FIXED LOD expression in Tableau - Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

FIXED LOD expressions in Tableau let you calculate values at a specific level, ignoring filters or other dimensions. This helps when you want a number fixed by certain categories, no matter what else changes on your dashboard.

When you want to show total sales per region even if the user filters by product category

When you need to calculate average sales per customer regardless of the date filter

When you want to compare each store's sales to the overall sales fixed by store

When you want to create a benchmark value that stays constant across different views

When you want to count unique customers fixed by city even if other filters apply

Steps

Step 1: Open

- Tableau Desktop workbook

Your data and sheets are visible

Step 2: Click

- Analysis menu > Create Calculated Field

A dialog box opens to create a new calculation

Step 3: Type

- Calculated Field dialog

You enter the FIXED LOD expression syntax

💡 Use syntax like {FIXED [Dimension]: AGGREGATION([Measure])} e.g. {FIXED [Region]: SUM([Sales])}

Step 4: Click

- OK button in Calculated Field dialog

The new calculated field appears in the Data pane

Step 5: Drag

- New calculated field to Rows or Columns shelf or Marks card

The visualization updates showing values fixed by the chosen dimension

Before vs After

Before

A sales chart filtered by product category shows different totals per region

After

A sales chart with FIXED LOD shows total sales per region constant, ignoring product category filter

Settings Reference

Calculation Editor

📍 Analysis menu > Create Calculated Field

Where you write FIXED LOD expressions

Default: Empty

Aggregation Functions

📍 Inside Calculation Editor

Defines how values are summarized in the FIXED expression

Default: Depends on calculation

Common Mistakes

Using FIXED without specifying a dimension

FIXED requires at least one dimension to fix the calculation level

Always include the dimension inside the curly braces, e.g. {FIXED [Region]: SUM([Sales])}

Expecting FIXED to respond to all filters

FIXED ignores filters on dimensions not included in the expression

Use INCLUDE or EXCLUDE LOD expressions if you want calculations to respond to filters differently

Summary

FIXED LOD expressions calculate values at a set dimension level, ignoring some filters.

They help compare fixed totals or averages even when users filter other data.

Remember to specify the dimension inside the FIXED expression to control the calculation level.