Innovative Tableau: 100 More Tips, Tutorials, and Strategies

Preface
	This Book’s Purpose
	This Book’s Audience
	This Book’s Structure
	Conventions Used in This Book
	O’Reilly Online Learning
	How to Contact Us
	Acknowledgements
1. How to Learn Tableau
	Read
	Introducing Playfair Data TV
	Jump into the Community
	Attend a Live Training
	Practice with Tableau Public
2. Parameter Actions
	How to Use Tableau Parameter Actions
3. Set Actions
	How to Use Tableau Set Actions
4. Button Dashboard Object
	How to Use the Button Dashboard Object in Tableau
5. Transparent Sheets
	How to Make Worksheet Backgrounds Transparent
		How to Make Map Backgrounds Transparent
6. Show/Hide Button on Layout Containers
	How to Toggle Layout Containers on and off
7. New Mapping Capabilities
8. Explain Data
9. Viz in Tooltip
	How to Add a Visualization to a Tooltip
10. Tableau Extensions
11. Chart Types Introduction: Going Beyond Show Me
	Going Beyond Show Me with the Authoring Interface “Canvas” and Chart Type Categories
12. The Data-Ink Ratio and How to Apply It in Tableau
	Ideas for Improving the Data-Ink Ratio of Tableau Visualizations
		Step 1: Erase Nondata Ink
		Step 2: Erase Redundant Data Ink
		Step 3: Revise and Edit
3 Ways to Make Charming Crosstabs
13. Tip 1: How to Make Flexible Text Tables with Limitless Columns
	How to Increase Table Columns and Add Flexibility to Default Crosstabs
14. Tip 2: How to Make Custom Tableau Table Headers
15. Tip 3: How to Align Text with Precision
3 Ways to Make Handsome Highlight Tables
16. Tip 1: Use Existing Format Options
	How to Make a Highlight Table in Tableau
	How to Format Marks for a Highlight Table
17. Tip 2: Use Colors in Moderation
18. Tip 3: Color Cells Based on a Discrete Segmentation
3 Ways to Use Dual-Axis Combination Charts
19. Tip 1: Two Ways to Make Dual-Axis Combo Charts
	How to Make Tableau Dual-Axis Combination Charts
20. Tip 2: Use a Dual-Axis Combination Chart to Make Your User Part of the Story
21. Tip 3: Improving the Design of a Line Graph
3 Ways to Make Stunning Scatter Plots
22. Tip 1: A Formatting Trick for Better Mark Borders
	How to Make a Scatter Plot in Tableau
		Tip 1: A Formatting Trick for Better Mark Borders
23. Tip 2: How to Automate Scatter Plot Segmentation
24. Tip 3: How to Make Connected Scatter Plots
	How to Connect Marks on a Scatter Plot to Assist Understanding
3 Ways to Make Splendid Slope Graphs
25. Tip 1: Make Slope Graphs Dynamic Based on a Date Range Filter
	How to Make Slope Graphs in Tableau
	Tip 1: How to Make Slope Graphs Dynamic Based on a Date Range Filter
26. Tip 2: How to Add a Slope Graph/Line Graph Toggle
27. Tip 3: How to Add Vertical Lines to Connect Slope Graphs
3 Ways to Make Magnificent Maps
28. Tip 1: How to Make Hub-and-Spoke Maps in Tableau
	How to Use Tableau’s MakePoint and MakeLine Functions
29. Tip 2: How to Make Maps with Custom Territories
30. Tip 3: Combine Generated and Custom Lat-Long Coordinates
31. How to Make a Custom Geographic Map
	How to Map a Background Image to Create a Custom Geographic Map in Tableau
32. How to Make Trellis/Tile/Small Multiple Maps
	How to Make Trellis Maps with Automated Grids
	How to Make Trellis Maps with Manual Grids
		A Creative Hack for Adding a Label for Each Cell in a Grid of Maps
33. How to Make a Timeline
	How to Create a Timeline of Key Events in Tableau
	How to Display a Reference Line for the Current Date
34. How to Make a Diverging Bar Chart
	How to Make Positive Values Diverge Left
	Making a Diverging Bar Chart on a Single Sheet
35. How to Make Marginal Histograms
	How to Add Histograms to the Margins of Scatter Plots
	How to Make Marginal Bar Charts in Tableau
36. How to Make Unit Histograms/Wilkinson Dot Plots
	How to Stack Marks to Create Unit Histograms in Tableau
37. How to Make a Dual-Axis Waterfall Chart
	How to Use Running Total to Create a Waterfall Chart in Tableau
38. How to Make Performance Indicator Titles
	How to Directly Communicate Performance in Chart Titles
39. How to Create Performance Indicator Titles with Comparison Score
	How to Create a Current versus Comparison Index Callout in Tableau
	An Alternative Current Versus Comparison Index Callout in Tableau
40. How to Highlight a Dimension Member on a Minimalist Dot Plot
	How to Make a Minimalist Dot Plot in Tableau
	How to Highlight a Dimension Member Throughout Dot Plots
3 Ways to Make Gorgeous Gauges
41. Tip 1: How to Make Rounded Gauges
	How to Round the Ends of Bars in Tableau
42. Tip 2: How to Make Gauges with a Custom Background Image
	How to Customize Tableau Gauges Using Images
		Approach 1: How to Create a Custom Gauge in Tableau by Mapping a Custom Background Image
		Approach 2: How to Use Transparent Sheets to Create Custom Gauges in Tableau
43. Tip 3: How to Make a Stock Ticker Gauge
	How to Use Gantt Marks and Alt Code Characters to Create Gauges
44. How to Make Ranged Dot Plots in Tableau
	How to Make a Dot Plot with a Performance Range for Each Dimension Member
45. Introducing Leapfrog Charts in Tableau
	How to Combine Dot Plots, Gantt Marks, and Table Calculations to Create Leapfrog Charts
46. How to Let Users Choose Between Chart Types
	How to Change Charts Using a Parameter Control
	How to Change Chart Selections with Layout Containers
3 Innovative Ways to Use Text
47. Tip 1: How to Install Custom Fonts
	Two Ways to Incorporate Custom Fonts in Tableau Visualizations
48. Tip 2: How to Conditionally Format Text
49. Tip 3: Format Text Tables Like Finance Reports
50. How to Deduplicate Joined Rows
	The Challenge of Working with Joined Data Sources in Tableau
		How to Deduplicate Joined Rows Using Tableau’s Level of Detail Expressions
		How to Deduplicate Using a Row ID Field
		How to Deduplicate Using Levels of Detail with More Than One Dimension
51. How to Pass Parameters and Filters Between Workbooks
	How to Pass Fields Between Workbooks Using Query Strings
3 Innovative Ways to Use Dates
52. Tip 1: How to Equalize Dates Using the MAKEDATE Function
	The Challenge of Not Having a Month + Day Date Part in Tableau
	Equalizing Year-Over-Year Dates on the Same Axis Using the MAKEDATE Function
53. Tip 2: How to Normalize Current Dates and Prior Dates on One Axis
	How to Equalize a Selected Date Range with a Prior Date Range on One Axis in Tableau
54. Tip 3: How to Make Better Relative Date Filters
	How to Create Flexible and User-Friendly Relative Date Filters in Tableau
	How to Allow Users to Select the Relative Date Range
	Combine This Relative Date Filtering with Parameter Actions for a Better User Experience
	More Ways to Use These Better Relative Date Filters
3 Innovative Ways to Use Tooltips
55. Tip 1: How to Add an Image to a Tooltip
	How to Add Image Branding with the Viz in Tooltip Feature
56. Tip 2: How to Add a Tooltip to a Dimension
	How to Display Definitions in Tooltips of Discrete Dimensions
57. Tip 3: How to Make Dynamic Tooltips
	How to Automatically Display Varying Information Within Tooltips
58. How to Use INDEX() for Easier Top N Filters
	How to Create More Predictable, Flexible Top N Filters
59. How to Dynamically Display the Top N Versus Other
	How to Group the Top N and Everything Else with Parameters and Sets
60. 3 Ways to Use the Describe Feature
	Ways the Describe Feature Can Help You Use Tableau
		Using Describe to Save Processing Time
		A Method of Reverse-Engineering
		Calculated Field Writing
61. 3 Ways to Use Tableau in the Flow
	How to Reverse-Engineer Table Calculations
	How to Update Calculations on the Fly
	How to Save Updated Calculations for Future Use
62. How to Make a Signature Line with Data Status Alert
	How to Automatically Detect Whether Data Is Up-to-Date
63. How to Improve Your Dashboard Design with White Space
	What Is White Space in Data Visualization?
		Sketch Out the Dashboard Dimensions in Advance
		Take Advantage of the Padding Options on the Layout Pane
		Use a Blank Dashboard Object
64. How to Display Varying Decimal Places
	Using Tableau’s ROUND and IIF Functions to Display Varying Decimal Places
	How to Display Two (or Three) Number Formats for the Same Measure in Tableau
65. How to Dynamically Change Number Units Between K/M/B
	How to Automatically Change Display Units for Thousands, Millions, and Billions in Tableau
3 More Innovative Ways to Use Dates
66. Tip 1: How to Compare the Last Two Full Days, Weeks, Months
	How to Isolate the Last Two Complete Date Periods
	Other Ideas for Comparing the Last Two Complete Date Periods in Tableau
		1. Using the Full Current/Full Prior Dimension as a Filter
		2. Compute Percent or Index Changes Between the Last Two Full Periods
		3. Equalize the Comparisons Ranges So They Line Up on the Same Axis
		4. Create a Parameter to Change the Comparison Date Part on the Fly
67. Tip 2: How to Compare the Last Two Partial Weeks, Months, Quarters, or Years
	How to Isolate the Last Two Partial Date Periods
68. Tip 3: How to Automatically Change Date Granularity Based on Days in Range
	How to Dynamically Change Date Parts in Tableau
3 Innovative Ways to Use Parameter Actions
69. Tip 1: Using Parameter Actions to Highlight Selections Throughout a Visualization
	How to Highlight Dimension Members Using Parameter Selections
70. Tip 2: Using Parameter Actions to Change Date Parts with the Click of a Button
71. Tip 3: Using Parameter Actions to Use Measure Names in Calculated Fields
72. How to Create a Custom Top Navigation
	Eight Characteristics of Successful User Interfaces
	How to Create a Custom Top Navigation with Button Objects
73. How to Make an Alert-Style Splash Page with Cross-Dashboard Filters
74. How to Make an Intro-Style Dashboard with Cross-Dashboard Navigation
	Don’t Bury the Workbook Lead
	Introduction-Style Dashboard Alternative: The Welcome Mat
75. How to Add a Cross-Workbook Menu
	How to Navigate Users Between Tableau Workbooks
76. How to Show Top 10 Lists in Tooltips
	Displaying Top N Lists Using the Viz in Tooltip Feature
77. How to Color Highest and Lowest Points on a Highlight Table
	How to Use Table Calculations to Automatically Answer Business Questions
78. How to Automatically Highlight the Latest Trends
79. How to Do Anomaly Detection
	Using Table Calculations to Do Statistical Anomaly Detection in Tableau
80. How to Highlight Data Points in a Custom Date Range
81. How to Add a Date Period Notification to a Dashboard
82. How to Turn Data Normalization On and Off
	How to Toggle Between Actual and Normalized Data
83. How to Add a “Filter in Use” Alert to a Dashboard
	How to Use Level of Detail expressions to Know When a Dataset Is Being Filtered
84. How to Add Custom Integrated Insights to a Dashboard
	How to Add Actionable Insights and Recommendations with Parameters
85. How to Make Automated Insights in Tableau
	An Example of Automatic Insights in Tableau
	How to Concatenate Strings or Text Fields in Tableau
	Using LODs to Create an Automatic Insight to Compare Against a Benchmark
86. How to Make Color-Coded Navigation Using Dashboard Actions
	How to Convert a Highlight Table into a Navigation + Color Legend
87. How to Make a Parameterized Scatter Plot
	How to Let Your Audience Build Their Own Scatter Plot in Tableau
88. How to Make a Global Filters Tab
	How to Clean Up Dashboards by Moving Filters to Their Own Worksheet
89. How to Make Indicators with Custom Shape Palettes
	How to Create an Engaging, Explanatory View by Using Custom Shapes
	Add Value with Tableau’s Viz in Tooltip Feature and/or Dashboard Actions
90. How to Make a Timeline When Events Overlap
	How to Make a Jittered Timeline in Tableau
	How to Make an Axis Range for a Tableau Timeline
91. How to Change Sort Order with Buttons in Tableau
	How to Simultaneously Change the Sort Order Across Multiple Sheets
3 Innovative Ways to Use Transparent Sheets
92. Tip 1: Add Context to Callout Numbers
	How to Add Spark Bars Behind Callout Numbers
93. Tip 2: Add Context to Line Graphs by Adding a Timeline of Key Events
94. Tip 3: Add Context to Scatter Plots by Coloring Quadrants
3 Innovative Ways to Integrate Other Products
95. Tip 1: How to Do Button Swapping in Tableau
	How to Swap Button Images in Tableau When a Selection Is Made
96. Tip 2: How to Drill into a Single Row
	How to Drill into a Single Dimension Member on a Tableau Table
97. Tip 3: How to Create Persistent Comparison Sets
	How to Create Segments on the Fly with Set Actions
3 Innovative Ways to Use Set Actions
98. Tip 1: Design Elements from Outside Tableau
	Tip 1: How to Complement Dashboard Design with Third-Party Design Elements
99. Tip 2: 3 Ways to Use Google with Dashboard Actions
	How to Add a URL Dashboard Action to a Tableau Dashboard
	Ways to Integrate Google with Tableau URL Actions
100. Tip 3: How to Make a Commenting System with Google Forms Integration
	How to Integrate Google Forms with a Tableau Dashboard to Add Commentary
101. Conclusion
Index