Highlight actions in Tableau - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to create a highlight action that targets the 'Category' field.

Tableau

worksheet.dashboard().actions().addHighlightAction().setSourceField('[1]')

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ASales

BCategory

CDate

DRegion

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Choosing a measure like 'Sales' instead of a dimension.

Using a field name that does not exist in the data.

The highlight action should target the 'Category' field to highlight related marks.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to set the highlight action to run on hover.

Tableau

highlightAction.setRunOn('[1]')

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aselect

Bclick

Chover

DdoubleClick

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'click' instead of 'hover' changes the interaction behavior.

Using an invalid trigger like 'doubleClick' which is not supported.

Setting the action to run on 'hover' allows users to see highlights when they move the mouse over marks.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the code to correctly add a highlight action to the dashboard.

Tableau

dashboard.actions().[1](highlightAction)

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AcreateHighlightAction

BaddFilterAction

CremoveHighlightAction

DaddHighlightAction

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'addFilterAction' which adds a filter action, not highlight.

Using 'createHighlightAction' which is not a valid method.

The method to add a highlight action is 'addHighlightAction'. Other methods are incorrect or do not exist.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to set the source and target fields for a highlight action.

Tableau

highlightAction.setSourceField('[1]').setTargetField('[2]')

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ACategory

BRegion

CSales

DDate

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using measure fields like 'Sales' which are not suitable for highlight actions.

Mixing up source and target fields.

The source field is 'Category' and the target field is 'Region' to highlight related regions when a category is selected.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a highlight action with source field, target field, and run on click.

Tableau

highlightAction.setSourceField('[1]').setTargetField('[2]').setRunOn('[3]')

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ARegion

BCategory

Cclick

Dhover

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Swapping source and target fields.

Using 'hover' instead of 'click' when the task asks for click.

The highlight action uses 'Category' as source, 'Region' as target, and runs on 'click' to highlight regions when a category is clicked.

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