Documentation and naming conventions in Tableau - Dashboard Guide

Dashboard Mode - Documentation and naming conventions

Dashboard Goal

This dashboard helps you understand how to organize and document your Tableau workbooks clearly. It shows examples of good naming and documentation practices so your reports are easy to read and maintain.

Sample Data

Order ID	Region	Sales Person	Sales Amount	Order Date
1001	East	Alice	250	2024-01-15
1002	West	Bob	400	2024-01-20
1003	East	Charlie	150	2024-02-05
1004	South	Alice	300	2024-02-10
1005	West	Bob	500	2024-02-15

Dashboard Components

• KPI Card: Total Sales
  Formula: SUM([Sales Amount])
  Result: 1600
  Description: Shows total sales amount from all orders.
• Bar Chart: Sales by Region
  Formula: SUM([Sales Amount]) grouped by [Region]
  Result: East=400, West=900, South=300
  Description: Visualizes sales distribution by region.
• Table: Sales Person Performance
  Columns: Sales Person, Total Sales
  Formula: SUM([Sales Amount]) grouped by [Sales Person]
  Result: Alice=550, Bob=900, Charlie=150
  Description: Lists total sales per sales person.
• Documentation Text Box
  Content: Explains naming conventions used:
  • Fields named with clear, descriptive names (e.g., Sales Amount not Amt)
  • Calculated fields named with prefix Calc_ (e.g., Calc_TotalSales)
  • Dashboards and sheets named by purpose (e.g., Sales Overview)

Dashboard Layout

+----------------------+---------------------+
|      KPI Card        | Documentation Text  |
|   Total Sales: 1600  |  Naming Conventions |
+----------------------+---------------------+
|          Bar Chart: Sales by Region           |
|  East:400  West:900  South:300                |
+-----------------------------------------------+
|       Table: Sales Person Performance          |
| Alice:550  Bob:900  Charlie:150                |
+-----------------------------------------------+

Interactivity

Adding a filter for Region will update the KPI card, bar chart, and sales person table to show data only for the selected region(s). The documentation text remains static as it explains naming rules.

Self Check

If you add a filter for Region = West, which components update and what are their new values?

• KPI Card: Updates to total sales for West = 900
• Bar Chart: Shows only West region bar with value 900
• Sales Person Table: Shows Bob with 900 sales only
• Documentation Text: Does not change

Key Result

A simple Tableau dashboard demonstrating clear documentation and naming conventions with sales KPIs and visuals.