Filter actions in Tableau - Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Filter actions let you click on one part of your Tableau dashboard to change what data shows in another part. This helps you explore data easily without making new charts or filters manually.

When you want to click a region on a map and see sales details for that region in a table.

When your dashboard has multiple charts and you want them to update together based on what you select.

When you want to create interactive reports that let users explore data by clicking instead of typing filters.

When you want to highlight related data points across different views by selecting one.

When you want to reduce clutter by using one control to filter many charts at once.

Steps

Step 1: Click

- Dashboard menu

A dropdown menu appears with dashboard options

Step 2: Select

- Actions...

The Actions dialog box opens showing existing actions

Step 3: Click

- Add Action button

A list of action types appears

Step 4: Choose

- Filter

The Add Filter Action dialog box opens

Step 5: Name

- Name field

You enter a clear name for the filter action

Step 6: Select

- Source Sheets list

You pick the dashboard sheets where the filter will start

Step 7: Select

- Target Sheets list

You pick the sheets that will change when you click the source

Step 8: Choose

- Run action on dropdown

You pick how the filter triggers: Hover, Select, or Menu

Step 9: Click

- OK button

The filter action is saved and active on the dashboard

Before vs After

Before

Dashboard shows all sales data for all regions in all charts

After

After clicking the West region on the map, the sales table updates to show only West region data

Settings Reference

Source Sheets

📍 Add Filter Action dialog box

Choose which sheets will trigger the filter when clicked

Default: None selected

Target Sheets

📍 Add Filter Action dialog box

Choose which sheets will be filtered based on the source selection

Default: None selected

Run action on

📍 Add Filter Action dialog box

Decide how the filter action is triggered by user interaction

Default: Select

Clearing the selection will

📍 Add Filter Action dialog box

Control what happens when the user clears the filter selection

Default: Show all values

Common Mistakes

Not selecting the correct source or target sheets

The filter action won't work if the sheets are not properly linked

Always double-check that the source sheet is where you click and the target sheets are the ones you want to filter

Choosing 'Hover' trigger without realizing it filters on mouseover

This can cause unexpected filtering when just moving the mouse over data

Use 'Select' trigger for clearer user control unless hover filtering is desired

Not setting what happens when clearing selection

Dashboard may stay filtered or show no data, confusing users

Set 'Clearing the selection will' to 'Show all values' for easy reset

Summary

Filter actions let you click one chart to filter others on the dashboard.

You must pick source and target sheets and how the filter triggers.

Remember to set what happens when the filter selection is cleared.