Custom date formats in Tableau - Dashboard Guide

Dashboard Mode - Custom date formats

Dashboard Goal

Understand sales trends by showing dates in different custom formats to make the timeline easier to read and compare.

Sample Data

Order ID	Order Date	Sales
1001	2024-01-15	250
1002	2024-02-20	450
1003	2024-03-05	300
1004	2024-04-10	500
1005	2024-05-25	350
1006	2024-06-15	400

Dashboard Components

• KPI Card: Total Sales
  Formula: SUM([Sales])
  Result: 2250
• Line Chart: Sales Over Time (Custom Date Formats)
  Dates formatted in three ways:
  * DATENAME('month', [Order Date]) + ' ' + STR(DATEPART('year', [Order Date])) (e.g., "January 2024")
  * STR(DATEPART('month', [Order Date])) + '/' + STR(DATEPART('year', [Order Date])) (e.g., "1/2024")
  * LEFT(DATENAME('month', [Order Date]), 3) + ' ' + STR(DAY([Order Date])) + ', ' + STR(DATEPART('year', [Order Date])) (e.g., "Jan 15, 2024")
  Shows sales trend by these date formats on the X-axis and sales on Y-axis.
• Table: Orders with Custom Date Formats
  Columns:
  * Order ID
  * Original Order Date
  * Custom Format 1: DATENAME('month', [Order Date]) + ' ' + STR(DATEPART('year', [Order Date]))
  * Custom Format 2: STR(DATEPART('month', [Order Date])) + '/' + STR(DATEPART('year', [Order Date]))
  * Custom Format 3: LEFT(DATENAME('month', [Order Date]), 3) + ' ' + STR(DAY([Order Date])) + ', ' + STR(DATEPART('year', [Order Date]))

Dashboard Layout

+----------------------+-----------------------------+
|      Total Sales      |      Sales Over Time         |
|       (KPI Card)      |      (Line Chart)            |
+----------------------+-----------------------------+
|                 Orders with Custom Date Formats          |
|                          (Table)                         |
+----------------------------------------------------------+

Interactivity

A date range filter lets users select a start and end date. When changed, all components update:

• Total Sales: recalculates sum for selected dates.
• Line Chart: shows sales trend only within selected date range.
• Table: lists orders only within selected date range with custom date formats.

Self Check

If you add a filter to show only orders from March 2024 to May 2024, which components update and how?

• Total Sales: updates to sum sales for orders 1003, 1004, and 1005 (300 + 500 + 350 = 1150).
• Line Chart: displays sales points only for March, April, and May 2024.
• Table: shows only orders 1003, 1004, and 1005 with their custom formatted dates.

Key Result

Dashboard showing total sales and sales trends with custom date formats and interactive date filtering.

Practice

1. What does the custom date format string yyyy-MM-dd display in Tableau?

easy

A. Month in four digits, day in two digits, year in two digits separated by slashes

B. Year in four digits, month in two digits, day in two digits separated by dashes

C. Day in four digits, month in two digits, year in two digits separated by dots

D. Year in two digits, month in two digits, day in two digits separated by spaces

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the format components

   yyyy means four-digit year, MM means two-digit month, and dd means two-digit day.

2. Step 2: Analyze the separators

   The dashes - separate year, month, and day in the output.

3. Final Answer:

   Year in four digits, month in two digits, day in two digits separated by dashes -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   yyyy-MM-dd = Year-Month-Day with dashes [OK]

Hint: Remember yyyy=year, MM=month, dd=day with separators [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing MM with minutes
• Mixing up order of year, month, day
• Ignoring separator characters

2. Which of the following is the correct Tableau custom date format to show the date as 31/12/2024?

easy

A. dd/MM/yyyy

B. yyyy/MM/dd

C. MM/dd/yyyy

D. dd-MM-yyyy

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the desired output format

   The date is shown as day/month/year with slashes: 31/12/2024.

2. Step 2: Match format string to output

   dd for day, MM for month, yyyy for year, separated by slashes /.

3. Final Answer:

   dd/MM/yyyy -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   dd/MM/yyyy matches 31/12/2024 [OK]

Hint: Use slashes for separators and order day/month/year [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using dashes instead of slashes
• Swapping month and day positions
• Using lowercase 'mm' which means minutes

3. Given the Tableau custom date format string MMM dd, yyyy, what would the date 2024-07-04 display as?

medium

A. 04 Jul, 2024

B. July 04, 2024

C. 07 04, 2024

D. Jul 04, 2024

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand format tokens

   MMM shows abbreviated month name (e.g., Jul), dd is two-digit day, yyyy is four-digit year.

2. Step 2: Apply to date 2024-07-04

   Month is July abbreviated as 'Jul', day is '04', year is '2024', combined as 'Jul 04, 2024'.

3. Final Answer:

   Jul 04, 2024 -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   MMM dd, yyyy = Jul 04, 2024 [OK]

Hint: MMM means short month name like Jan, Feb, Mar [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using full month name with MMM
• Confusing MMM with MM (month number)
• Swapping day and month order

4. You wrote the custom date format yyyy/dd/MM in Tableau but the dates look wrong. What is the likely error?

medium

A. Using lowercase 'dd' instead of uppercase 'DD' causes error

B. Missing separators like dashes or slashes between parts

C. Day and month positions are swapped, causing incorrect display

D. Year should be lowercase 'yyyy' to work correctly

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the format string

   yyyy/dd/MM places day before month, which is unusual and likely not intended.

2. Step 2: Understand correct order

   Typically, month comes before day in many formats, so swapping causes wrong date display.

3. Final Answer:

   Day and month positions are swapped, causing incorrect display -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Swapped dd and MM cause wrong date order [OK]

Hint: Check order: month usually before day, not after [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing uppercase and lowercase tokens
• Ignoring separators between date parts
• Assuming lowercase yyyy is invalid

5. You want to create a Tableau custom date format that shows the full month name, day without leading zero, and two-digit year, like January 5, 24. Which format string should you use?

hard

A. MMMM d, yy

B. MMM dd, yyyy

C. MM/dd/yy

D. MMMM dd, yyyy

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify required parts

   Full month name = MMMM, day without leading zero = d, two-digit year = yy.

2. Step 2: Match format string

   MMMM d, yy matches exactly: full month, day no leading zero, comma, space, two-digit year.

3. Final Answer:

   MMMM d, yy -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   MMMM d, yy = January 5, 24 [OK]

Hint: Use MMMM for full month, d for day no zero, yy for two-digit year [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using dd for day adds leading zero
• Using yyyy for four-digit year instead of two-digit
• Using MMM for short month name instead of full