Highlight actions in Tableau - Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Highlight actions let you emphasize related data points in your Tableau dashboard when you select or hover over a mark. This helps you quickly see connections and patterns without filtering out other data.

When you want to show how sales in one region relate to product categories in another chart on the dashboard

When your dashboard has multiple charts and you want users to easily spot related data by clicking or hovering

When you want to keep all data visible but still draw attention to specific parts based on user interaction

When you want to compare a selected item with others without hiding any data

When you want to create interactive storytelling by highlighting trends or outliers across views

Steps

Step 1: Open

- Tableau dashboard in Tableau Desktop

Your dashboard with multiple charts is visible

Step 2: Click

- Dashboard menu at the top

Dashboard menu options appear

Step 3: Select

- Actions option in the Dashboard menu

Actions dialog box opens showing existing actions

Step 4: Click

- Add Action button in the Actions dialog

A list of action types appears

Step 5: Choose

- Highlight action from the list

Highlight Action dialog opens for configuration

Step 6: Type

- Name field in Highlight Action dialog

You enter a descriptive name like 'Highlight Sales by Region'

Step 7: Select

- Source Sheets section

You pick the sheet(s) where the user will click or hover to trigger the highlight

Step 8: Select

- Target Sheets section

You pick the sheet(s) where the highlight effect will appear

Step 9: Choose

- Run action on dropdown

You select either Hover or Select to decide how the highlight triggers

Step 10: Click

- OK button in Highlight Action dialog

Highlight action is saved and active on the dashboard

Step 11: Test

- Dashboard view

Hover or click on marks in the source sheet and see related marks highlight in the target sheet

Before vs After

Before

Dashboard shows all data points in all charts with no emphasis

After

When user hovers over a region in the map, related sales bars highlight in the sales chart, making connections clear

Settings Reference

Source Sheets

📍 Highlight Action dialog

Choose which sheet(s) user interacts with to trigger the highlight

Default: None selected

Target Sheets

📍 Highlight Action dialog

Choose which sheet(s) will show the highlight effect

Default: None selected

Run action on

📍 Highlight Action dialog

Decide if highlight happens when user hovers over or clicks a mark

Default: Hover

Clearing the selection will

📍 Highlight Action dialog

Choose what happens when user stops interacting (clears highlight)

Default: Show all values

Common Mistakes

Not selecting the correct source or target sheets

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

Always verify source and target sheets are correctly chosen to connect the right views

Choosing 'Select' but expecting highlight on hover

Highlight triggers only on click, so hovering does nothing

Pick 'Hover' if you want highlight on mouse over, or 'Select' if on click

Forgetting to set clearing behavior

Highlight may stay stuck or disappear unexpectedly

Set clearing option to control what happens when user stops interacting

Summary

Highlight actions emphasize related data points across dashboard views without filtering.

You configure source and target sheets and choose how the highlight triggers (hover or select).

Remember to set clearing behavior and verify sheets to ensure the highlight works as expected.