Measure filters in Tableau - Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Measure filters let you control which data values appear in your view based on numbers. This helps you focus on important data, like showing only sales above a certain amount.

When you want to show only products with sales greater than $1000 on your dashboard

When you need to exclude customers with low purchase amounts from your report

When your chart should display only months where profit was positive

When you want to highlight top-performing regions by filtering on revenue

When you want to remove zero or null values from a calculation in your visualization

Steps

Step 1: Open your Tableau workbook and go to the worksheet with your data

- Tableau workspace

You see your current chart or table with data displayed

Step 2: Drag the measure you want to filter on (for example, Sales) from the Data pane

- Data pane

The measure appears on the Filters shelf

💡 If you don’t see the Filters shelf, look below the Columns and Rows shelves

Step 3: In the Filter Field dialog, select the filter type (e.g., Range of values)

- Filter Field dialog

You see options to set minimum and maximum values for the measure

Step 4: Set the filter range or condition (for example, minimum sales = 1000)

- Filter Field dialog

Only data points with sales above 1000 will be included in the view

Step 5: Click OK to apply the filter

- Filter Field dialog

The chart updates to show only data that meets the measure filter condition

Step 6: Optionally, right-click the filter on the Filters shelf and select Show Filter

- Filters shelf

A filter control appears on the worksheet for interactive filtering by users

Before vs After

Before

The worksheet shows sales data for all products, including those with sales below $1000

After

The worksheet shows sales data only for products with sales above $1000

Settings Reference

Filter Type

📍 Filter Field dialog after dragging measure to Filters shelf

Choose how to filter the measure values (by range or condition)

Default: Range of values

Range Minimum and Maximum

📍 Filter Field dialog when Range of values is selected

Set the lower and upper bounds for the measure filter

Default: Full range of measure values

Show Filter

📍 Right-click filter on Filters shelf

Display a filter control on the worksheet for user interaction

Default: Hide Filter

Common Mistakes

Dragging a dimension instead of a measure to the Filters shelf when intending to filter by numbers

Dimensions filter categories or labels, not numeric values, so measure filtering won't work

Always drag the numeric measure (like Sales or Profit) to the Filters shelf for measure filtering

Setting filter range too narrow or too wide without checking data distribution

This can exclude important data or include irrelevant data, misleading the analysis

Review data summary or histogram before setting filter ranges to choose meaningful limits

Not clicking OK after setting filter conditions

Changes won’t apply until confirmed, so the view remains unchanged

Always click OK to apply the filter settings

Summary

Measure filters let you show only data points that meet numeric conditions.

You apply measure filters by dragging a measure to the Filters shelf and setting conditions.

Remember to confirm filter settings and use Show Filter for interactive dashboards.