Subscriptions and alerts in Tableau - Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Subscriptions and alerts in Tableau help you stay updated automatically. Subscriptions send you snapshots of dashboards by email on a schedule. Alerts notify you when data crosses a threshold you set, so you don't miss important changes.

When you want to receive daily sales reports in your email without opening Tableau.

When you need to know immediately if inventory drops below a critical level.

When your manager wants weekly updates on project progress without logging in.

When you want to monitor key metrics and get notified if they exceed targets.

When you want to share dashboard snapshots with your team regularly.

Steps

Step 1: Open

- Tableau Server or Tableau Online and navigate to the dashboard you want

The dashboard appears on your screen

Step 2: Click

- Subscribe button near the top right of the dashboard page

Subscription options panel opens

💡 If you don't see Subscribe, check if you have permission to subscribe

Step 3: Select

- Your email address in the subscription panel

Your email is set as the recipient for the subscription

Step 4: Choose

- Schedule dropdown in the subscription panel

You pick when the snapshot emails will be sent (daily, weekly, etc.)

Step 5: Click

- Subscribe button in the panel

Subscription is saved and you will receive dashboard snapshots by email on the chosen schedule

Step 6: To create an alert, click

- Alert icon (bell) on a numeric dashboard view or worksheet

Alert creation dialog opens

Step 7: Set

- Alert condition by entering a threshold value and choosing if alert triggers when above or below it

Alert condition is defined

Step 8: Click

- Create Alert button

Alert is active and you will receive notifications when data crosses the threshold

Before vs After

Before

Dashboard shows sales data but you must open Tableau to check updates

After

You receive daily emails with dashboard snapshots and alerts notify you if sales drop below target

Settings Reference

Subscription Schedule

📍 Subscription panel on dashboard page

Controls how often you receive dashboard snapshot emails

Default: Weekly

Alert Threshold

📍 Alert creation dialog on numeric view

Defines the condition that triggers the alert notification

Default: Greater than

Alert Recipients

📍 Alert creation dialog

Specifies who receives the alert notifications

Default: Yourself

Common Mistakes

Not having permission to subscribe or create alerts

Without permission, subscription and alert options are not available

Ask your Tableau administrator to grant you subscription and alert permissions

Setting alert thresholds too high or too low

Alerts never trigger or trigger too often, causing missed or annoying notifications

Choose realistic threshold values based on your data patterns

Expecting alerts on non-numeric views

Alerts only work on numeric fields, so no alert option appears on text or categorical views

Use numeric measures for alerts or use subscriptions for snapshots instead

Summary

Subscriptions send scheduled dashboard snapshots to your email automatically.

Alerts notify you when numeric data crosses a set threshold.

You need proper permissions and realistic settings for subscriptions and alerts to work well.