Highlight actions in Tableau - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

👤 Your Role: You are a sales analyst at a retail company.

📋 Request: Your manager wants an interactive sales dashboard where clicking on a product category highlights related sales data across different charts.

📊 Data: You have monthly sales data including Product Category, Product Sub-Category, Sales Amount, and Region.

🎯 Deliverable: Create a Tableau dashboard with multiple charts and use highlight actions so that selecting a product category in one chart highlights related data in others.

Sample Data

Month	Product Category	Product Sub-Category	Sales Amount	Region
Jan	Furniture	Chairs	5000	East
Jan	Furniture	Tables	3000	West
Jan	Technology	Phones	7000	East
Feb	Furniture	Chairs	4500	South
Feb	Technology	Computers	8000	West
Feb	Office Supplies	Paper	2000	East
Mar	Office Supplies	Binders	1500	South
Mar	Technology	Phones	6000	West
Mar	Furniture	Tables	3500	East
Apr	Office Supplies	Paper	2500	South
Apr	Technology	Computers	9000	East
Apr	Furniture	Chairs	4000	West

1

Step 1: Connect to the sales data in Tableau and load it into the workbook.

Use 'Connect to Data' and select the data source containing Month, Product Category, Product Sub-Category, Sales Amount, and Region.

Expected Result

Data is loaded and visible in Tableau's Data pane.

2

Step 2: Create a bar chart showing total Sales Amount by Product Category.

Rows: SUM(Sales Amount), Columns: Product Category

Expected Result

Bar chart displays total sales for each product category.

3

Step 3: Create a line chart showing monthly sales trends for each Product Category.

Columns: Month, Rows: SUM(Sales Amount), Color: Product Category

Expected Result

Line chart shows sales trends over months for each category.

4

Step 4: Create a map showing total sales by Region.

Marks: Map, Location: Region, Detail: Product Category, Size: SUM(Sales Amount)

Expected Result

Map displays sales distribution by region.

5

Step 5: Create a dashboard and add the three charts: bar chart, line chart, and map.

Drag all three sheets onto a new dashboard layout.

Expected Result

Dashboard shows all three visualizations together.

6

Step 6: Add a highlight action to the dashboard to link the Product Category bar chart with the other charts.

Dashboard > Actions > Add Action > Highlight, Source Sheet: Bar Chart, Target Sheets: Line Chart and Map, Run action on: Select, Target Highlighting: Product Category

Expected Result

Selecting a product category in the bar chart highlights related data in the line chart and map.

7

Step 7: Test the highlight action by clicking on a Product Category in the bar chart.

Click on a bar representing a product category.

Expected Result

Related sales data in the line chart and map is highlighted, making it easy to see connections.

Final Result

Dashboard Layout:
+----------------+-------------------------+
| Bar Chart      | Line Chart (Monthly Sales) |
| (Product Cat.) |                         |
+----------------+-------------------------+
|                Map (Sales by Region)          |
+----------------------------------------------+

Highlight action: Selecting a bar in Bar Chart highlights lines and map regions.

✓Highlight actions help quickly see how sales for a product category relate across time and regions.

✓Furniture sales are strong in East and West regions with steady monthly trends.

✓Technology sales peak in certain months and regions, visible when highlighted.

Bonus Challenge

Add a filter action so selecting a region on the map filters the bar and line charts to show only that region's sales.

Show Hint

Use Dashboard > Actions > Add Action > Filter, set Source Sheet as Map and Target Sheets as Bar Chart and Line Chart.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of a Highlight Action in Tableau dashboards?

easy

A. To make related data points stand out without filtering the data

B. To permanently remove unrelated data from the view

C. To create new calculated fields based on user input

D. To export the dashboard data to Excel automatically

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Highlight Action functionality

   Highlight actions emphasize related data visually but do not filter or remove data.

2. Step 2: Compare with other actions

   Unlike filter actions, highlight actions only change appearance to help users explore data connections.

3. Final Answer:

   To make related data points stand out without filtering the data -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Highlight actions emphasize data without filtering [OK]

Hint: Highlight actions emphasize data visually, not filter it [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing highlight with filter actions
• Thinking highlight removes data
• Assuming highlight creates new data

2. Which of the following is the correct way to create a Highlight Action in Tableau?

easy

A. Dashboard > Actions > Add Action > Highlight

B. Worksheet > Filter > Add Highlight

C. Data > Create Highlight Calculation

D. Format > Highlight Settings

Solution

1. Step 1: Locate where to add Highlight Actions

   Highlight actions are added via the Dashboard menu under Actions.

2. Step 2: Confirm correct menu path

   The correct path is Dashboard > Actions > Add Action > Highlight.

3. Final Answer:

   Dashboard > Actions > Add Action > Highlight -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Highlight actions are added from Dashboard menu [OK]

Hint: Add highlight actions from Dashboard > Actions menu [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to add highlight from Worksheet or Data menus
• Confusing highlight with filter or format options
• Looking for highlight in wrong menu

3. Consider a dashboard with a bar chart and a map. You set a Highlight Action from the bar chart to the map on the 'Region' field. What happens when you click a bar representing 'West' region?

medium

A. The entire map refreshes with new data unrelated to 'West'

B. The map filters to show only 'West' region data

C. Only the 'West' region data on the map is highlighted, others dimmed

D. Nothing happens because highlight actions do not work between charts

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand highlight action effect on target view

   Highlight actions emphasize matching data points and dim others but do not filter.

2. Step 2: Apply to example

   Clicking 'West' bar highlights 'West' region on map, dimming other regions visually.

3. Final Answer:

   Only the 'West' region data on the map is highlighted, others dimmed -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Highlight action dims non-matching data [OK]

Hint: Highlight dims unrelated data, does not filter [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking highlight filters data
• Assuming highlight does nothing between charts
• Confusing highlight with refresh or reload

4. You created a Highlight Action but clicking on the source chart does not highlight anything on the target chart. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. You must refresh the dashboard manually after creating highlight actions

B. The fields used for linking source and target are different or mismatched

C. Highlight actions only work on maps, not charts

D. Highlight actions require filters to be enabled first

Solution

1. Step 1: Check linking fields in highlight action

   Highlight actions depend on matching fields between source and target views.

2. Step 2: Identify mismatch issue

   If fields differ or have different data types, highlight will not work.

3. Final Answer:

   The fields used for linking source and target are different or mismatched -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Matching fields are required for highlight to work [OK]

Hint: Ensure source and target fields match exactly for highlight [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming highlight needs filters enabled
• Thinking highlight only works on maps
• Forgetting to check field data types

5. You want to create a dashboard where clicking on a product category highlights related sales data across multiple charts without filtering any data. Which Tableau feature should you use and how should you configure it?

hard

A. Use URL Actions to open filtered views in new browser tabs

B. Use Filter Actions linking the 'Product Category' field and apply to all charts

C. Create a parameter to select product category and use calculated fields to filter charts

D. Use Highlight Actions linking the 'Product Category' field across all charts

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify requirement to highlight without filtering

   The goal is to emphasize related data without removing any data points.

2. Step 2: Choose appropriate action type

   Highlight Actions visually emphasize data; Filter Actions remove data points.

3. Step 3: Configure highlight action

   Link 'Product Category' field across all charts using Highlight Actions to achieve the goal.

4. Final Answer:

   Use Highlight Actions linking the 'Product Category' field across all charts -> Option D

5. Quick Check:

   Highlight actions emphasize data without filtering [OK]

Hint: Highlight actions emphasize related data without filtering [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Choosing filter actions which remove data
• Using parameters unnecessarily
• Confusing URL actions with highlighting