URL actions in Tableau - Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

URL actions let you open a web page or another dashboard by clicking on a part of your Tableau report. This helps you connect your data to more information outside Tableau, like websites or other reports.

When you want to open a detailed report on a website by clicking a summary number in your dashboard

When your sales dashboard needs to link to a product page on your company website

When you want to show more info by linking to an external document or help page

When you want to jump from one Tableau dashboard to another using a clickable link

When you want to open a map location in a browser by clicking an address in your report

Steps

Step 1: Click

- Dashboard menu

The dashboard menu opens with options for actions

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

- URL...

The Add URL Action dialog box opens

Step 5: Type

- Name field

You name the URL action to identify it

Step 6: Select

- Source Sheets list

You pick which sheets in the dashboard will trigger the URL action

Step 7: Enter

- URL field

You type or paste the web address or use fields to build a dynamic URL

Step 8: Choose

- Run action on options

You select when the URL opens: on hover, select, or menu

Step 9: Click

- OK button

The URL action is saved and ready to use in the dashboard

Before vs After

Before

Dashboard shows sales data with no clickable links

After

Clicking a product name opens the product page in a web browser

Settings Reference

Name

📍 Add URL Action dialog box

To identify the URL action in the list

Default: URL Action

Source Sheets

📍 Add URL Action dialog box

To choose which sheets trigger the URL action

Default: None selected

URL

📍 Add URL Action dialog box

To specify the web address to open

Default: Empty

Run action on

📍 Add URL Action dialog box

To decide how users trigger the URL action

Default: Select

Common Mistakes

Entering an incorrect or incomplete URL

The link will not open or will show an error page

Double-check the URL format and test it in a browser before adding

Not selecting any source sheets

The URL action will not trigger because no sheet is linked

Always select at least one source sheet that users will click

Using dynamic fields without proper syntax

The URL may not build correctly and fail to open the right page

Use Tableau's field insertion syntax carefully and test the URL

Summary

URL actions let you link dashboard elements to web pages or other reports.

You set them up by choosing source sheets, typing the URL, and picking how users trigger them.

Make sure URLs are correct and source sheets are selected for the action to work.