Layout containers (horizontal, vertical) in Tableau - Dashboard Guide

Dashboard Mode - Layout containers (horizontal, vertical)

Dashboard Goal

Show how to organize dashboard elements using horizontal and vertical layout containers in Tableau to create a clean, easy-to-read report.

Sample Data

Region	Category	Sales	Profit
East	Furniture	1000	200
East	Technology	1500	300
West	Furniture	1200	250
West	Office Supplies	800	150
Central	Technology	1300	270
Central	Office Supplies	900	180

Dashboard Components

• KPI Card - Total Sales: SUM([Sales]) = 6700
• KPI Card - Total Profit: SUM([Profit]) = 1350
• Bar Chart - Sales by Region: Shows total sales for East (2500), West (2000), Central (2200)
• Pie Chart - Sales by Category: Shows sales distribution: Furniture (2200), Technology (2800), Office Supplies (1700)
• Layout Containers:
  • Horizontal container holds the two KPI cards side by side.
  • Vertical container holds the bar chart on top and pie chart below.

Dashboard Layout

+--------------------------------------------------+
| [Horizontal Container: KPI Cards]                 |
| +----------------+  +----------------+           |
| | Total Sales    |  | Total Profit   |           |
| |     6700       |  |     1350       |           |
| +----------------+  +----------------+           |
|                                                  |
| [Vertical Container: Charts]                      |
| +----------------------------------------------+ |
| | Bar Chart: Sales by Region                    | |
| | East: 2500, West: 2000, Central: 2200       | |
| +----------------------------------------------+ |
| +----------------------------------------------+ |
| | Pie Chart: Sales by Category                  | |
| | Furniture: 2200, Technology: 2800, Office    | |
| | Supplies: 1700                               | |
| +----------------------------------------------+ |
+--------------------------------------------------+
    

Interactivity

Adding a filter for Region updates:

• KPI Cards: Total Sales and Total Profit recalculate for selected region(s).
• Bar Chart: Shows sales only for selected region(s).
• Pie Chart: Updates sales distribution by category for selected region(s).

The horizontal and vertical containers keep the layout consistent while content updates dynamically.

Self Check

If you add a filter to show only Region = East, which components update and what are their new values?

• KPI Cards: Total Sales = 2500, Total Profit = 500
• Bar Chart: Shows only East region with sales 2500
• Pie Chart: Sales by Category for East: Furniture 1000, Technology 1500

Key Result

Dashboard demonstrating horizontal and vertical layout containers organizing KPI cards and charts with interactive region filtering.