Creating a dashboard in Tableau - Formula Evaluation Walkthrough

Sample Data

Sales and Profit data by Region for a company

Cell	Value
A1	Region
B1	Sales
C1	Profit
A2	North
B2	10000
C2	3000
A3	South
B3	15000
C3	4000
A4	East
B4	12000
C4	3500
A5	West
B5	13000
C5	3200

Formula Trace

SUM(Sales) and SUM(Profit) aggregated by Region in Tableau dashboard

Step 1: SUM(Sales) for North

Step 2: SUM(Profit) for North

Step 3: SUM(Sales) for South

Step 4: SUM(Profit) for South

Step 5: SUM(Sales) for East

Step 6: SUM(Profit) for East

Step 7: SUM(Sales) for West

Step 8: SUM(Profit) for West

Step 9: Create dashboard with charts showing SUM(Sales) and SUM(Profit) by Region

Cell Reference Map

    A       B       C  
1 |Region | Sales | Profit|
2 | North | 10000 |  3000 |
3 | South | 15000 |  4000 |
4 | East  | 12000 |  3500 |
5 | West  | 13000 |  3200 |

The dashboard uses Sales (column B) and Profit (column C) values grouped by Region (column A)

Result

Dashboard View:
+-----------------------------+
| Region | Sales  | Profit     |
|-----------------------------|
| North  | ██████ | ███        |
| South  | ██████████ | ████    |
| East   | ███████ | ████       |
| West   | ████████ | ███       |
+-----------------------------+

Filters: Region selector on top
Charts: Bar charts for Sales and Profit side by side

The dashboard shows bars representing sales and profit for each region. Bars are sized by the sum values. A filter allows selecting regions to update charts.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What does the SUM(Sales) for South evaluate to?

A 15000

B 13000

C 12000

D 10000

Key Result

SUM aggregation of measures grouped by dimension to create visual charts in a dashboard

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