Parameter actions in Tableau - Dashboard Guide

Dashboard Mode - Parameter actions

Dashboard Goal

Help users dynamically change the sales target value using a parameter action to see which products meet or exceed the target.

Sample Data

Product	Category	Sales
Chair	Furniture	300
Desk	Furniture	450
Pen	Office Supplies	150
Notebook	Office Supplies	200
Phone	Technology	600
Monitor	Technology	550

Dashboard Components

• KPI Card: Selected Sales Target
  Shows the current sales target value set by the parameter.
  Formula: Sales Target Parameter
  Initial value: 400
• Bar Chart: Sales by Product
  Displays sales for each product.
  Color indicates if sales meet or exceed the target.
  Calculation for color:
  IF [Sales] >= [Sales Target Parameter] THEN 'Meets Target' ELSE 'Below Target' END
• Parameter Control: Sales Target Selector
  Interactive control where users click on bars to set the sales target parameter dynamically.
  Implemented using Tableau Parameter Action on the bar chart.

Dashboard Layout

+----------------------+----------------------+
| Selected Sales Target | Sales by Product     |
| (KPI Card)           | (Bar Chart)          |
+----------------------+----------------------+
| Parameter Control (click bars to set target)          |
+-------------------------------------------------------+

Interactivity

The bar chart is set up with a parameter action. When a user clicks on a product bar, the Sales Target Parameter updates to that product's sales value.

The KPI card updates immediately to show the new target value.

The bar chart colors update to reflect which products meet or exceed the new target.

Self Check

If you click on the bar for Desk (sales = 450), what happens?

• The Sales Target Parameter updates to 450.
• The KPI card shows 450 as the selected target.
• The bar chart colors update: products with sales ≥ 450 are colored 'Meets Target', others 'Below Target'.

Key Result

Interactive sales dashboard where clicking product bars sets a sales target parameter, updating KPI and bar colors.