Creating a dashboard in Tableau - Dashboard Building Guide

Dashboard Mode - Creating a dashboard

Dashboard Goal

Understand monthly sales performance and product category trends to help the sales team focus on top products and months.

Sample Data

Month	Product Category	Sales	Quantity Sold
January	Electronics	12000	30
January	Furniture	8000	20
February	Electronics	15000	35
February	Furniture	7000	18
March	Electronics	13000	32
March	Furniture	9000	22
March	Office Supplies	4000	15

Dashboard Components

• KPI Card: Total Sales
  Formula: SUM([Sales])
  Result: 66000
• KPI Card: Total Quantity Sold
  Formula: SUM([Quantity Sold])
  Result: 172
• Bar Chart: Sales by Month
  Formula: SUM([Sales]) grouped by [Month]
  Result: January=20000, February=22000, March=26000
• Pie Chart: Sales by Product Category
  Formula: SUM([Sales]) grouped by [Product Category]
  Result: Electronics=40000, Furniture=24000, Office Supplies=4000
• Table: Detailed Sales Data
  Columns: Month, Product Category, Sales, Quantity Sold

Dashboard Layout

+----------------------+----------------------+
|   KPI: Total Sales   | KPI: Total Quantity   |
|        66000         |         172          |
+----------------------+----------------------+
|           Bar Chart: Sales by Month           |
|        (Jan, Feb, Mar bars with sales)        |
+-----------------------------------------------+
| Pie Chart: Sales by Product Category | Details |
|  (Electronics, Furniture, Office)    | Table   |
+-----------------------------------------------+

Interactivity

A filter for Month allows users to select one or multiple months. When applied, all components update to show data only for the selected months.

A filter for Product Category lets users focus on specific categories. All charts and tables refresh accordingly.

Self Check

If you add a filter to select only February, which components update and what changes occur?

• Both KPI cards update to show sales and quantity sold only for February.
• The Bar Chart shows only February's sales bar.
• The Pie Chart updates to show sales distribution by product category for February.
• The Detailed Sales Table shows only rows for February.

Key Result

A sales dashboard showing total sales, quantity sold, monthly sales trends, product category sales distribution, and detailed sales data with interactive filters for month and product category.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of creating a dashboard in Tableau?

easy

A. To write complex SQL queries

B. To export data to Excel

C. To create raw data tables

D. To combine multiple charts for easy data viewing

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand dashboard purpose

   A dashboard is designed to show multiple visualizations together for quick insights.

2. Step 2: Compare options to purpose

   Only combining charts for easy viewing matches the dashboard's goal.

3. Final Answer:

   To combine multiple charts for easy data viewing -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Dashboard = Combine charts [OK]

Hint: Dashboards show many charts together for quick insight [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing dashboards with data export
• Thinking dashboards are for raw data only
• Mixing dashboards with query writing

2. Which of the following is the correct way to add a sheet to a Tableau dashboard?

easy

A. Drag the sheet from the Sheets pane onto the dashboard area

B. Right-click the sheet and select 'Export to Dashboard'

C. Double-click the sheet to automatically add it to the dashboard

D. Use the Data menu to import the sheet into the dashboard

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify how to add sheets

   In Tableau, sheets are added by dragging them onto the dashboard workspace.

2. Step 2: Evaluate options

   Only dragging from the Sheets pane is the correct method; others are incorrect or do not exist.

3. Final Answer:

   Drag the sheet from the Sheets pane onto the dashboard area -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Drag sheet to dashboard [OK]

Hint: Drag sheets from pane to dashboard to add [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to export sheets instead of dragging
• Double-clicking sheets expecting auto-add
• Using Data menu incorrectly

3. Consider a dashboard with three sheets: Sales, Profit, and Region Map. If you add a filter on Region in the dashboard, what happens when you select a region in the filter?

medium

A. Only the Sales sheet updates to show data for the selected region

B. All sheets update to show data for the selected region

C. The filter does not affect any sheet unless applied individually

D. Only the Region Map updates, others stay the same

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand dashboard filters

   Dashboard filters can be set to apply to all relevant sheets, syncing their data views.

2. Step 2: Apply filter effect

   Selecting a region filter updates all sheets connected to that filter to show data for that region.

3. Final Answer:

   All sheets update to show data for the selected region -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Dashboard filter affects all sheets [OK]

Hint: Dashboard filters update all connected sheets [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking filters affect only one sheet by default
• Assuming filters need manual application per sheet
• Believing filters do not update visualizations

4. You created a dashboard but the filter you added does not update any sheets. What is the most likely reason?

medium

A. The filter is not set to apply to all relevant sheets

B. The dashboard has too many sheets

C. The data source is disconnected

D. The sheets are not visible on the dashboard

Solution

1. Step 1: Check filter application settings

   Filters must be configured to apply to all or specific sheets to update them.

2. Step 2: Identify why sheets don't update

   If the filter is not set to apply to sheets, they won't respond to filter changes.

3. Final Answer:

   The filter is not set to apply to all relevant sheets -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Filter scope controls sheet updates [OK]

Hint: Set filter to apply to all sheets to update [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Blaming number of sheets for filter failure
• Ignoring filter application scope
• Assuming disconnected data source without checking

5. You want to create a dashboard that shows sales trends and allows users to filter by year and product category. Which steps should you follow to build this interactive dashboard?

hard

A. Create sheets for sales trends, add filters on sheets but do not add filters to dashboard

B. Create one sheet with all data, add it to dashboard, then add filters only for year

C. Create sheets for sales trends, add them to dashboard, then add filters for year and category applying to all sheets

D. Create sheets, add to dashboard, export data, then add filters in Excel

Solution

1. Step 1: Build individual sheets for sales trends

   Create separate sheets showing sales trends by year and category for clarity.

2. Step 2: Add sheets to dashboard and add filters

   Drag sheets onto dashboard, then add filters for year and product category, setting them to apply to all sheets for interactivity.

3. Final Answer:

   Create sheets for sales trends, add them to dashboard, then add filters for year and category applying to all sheets -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Sheets + dashboard + filters for all sheets = interactive dashboard [OK]

Hint: Add filters on dashboard applying to all sheets for interactivity [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Adding filters only on sheets, not dashboard
• Using one sheet for all data losing clarity
• Exporting data instead of using dashboard filters