How to Suppress Small Sample Sizes in Tableau

Eric Parker
Tableau Calculations

Do you need to publish public Tableau reports but suppress small populations because of sensitivity concerns?

If you work in healthcare, education or another government entity, there's a good chance your Tableau reports contain sensitive information that needs to be suppressed. For example, many organizations we work with need to suppress populations when they are less than five. For example, if we filtered a courts dashboards to see how many court cases there were in Whatcom county for 12-14 year old, Pacific Islander females in 2017 and there were three cases, we would need to suppress that figure because it's less than five.

Customizable Top/Bottom Highlighter in Tableau

Ollie Linley
Tableau Parameters, Tableau Calculations

Text tables can be overwhelming for users. It's hard to know where to focus your attention!

Where are the highest and lowest values in the data? What patterns are there? Upgrading a text table to a highlight table can often do wonders, but a highlight table doesn't provide a singular focus. It will likely highlight high, and maybe low values too.

That's where a custom highlighter can be so handy. Why not let you user control which values they want to call attention to?

Object in Tableau Layout Container Won't Contract

Eric Parker
Layout Containers, Tableau Dashboards

Do you have an object in your Tableau dashboard that should be expanding and contracting but isn't?

There are a number of reasons you might set up an object to expand and contract. Maybe it's a detailed sheet that should only display when the user makes a selection from the summary sheet at the top of the dashboard. Maybe it's a parameterized worksheet swap. Maybe you've set up a simple show/hide button for your user.

Regardless, when an object is in a layout container and isn't expanding and contracting as desired, it's frustrating!

Swap Between Measures with Different Number Formats in Tableau

Ollie Linley
Tableau Parameters, Tableau Calculations

Normally, when using a parameter to swap between measures, you're limited to using a single number format in a text table. But what happens when using the same number format makes no sense?

In our example, we're swapping between Total Cost (reported in $) and Visits (a count). We don't want to report Visits as a dollar-denominated amount, and we don't want Total Cost to be reported without a dollar symbol! So what can we do?

Tableau Classes | Winter 2024

Eric Parker
Tableau Training

Need to get some Tableau training for yourself or your team? We've got you covered! Whether you want to dive deeper on Tableau Desktop, Tableau Prep, Calculations or Dashboarding, we've got a class for you!

In Winter 2024, we're teaching 12 public classes across Pacific, Eastern and Central European Time.

Show/Hide Columns in Tableau with a Parameter!

Ollie Linley
Table Calculations, Tableau Parameters

Have you ever been asked to include a table of data that’s way too detailed for the dashboard you’re working on? Sometimes we really just want to see all the numbers. But we might not necessarily want to display all that information at once.

That’s where a Show/Hide option could be effective. Using a parameter, we can enable our end-users to select whether they want to see all the data in the underlying table, or just some summary data (like some total columns).

How to Build a Quadrant Scatter Plot in Tableau

Eric Parker
Table Calculations

One of the biggest problems with scatter plots is that all the data points on the chart can be overwhelming without context.

Scatter plots are one of the most powerful visuals you can build in Tableau. They allow you to plot numerous data points to identify correlation and patterns in your data set. However, they can also be overwhelming for an end user.

Using resources like average lines and colors to identify data points with "desirable" versus "undesirable" outcomes can expedite your users' ability to properly comprehend the data.

Get Expert Tableau Help Now! (Tableau Office Hours)

Eric Parker
Tableau Consulting, Tableau Office Hours

Do you need immediate Tableau help?

When you're up against a deadline, you don't want to sit around hoping that someone responds to you in a Tableau forum or that Tableau support gets back to you in time. You definitely don't want to get caught up in a lengthy contracting process with a large consulting firm.

At OneNumber, we make the process of getting expert Tableau help as streamlined as possible. You can generally book an hour with Tableau accredited trainers and consultants Eric or Ollie in the next two days!

What are Tableau WINDOW Functions? (WINDOW_AVG, WINDOW_MIN, WINDOW_MAX)

Eric Parker
Table Calculations

Tableau WINDOW functions allow you to apply an aggregation to aggregated data points in a worksheet.

This is helpful when you want to calculate the average, minimum or maximum of your data points! These functions can help you draw average lines, differentiate between values that are above or below average, or even highlight the largest and smallest values in your visuals!

WINDOW functions are a core component of maximizing Tableau's ability to communicate valuable insights about your data.

Expert Tableau Consulting Available Now

Eric Parker
Tableau Consulting

Are you looking for expert Tableau consultants who can help you make an immediate impact with Tableau? We can help!

Oliver and Eric are Tableau certified trainers and consultants. OneNumber has nearly a decade of experience implementing Tableau and building dashboards efficiently.

Our organization is small and nimble and can typically start on a project within a few weeks of being contacted. We can works with you for anywhere from hours to months! We can build it for you, build alongside you, or guide you as you build. We are here to serve your needs!

How to Calculate Moving Average in Tableau

Ollie Linley
Table Calculations

How do you track trends in Tableau when there is a high degree of fluctuation in our data? Try using a moving average!

A moving average is an average of a collection of points around a specified point. For each mark in our view, Tableau will calculate the average of the mark's value and the value of several previous marks. This creates an average value that "moves" over time.

How to Hide Data with a Filter in Tableau (LOOKUP, LAST, FIRST)

Eric Parker
Table Calculations

If you want to reference data that isn't visible in your Tableau worksheet, you're going to need a trick to 'hide' that data rather than filter it out of the worksheet entirely. For example, if you want to calculate year over year growth but only display the latest year, you can't filter the prior year out of your worksheet or Tableau will not be able to reference the prior year values.

Hiding data with a filter in Tableau is an expert trick you should know about. One of the best ways to 'hide' data with a filter is to use a Table Calculation filter. Table Calculations filters are one of the last steps processed in Tableau's order of operations. They are even processed after your standard table calculations (e.g. Percent of Total, Rank, Percent Difference) are computed.

Corporate and Private Tableau Training

Eric Parker
Tableau Training

Do you need private Tableau training for your team? Whether you want to learn about calculations, dashboarding, dashboard design, the fundamentals of Tableau Desktop or get comfortable with Tableau Prep, we're here for you! We have 5 courses which cover numerous topics and skill levels.

At OneNumber, we have Tableau certified trainers who can schedule a class with your organization in a few weeks! No long turnaround times. Eric and Ollie are accredited Tableau trainers and certified consultants who bring a lot of experience, personalization and fun to these sessions.

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