Module 3: Dashboard Design and Storytelling

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1 INTRODUCTION – Dashboard Design and Storytelling
2 SELF-REVIEW: OPTIMIZING A DASHBOARD
3 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE: DETECTION AND DOCUMENTATION TOOLS
4 KNOWLEDGE CHECK: ADDITIONAL DASHBOARD ELEMENTS
5 SELF-REVIEW: THE ELEMENTS OF A DATA STORY
6 KNOWLEDGE CHECK: PRINCIPLES OF DATA STORYTELLING
7 MODULE QUIZ: DASHBOARD DESIGN AND STORYTELLING
8 CONCLUSION – Dashboard Design and Storytelling
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INTRODUCTION – Dashboard Design and Storytelling

 

This week, you will dive into a thorough comparison between designing a dashboard and designing a report, exploring the distinct methodologies, tools, and purposes that each entails. This exploration will help you understand the unique features and functionalities of dashboards and reports, and how each serves a different role in data presentation and analysis.

Additionally, you will explore the principles of data storytelling, learning how to craft compelling narratives that not only present data but also make the insights resonate with and engage your audience. This will enhance your ability to communicate data effectively, turning numbers into stories that drive understanding and decision-making.

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify the differences between report and dashboard design: Understand the purpose, structure, and best practices for each type of data presentation.
  • Apply advanced dashboard features: Learn how to enhance dashboards by embedding media and integrating QR codes for interactive and engaging experiences.
  • Explain the process and impact of data storytelling: Gain insights into the art of weaving data into narratives that are clear, persuasive, and impactful.

SELF-REVIEW: OPTIMIZING A DASHBOARD

1. True or False: When you go back to the desktop layout of your dashboard, the mobile optimized layout is deleted, and you need to create it again next time you log in to Microsoft Power BI service?

  • True
  • False (CORRECT)

Exactly! In Power BI, changes made to the mobile layout are automatically saved, and you can seamlessly switch between the mobile and desktop versions without losing the optimizations you’ve applied. This ensures that both versions are tailored to provide the best user experience.

2. From the generated report, which of the following is the most profitable product category?

  • Bikes
  • Accessories
  • Components (CORRECT)

Correct! The combo chart of the report shows the most profitable product category is components with $47K in profits.

3. Based on the dashboard, how many units have been sold?

  • 370
  • 6,560 (CORRECT)
  • 10,234

That’s correct. The dashboard shows that 6,560 units have been sold.

4. True or False: Both Microsoft Power BI dashboards and Microsoft Power BI reports can have multiple pages or tabs.

  • True
  • False (CORRECT)

That’s correct! A dashboard in Power BI is a single page canvas designed for a high-level overview of data.

5. Adventure Works Customer Service manager wants to visualize an overview of customer satisfaction every Monday morning. As a principal data analyst, you need to design a dashboard, which elements you should include in your dashboard? Select all that apply. 

  • Customer support ticket volume (CORRECT)
  • Total return volume (CORRECT)
  • Top performing products volume
  • Customer satisfaction rate (CORRECT)

Exactly! Customer support ticket volume offers real-time insights into customer complaints, helping identify areas of concern with the product sold.

Similarly, the return of products is a crucial KPI that reveals the reasons behind returns, enabling companies to develop strategies for addressing and improving these issues.

Customer satisfaction rates are also a key KPI, providing valuable insight into the company’s overall performance and helping assess how well it meets customer expectations.

6. What component of the Power BI ecosystem is needed to create and optimize dashboards for smartphones?

  • Power Query
  • Power BI Desktop
  • Power BI Service (CORRECT)

That’s correct! You can only create and optimize dashboards in Power BI Service based on your Power BI reports.

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE: DETECTION AND DOCUMENTATION TOOLS

1. What are the key characteristics of Microsoft Power BI report design? Select all that apply.

  • High level KPIs
  • Drill through functionality (CORRECT)
  • Interactive filtering (CORRECT)
  • Single page layout

Exactly! Drill-through capabilities in Power BI reports allow users to explore data in greater detail by navigating to focused views.

Additionally, interactive filtering can be achieved using slicers and drill-down functionality, enabling users to dynamically interact with and analyze specific aspects of the report data.

2. What is the primary goal of creating a dashboard in Power BI?

  • Displaying detailed data exploration.
  • Providing high level insights about the data. (CORRECT)
  • Providing a summary of the data with drill through to the details analysis.

That’s correct! Power BI dashboards aim to provide a quick, high-level insight into the data for decision makers.

3. True or False: Once you publish your Power BI report to Power BI service, you can still edit and make changes to any chart of your report in the Power BI service.

  • True (CORRECT)
  • False

Exactly! The Power BI service provides an interface similar to Power BI Desktop, allowing you to edit reports, make changes, and add or delete charts as needed, ensuring flexibility and convenience in report customization.

4. When you publish a Power BI report to Power BI service, which of the following components are also published to the service? Select all that apply.

  • Underlying dataset (CORRECT)
  • The data model and relationships (CORRECT)
  • Only report page
  • All measures you created. (CORRECT)

Exactly! When a report is published to the Power BI service, its underlying dataset is included, ensuring all necessary data is available for analysis.

Additionally, the data model, including all table relationships, is also published alongside the report, preserving the structure and logic of the dataset.

Finally, any measures created using DAX are also published to the Power BI service, allowing users to utilize these custom calculations in the service environment.

5. True or False:You have created a dashboard in Power BI service and when you select mobile layout, all the visual elements automatically appear in edit mobile layout pane?

  • True (CORRECT)
  • False

Exactly! When you switch to the mobile layout in Power BI, all the visual elements from your dashboard are automatically populated into the mobile screen, allowing you to easily optimize the layout for mobile devices.

6. You have multiple graphs and charts in your Power BI report. One of the charts shows real-time data about the click trough rates (CTR) of the company’s website. Which of the following is the best dashboard to include this tile?

  • Sales dashboard
  • Marketing dashboard (CORRECT)
  • Customers dashboard

Exactly! Click-through rates and conversion rates are essential marketing metrics used to evaluate the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. They provide insights into user engagement and the campaign’s ability to drive desired actions.

KNOWLEDGE CHECK: ADDITIONAL DASHBOARD ELEMENTS

1. You are designing a dashboard for the Adventure Works inventory management team. The team needs real-time access to the inventory levels while inspecting the warehouse. What is the most appropriate way to include this information in the dashboard?

  • Create a separate report for the inventory- levels of products and share it with team members.
  • Optimize the dashboard for mobile so each team member can access the information while inspecting the warehouse.
  • Create a QR code of the tile containing the inventory level of products and use the code as an email attachment, orattachment or display it in a common area of your office. (CORRECT)

Exactly! You can generate a QR code for the inventory level of a product tile directly from the Power BI dashboard. This QR code can then be shared with the entire inventory management team, enabling quick and easy access to the relevant data.

2. What file types are supported in a Microsoft Power BI dashboard? Select all that apply.

  • PNG (CORRECT)
  • JPG (CORRECT)
  • BMP (CORRECT)
  • SVG

That’s correct! Once you’ve published a PNG file online, you can include it in your Power BI dashboards.

That’s correct! After publishing the JPG file online, you can add the image to your dashboards.

That’s correct! Once the BMP file is published online, you can place it in your dashboards.

3. True or False: In Microsoft Power BI service, you can pin a visual element from one dashboard to another dashboard.

  • True (CORRECT)
  • False

That’s correct! You can pin any tile from one dashboard to another in Microsoft Power BI service.

4. In Microsoft Power BI, which media types can you add to a dashboard using Edit > Add a tile. Select all that apply.

  • Spreadsheet
  • Video (CORRECT)
  • Image (CORRECT)
  • Web content (CORRECT)

That’s correct! You can place any video hosted on YouTube or Vimeo on your dashboard.

That’s correct! In Add a tile, image is also a type of media you can add to your dashboards.

That’s correct! Web content is the fourth type of media that can be added to Microsoft Power BI dashboards.

5. What live streaming data is stored in Microsoft Power BI memory?

  • PubNub streaming data
  • Streaming dataset
  • Push dataset (CORRECT)

That’s correct! A Push dataset is stored in Microsoft Power BI, and you can use it to create reports like any other dataset.

6. Your junior colleague designed a dashboard in Microsoft Power BI service, shared it with you, and requested that you duplicate and edit the dashboard. True or False: You cannot make a copy of the dashboard and apply any changes.

  • True (CORRECT)
  • False

That’s correct! Since you are not the creator of the dashboard, you cannot duplicate and apply any changes.

7. Which live streaming dataset is stored in Power BI service to support full report functionality?

  • PubNub streaming dataset
  • Push dataset (CORRECT)
  • Streaming dataset

That’s correct! A Push dataset is stored in Power BI service and supports full report functionality.

8. Which media types are supported by Microsoft Power BI service? Select all that apply.

  • An image published online. (CORRECT)
  • A video hosted on Vimeo. (CORRECT)
  • A YouTube playlist. (CORRECT)
  • An image from your local computer.

That’s correct! The Microsoft Power BI service lets you add online images that don’t require security credentials.

That’s correct! You can add a video hosted on Vimeo to the dashboard’s media tile.

That’s correct! A YouTube playlist can be added as a hyperlink to your Microsoft Power BI dashboard.

9. There is a shared dashboard in your Power BI workspace. You cannot edit it because you are not the creator. True or False:  You can generate a QR code for any tile of the shared dashboard.

  • True (CORRECT)
  • False

That’s correct! You can generate a QR code in any dashboard even if you cannot edit it.

SELF-REVIEW: THE ELEMENTS OF A DATA STORY

1. You have presented a story as a Power BI report for the sales team. Your manager needs to have a QR code for the entire report for easy distribution among the team members. What is the best option you can opt for to fulfil your manager’s needs?

  • Publish report to Power BI service and generate a QR code of the report. (CORRECT)
  • Publish report to Power BI service, create a dashboard and pin report visuals to the dashboard and generate QR code.
  • Publish report to Power BI service, pin entire report to dashboard and generate QR code.

That’s correct! You can publish your report to Power BI service and generate a QR code for the entire report.

2. Which alternative chart type can you use instead of a column chart to display current revenue and revenue from the previous year without losing clarity?

  • Line chart
  • Bar chart (CORRECT)
  • Pie chart

That’s correct. The bar chart just changes the orientation of the graph from horizontal to vertical. It shows the same information without losing clarity.

3. How does your storytelling approach help to present the company’s growth more engagingly and understandably? Select all that apply.

  • By choosing the correct chart type for visualization (CORRECT)
  • By crafting a clear narrative (CORRECT)
  • By designing a logical canvas layout (CORRECT)
  • By managing appropriate relationships between tables

That’s correct! Choosing the appropriate chart type is essential for presenting accurate information clearly and effectively.

That’s correct! A well-crafted narrative is the most crucial aspect of data storytelling. For example, an analyst at Adventure Works might create a report with data and visuals that collectively illustrate the company’s growth and expansion from 2017 to 2020.

That’s correct! A logical arrangement of visuals on the canvas helps guide viewers’ attention through the story you are presenting.

4. True or False: You have crafted a growth story for Adventure Works, based on the scenario presented. Both you and the CEO of the company are characters in this data story.

  • True (CORRECT)
  • False

That’s correct! The CEO of Adventure Works plays an active role in shaping the narrative and contributes to the analysis and design process. As a result, both you and the CEO become key characters in the data story.

5. What term describes an important benefit that data provides to help the audience interpret your data story?

  • Context (CORRECT)
  • Visualization
  • Modeling

That’s correct! Contextualization is critical in designing a narrative to support enlightenment.

6. Who can be a character in the data story? Select the correct option.

  • A loyal customer
  • A CEO (CORRECT)
  • A data analyst (CORRECT)
  • A marketing manager (CORRECT)

That’s correct! The company’s CEO plays a distinctive role in every aspect of data storytelling.

That’s correct! The analyst is the central character in the data story.

That’s correct! The marketing manager can offer valuable insights while helping to shape the narrative of the data story.

7. What are benefits of effective visualization in data storytelling? Select all that apply.

  • Improve audience engagement (CORRECT)
  • Remove errors
  • Reveal patterns and trends (CORRECT)
  • Provide context (CORRECT)

That’s correct! A well-designed dashboard captures the audience’s attention effectively.

That’s correct! By using the right chart type to visualize data, you can uncover hidden patterns and trends.

That’s correct! Data visualization adds context, making the information easier to understand and prompting the necessary actions.

KNOWLEDGE CHECK: PRINCIPLES OF DATA STORYTELLING

1. What is the role of a business analytic tool such as Microsoft Power BI in the data storytelling process?

  • It assists in the selection of an appropriate chart type for the data type.
  • It helps in data source optimization.It increases understanding of the narrative by providing context throughout your data story. (CORRECT)

That’s correct! The use of a business analytic tool to provide key insights and understanding of the narrative helps provide the needed context of your data story.

2. In the context of data storytelling, what does the term conflict refer to?

  • A central issue or challenge that the data analyst aims to resolve. (CORRECT)
  • A technical error in the data.
  • A distraction from the main narrative of the story.

That’s correct. In the context of data storytelling, conflict is the main challenge that data analysts need to address, and it sets the stage for the analysis.

3. True or False: You have received a donut chart showing the total sales broken down by 13 individual countries. In terms of data storytelling best practices, a donut chart is not an appropriate chart type to display this data.

  • True (CORRECT)
  • False

That’s correct! Displaying 13 categories in a donut chart goes against best practices. It leads to clutter, particularly when combined with a legend and data labels, making the chart confusing for the audience.

4. What purposes does data visualization have in data storytelling? Select all that apply.

  • To improve audience engagement. (CORRECT)
  • To provide context and interpret results. (CORRECT)
  • To display the data in visually appealing and colorful charts.
  • To explore and communicate data patterns effectively to the stakeholders. (CORRECT)
 

That’s correct! Analytically insightful and visually attractive graphics and charts keep your audience engaged throughout the data storytelling process.

That’s correct! A dashboard showcasing your key findings gives context to your story and helps the viewer interpret the results.

That’s correct! One of the key roles of data visualization in storytelling is to communicate the patterns and trends hidden in the raw data.

5. You are analyzing the Adventure Works sales data for Australia. What is the best way to color code a map visual in the context of data storytelling in Power BI?

  • Add a single color with different saturation levels based on the sales amount. (CORRECT)
  • Add an individual color to each Australian state to create a divergent and colorful map.
  • Add product category to the legend well and allow Microsoft Power BI to auto-color each state.

That’s correct! In map visuals, it’s common to use varying shades of the same color family, with lighter shades representing lower sales and darker shades indicating higher sales values.

MODULE QUIZ: DASHBOARD DESIGN AND STORYTELLING

1. True or False: You cannot add an interactive slicer to your dashboard in the Microsoft Power BI service.

  • True (CORRECT)
  • False

2. True or False. You can create and optimize a dashboard in Microsoft Power BI desktop.

  • True
  • False (CORRECT)

That’s correct! Microsoft Power BI Desktop doesn’t allow you to create and optimize dashboards. You need to publish your reports to the Microsoft Power BI service to create and optimize dashboards.

3. You are working in a fast-paced environment where you need to manage multiple reports and dashboards. What best practices can streamline your workflow? Select all that apply.

  • Creating media tiles
  • Copying dashboard tiles. (CORRECT)
  • Creating tiles from multiple reports
  • Duplicating dashboards. (CORRECT)

That’s correct! Copying a tile from one dashboard to another saves time and allows you to share results more quickly.

That’s correct! You can duplicate a dashboard, rename it, and make any necessary changes, which helps save time and effort compared to creating a new dashboard from scratch.

4. Which Microsoft Power BI component allows you to generate QR codes?

  • Microsoft Power BI mobile app
  • Microsoft Power BI service (CORRECT)
  • Microsoft Power BI desktop

That’s correct! You can only create QR codes from the Microsoft Power BI service.

5. True or False: You cannot upload a video directly to a Microsoft Power BI dashboard from your local computer.

  • True (CORRECT)
  • False

That’s correct! Microsoft Power BI does not allow video uploads from your local computer.

6. Microsoft Power BI service supports three types of live-streaming datasets. Which of these live-streaming datasets allows you to build a report on top of the data?

  • Push dataset (CORRECT)
  • Streaming dataset
  • PubNub streaming dataset

That’s correct! In a Push dataset, the data is physically stored in Power BI, allowing you to build reports from the data and use any visual elements from the report as dashboard tiles.

7. In data storytelling, which component creates the connection between your narrative and your audience?

  • Context
  • Visualization (CORRECT)
  • Data

8. You are provided with a Microsoft Power BI report that contains a lot of connected data tables, calculated columns, and measures to display specific business metrics. You are asked to craft a data story in the form of a dashboard to show the impact of marketing efforts on sales of the company. What is the primary step you should take before designing a Marketing dashboard?

  • Data exploration to identify which fields are needed to support the story. (CORRECT)
  • Data transformation to clean the data and remove any errors before visualization.
  • Chart selection to determine which chart is appropriate for the given data type.

That’s correct! You need to identify the fields and measures from the dataset that support your narrative of data story.

9. You published a report to Microsoft Power BI service from your desktop and created a dashboard. You are unable to pin your company logo to the dashboard from your report. What possible solution could you use to add your company logo?

  • Publish the logo file online with an HTTPS connection and then add a URL to a media tile in the dashboard. (CORRECT)
  • Upload a logo file from your computer to the dashboard
  • Publish the logo to your company SharePoint and then add a URL to a media tile in the dashboard.

That’s correct! You need to publish the image file online without security credentials and ensure the connection supports HTTP or HTTPS. Then, you can add the image file’s URL to the media tile in your dashboard.

10. What are common mistakes to avoid when designing dashboards? Select all that apply.

  • Inconsistent labeling (CORRECT)
  • Not scaling your charts (CORRECT)
  • Using brand colors
  • Including unrelated data (CORRECT)

That’s correct! Inconsistent labeling on charts and graphs in the dashboard makes it hard for end users to understand and interpret the information.

That’s correct! Scaling your charts on the dashboard ensures a consistent appearance and enhances their analytical value.

That’s correct! Including irrelevant or unnecessary data in your dashboard creates confusion for end users.

11. What are possible reasons to duplicate a dashboard in Microsoft Power BI service? Select all that apply.

  • You need to optimize a dashboard for mobile devices.
  • You need to create multiple dashboards with slight variations. (CORRECT)
  • You want to restrict access to the dashboard for your team.
  • You want to test the performance of the dashboard by applying a few changes. (CORRECT)

That’s correct! Creating multiple dashboards with slight variations is an ideal use case for dashboard duplication in the Microsoft Power BI service.

That’s correct! You can duplicate a dashboard and test performance by making minor changes, saving time in the process.

12. True or False: The Microsoft Power BI service does not allow you to add a video playlist to your dashboard.

  • True
  • False (CORRECT)

13. What is a critical factor of data in the context of data storytelling?

  • Data transformation
  • Data cleaning
  • Data context (CORRECT)

That’s correct! Context is the primary factor in interpreting the narrative of your story.

14. You are working as a Microsoft Power BI consultant in a big analytics company. What common issues could contribute to poor storytelling? Select all that apply.

  • Use of color gradients in charts.
  • A chaotic dashboard layout. (CORRECT)
  • Each tile of dashboard showing an independent story. (CORRECT)
  • Improper chart for the data type presented. (CORRECT)

That’s correct! Chart overload and random organization are common issues in poor storytelling approaches.

That’s correct! In some dashboards, despite visually appealing chart types and organization, the lack of connection between the various visual elements renders the dashboard ineffective.

That’s correct! Using the wrong chart type is one of the most common issues in poorly executed storytelling dashboards.

15. What is the key consideration when determining the level of detail to include in a dashboard?

  • Include all available data to provide comprehensive information in the dashboard.
  • Focus solely on historical analysis to provide context.Prioritize the most valuable information and avoid presenting too much data. (CORRECT)

That’s correct! It’s important to explore the available data, prioritize the relevant information to support your story, and include only that in your dashboard. This ensures the dashboard remains clean and avoids overload.

16. You are a Microsoft Power BI report designer for a retail company that has a diverse portfolio of products. The marketing head of the company needs a quick overview of the impact of the most recent marketing campaign. Which Microsoft Power BI visualizations will you choose to present to the marketing manager?

  • A Microsoft Power BI report.
  • A dashboard (CORRECT)
  • A single visual in focused mode

That’s correct! Dashboards in Microsoft Power BI are designed to provide an overview of the data specific to the end user.

17. Once you select a tile on a dashboard (by clicking or tapping), what action is executed?

  • The tile is opened in focus mode
  • The source report of the tile is opened on the screen. (CORRECT)
  • An edit window appears on the screen where you can edit the tile.

That’s correct! Selecting a tile on the dashboard will open the underlying report from which the tile was pinned.

18. When crafting a dashboard for your story, what common issues could arise when incorporating colors into your visualization? Select all that apply.

  • Using too many colors makes it difficult for the viewers to understand the message. (CORRECT)
  • Using colors having little contrast. (CORRECT)
  • Using gradient colors makes it difficult to differentiate between data points.
  • Using colors without considering accessibility (CORRECT)

That’s correct! Using too many colors in a dashboard design can confuse the message you want to convey and make it harder for viewers to understand.

That’s correct! The random use of colors in your dashboard can result in poor contrast combinations, making it difficult for viewers to interpret the content.

That’s correct! Improper and unplanned color usage can lead to a dashboard that is not accessible for people with visual impairments.

19. In the context of data storytelling, what is the primary advantage of using images and video in a Microsoft Power BI dashboard?

  • Images and videos create an emotional connection for audience engagement. (CORRECT)
  • Images and videos replace the need for any textual explanation.
  • Images and videos only provide visual appeal.

That’s correct! Visual content, such as images and videos on a dashboard, can capture viewers’ attention more effectively than non-visual content. When selected thoughtfully, they can resonate with the audience, making the information more relatable and impactful. This emotional connection helps the audience better understand the data and insights presented.

20. What describes the characteristics of Microsoft Power BI reports? Select all that apply.

  • Reports are detailed and structured documents. (CORRECT)
  • Reports support filtering and drill-through. (CORRECT)
  • Reports typically contain a single canvas.
  • Reports typically contain high-level metrics and KPIs.

That’s correct! Reports in Microsoft Power BI are designed to show detailed and granular data, and each report may contain multiple pages.

That’s correct! You can incorporate Slicers and Filters in reports to add drill-through and drill-down functionality.

21. True or False: You can only optimize a dashboard in Microsoft Power BI service.

  • True (CORRECT)
  • False

22. True or False: In Power BI, you can optimize both reports and dashboards for mobile devices.

  • True (CORRECT)
  • False

That’s correct! Microsoft Power BI Desktop and Service both allow you to optimize reports and dashboards for mobile phones.

23. In Microsoft Power BI service, which live-streaming datasets store data in Microsoft Power BI memory?

  • PubNub streaming dataset
  • Push dataset (CORRECT)
  • Streaming dataset

24. True or False: Microsoft Power BI service dashboards cannot display images published online that require external authorization to view.

  • True (CORRECT)
  • False

That’s correct! Before publishing the image file online for use in your dashboard, you need to ensure that no login or security parameters are required to access the image. In other words, the image should be publicly accessible.

25. What should be the guiding principle when selecting a chart or graph to visualize your data in a report or dashboard?

  • Choose a chart that is visually appealing
  • Choose a chart that is appropriate for the data and the message. (CORRECT)
  • Choose the same chart type to maintain consistency throughout the dashboard.

That’s correct! Choosing a chart that matches the data type and conveys the message effectively to end users is the guiding principle in chart selection.

26. Which visualization elements can you generate QR codes for? Select all that apply.

  • A visual element of a report.
  • An entire report. (CORRECT)
  • An entire dashboard.
  • A tile from a dashboard. (CORRECT)

That’s correct! You can create a QR code for the entire report after publishing it to the Microsoft Power BI service.

That’s correct! A QR code can also be generated for an individual tile from your dashboard.

27. Which live-streaming datasets can you use for report-building functionality, such as applying filters and slicers?

  • Push dataset (CORRECT)
  • PubNub streaming dataset
  • Streaming dataset

That’s correct! As the push dataset is stored in Microsoft Power BI memory, you can employ all the report-building functionality of Microsoft Power BI on top of this dataset.

CONCLUSION – Dashboard Design and Storytelling

In conclusion, this week’s activities will give you a strong understanding of the key differences and best practices for designing dashboards versus reports. You’ll also improve your data storytelling skills, allowing you to present data insights in a more effective and compelling way. By the end of the week, you’ll be well-prepared to choose the best data presentation method for different situations and craft engaging narratives that both captivate and inform your audience.

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