow multiple" is set, subsequent slides can still vary

Data Connections Section​

Below the deck structure, there's a dedicated Data Connections section for connecting data sources to chart and table shapes. This enables automatic data population when users create presentations from this workflow.

Quick Overview​

  • Left panel: Available data collections from your workspace
  • Right panel: Chart and table shapes from quantitative slides in your deck structure
  • Drag and drop: Connect a collection to a shape (or vice versa)
  • Visual feedback: Green highlights and connection lines show linked items

Automatic Adjustments​

When you create a data connection:

  • "Use Only Once" is enabled for the structure item
  • Specific slide is selected to ensure the right template is used
  • Conflicting shapes are grayed out to prevent ambiguous configurations

Why Connect Data?​

  • Consistent: Same data sources for all presentations from this workflow
  • Efficient: Users just enter parameter values (dates, portfolio IDs)
  • Reliable: Validation ensures data exists before generation begins

For detailed instructions, examples, and troubleshooting, see Data Connections in Workflows.

Ordering Structure Items​

The order of structure items defines the presentation flow.

Common Ordering Patterns​

Standard Business Presentation:

  1. Title
  2. Agenda/TOC
  3. Executive Summary
  4. Main Content Sections (multiple)
  5. Data/Analysis (multiple)
  6. Recommendations
  7. Next Steps
  8. Closing

Sales/Pitch Deck:

  1. Title
  2. Problem
  3. Solution
  4. Product Details (multiple)
  5. Proof Points (multiple)
  6. Pricing
  7. Call to Action
  8. Closing

Project/Status Update:

  1. Title
  2. Summary
  3. Progress to Date
  4. Metrics (multiple)
  5. Challenges
  6. Next Steps
  7. Closing

Ordering Best Practices​

Logical flow:

  • Start broad, get specific
  • Problem before solution
  • Data before insights
  • Context before details

Grouping:

  • Keep related sections together
  • Use section dividers between major topics
  • Place supporting data after claims

Pacing:

  • Alternate between text-heavy and visual slides
  • Don't cluster all data slides together
  • Break up long content sections

Slide Count Flexibility​

One key feature of deck structure is flexibility in slide count:

Example structure:

  1. Title (use once) → 1 slide
  2. Summary (use once) → 1 slide
  3. Content (allow multiple) → 1-3 slides depending on content
  4. Data (allow multiple) → 1-3 slides depending on data amount
  5. Closing (use once) → 1 slide

Total: 5-11 slides depending on content richness

The AI adapts the slide count to the content while maintaining structure.

Advanced Patterns​

The Section-Based Pattern​

Use section dividers to separate major topics:

  1. Title
  2. Section Divider: "Market Analysis"
  3. Content slides about market (multiple)
  4. Section Divider: "Our Solution"
  5. Content slides about solution (multiple)
  6. Section Divider: "Implementation"
  7. Content slides about implementation (multiple)
  8. Closing

The Data-Heavy Pattern​

Multiple data sections with context:

  1. Title
  2. Executive Summary
  3. Text: "Revenue Performance Overview"
  4. Quantitative: Revenue data (multiple)
  5. Text: "Customer Acquisition Overview"
  6. Quantitative: Customer data (multiple)
  7. Text: "Operational Metrics Overview"
  8. Quantitative: Operations data (multiple)
  9. Insights & Recommendations
  10. Closing

The Narrative Pattern​

Story-driven structure:

  1. Title
  2. The Challenge (text with visual)
  3. The Journey (multiple mixed slides)
  4. The Transformation (quantitative proof)
  5. The Results (quantitative & testimonial)
  6. The Future (text content)
  7. Closing

Working with Content Amount​

The "allow multiple" setting helps adapt to content variability:

Scenario 1: Minimal Content

  • Structure allows 3-5 quantitative slides.
  • User only provides 1 chart worth of data.
  • AI generates 1 quantitative slide.
  • Adapts to available content.

Scenario 2: Rich Content

  • Structure allows 1-3 text content slides.
  • User provides extensive narrative.
  • AI generates 3 slides to properly distribute content.
  • Avoids cramming everything on one slide.

Scenario 3: Medium Content

  • Structure allows 2-4 mixed slides.
  • User provides moderate amount.
  • AI generates 2 slides.
  • Balances completeness with conciseness.

Structure Validation​

The system validates your deck structure:

Required:

  • At least one structure item.
  • Each item must have a category.
  • Custom instructions should be provided (though optional).

Warnings:

  • Very long structures (>20 items) might be unwieldy.
  • All items marked "use once" might be too rigid.
  • No title or closing items (recommended but not required).

Editing Existing Structures​

You can modify workflow structures at any time:

Adding items:

  • Click "Add Section".
  • Choose category and configure.
  • Position appropriately in the order.

Removing items:

  • Click delete icon on any item.
  • Confirm removal.

Reordering:

  • Drag and drop items.
  • Test the new flow with a generation.

Modifying:

  • Click on any item to edit.
  • Change category, instructions, or settings.
  • Save changes.

Common Questions​

Q: How many structure items should I have? A: 5-15 items is typical. Fewer for simple presentations, more for comprehensive reviews.

Q: Should I use specific slides or let AI choose? A: Let AI choose unless you have a specific reason for consistency. Allowing choice improves variety.

Q: How do I know if I should allow multiple slides? A: If content amount can vary significantly, allow multiple. If it's always one concept, use once.

Q: Can I have the same category multiple times? A: Yes! You can have multiple "Text Content" items with different instructions for different sections.

Q: What if I want the AI to skip a section if content isn't available? A: Currently, all structure items will generate at least one slide. Mark items "use once" and provide clear instructions to minimize output when content is sparse.

Q: How specific should custom instructions be? A: Specific enough to guide content but not so prescriptive that you're writing the slide. Focus on WHAT, not HOW.

Testing and Iterating​

After defining your structure:

  1. Generate a test presentation
  2. Review the flow:
  • Does the order make sense?
  • Are sections appearing as expected?
  • Is content distributed appropriately?
  1. Check slide counts:
  • Are "use once" items generating one slide?
  • Are multi-slide sections creating appropriate amounts?
  1. Evaluate instructions:
  • Is the AI interpreting them correctly?
  • Do you need to be more or less specific?
  1. Adjust and retest

Next Steps​