All tagged Tableau Sets
Stacked bar charts are a brilliant visual for displaying how individual segments contribute to the overall value of a category, and how a category ranks in relation to other categories. Like all data visualizations however, it has some weaknesses.
One of the biggest weaknesses of a stacked bar chart is that it's hard to compare bar segments when they don't have a shared baseline. Comparing the first bar segment is straightforward, but comparing the 3rd or 5th segment is cumbersome.
Sets are a powerful Tableau tool that can be used in innumerable ways. One of the most useful (and eye-catching!) ways to use sets, is in combination with Dashboard or Worksheet Actions.
This combination allows us to update the values of our sets simply by interacting with our dashboards and worksheets. We can add values to our sets, assign values, or remove values, just based on our clicks.
Did you know you can reference Tableau Sets in calculations? Most Tableau users don’t.
Referencing a set in a calculation provides you the ability to filter a calculation, rather than an entire worksheet, based on end-user selection.
Why is that valuable?
Tableau Sets are custom fields which allow you to define subsets of data. They can be used in a variety of ways to make charts more intuitive, interactive, and functional!
Let me guess, you have a value (maybe a null) displaying in a Tableau filter and you want it to go away? You don’t want to leave it just sitting there because it’s ugly and your users are insatiably curious. You know if you leave it they are going to select it and you’re going to have to answer questions about what this “null” value means and why it’s a filter option.
As a Tableau dashboard designer, I’m trying to always keep in mind that the end user of my products might not be familiar with Tableau. One of the things that makes Tableau different than other tools is its interactivity.
Traditionally the set feature in Tableau is used to create a subset of predefined values. Those may be handpicked (i.e. How do these 5 products perform regionally?) or they may be chosen conditionally (i.e. Where are our top 100 customers by revenue located?). They are generally used to create predefined values you can filter on.
A client recently challenged me with the question, “How could I show a bar chart in Tableau that shows values for the top 10 displayed as 10 individual bars but group all the rest of the values into a single bar called “other”…
