How to Use Regular Expressions in Tableau

Eric Parker
Tableau Calculations

Regular Expressions are a family of functions which allow you to identify patterns in text strings and perform a manipulation based on a pattern that is recognized.

REGEXP_MATCH can determine if a substring is present in a larger string and REGEXP_REPLACE can replace a list of values with a predetermined output. These are more powerful than standard functions like CONTAINS and REPLACE because they can handle multiple search criteria at once and the can match on patterns (e.g. ABC-123) rather than exact text matches.

Ready to learn how you can harness the power of Regular Expressions in Tableau? Check out this video!

How to Build Dynamic Parameters in Tableau

Eric Parker
Tableau Parameters, Tableau Calculations

Parameters in Tableau are powerful inputs which allow the user to customize visuals in a number of ways. They can change variables in a calculation, modify a filter or even move a reference line!

For some parameters (like dates), it makes sense to have the value update whenever the workbook is opened. For example, you might want the parameter to default to 'This Year', 'Today' or 'Last Week'.

If you have a scenario where it would be handy to have the default parameter selection update automatically, check out this video to learn how you can create dynamic parameters!

How to Join to Tableau Published Data Sources

Ollie Linley
Data

Working with Tableau Published Data Sources (PDS) can be fantastic for data governance, integrity, performance, and privacy. It can also be frustrating when trying to combine them with other data sources.

A Published Data Source is a finalized version of data source - similar to a PDF. All the editing you want to make to your data needs to happen before the PDS is completed.

Tableau Order of Operations | Common Tips, Errors, Solutions and Use Cases

Eric Parker

Do you struggle to get Tableau filters to work the way you want? Do FIXED expressions confuse you? Do you want Tableau to perform better?

If you want to get the most out of Tableau, you have to understand how the Order of Operations work! Check out the recording below where we cover:

  • Data Source vs. Extract Filters

  • Why Top Filters and FIXED LOD Expressions might misbehave

  • Context vs. Dimension Filters

  • Using Sets as Filters

  • Filtering on Table Calculations

How to Increase Filter Display Font Size in Tableau

Eric Parker
Layout Containers

Do you want to increase the display font size of a dropdown filter in Tableau? You'd think it would be as easy as increasing the font size in the formatting window, but it isn't. Increasing the font size in the formatting window only increase the title font or the font size of a list, but not the font size of a current selection in the dropdown.

If you want to learn a workaround which allows you to customize the display font size (and also customize what text display when multiple or all values are selected), check out this video!

How to Build Beautiful Dashboards in Tableau

Ollie Linley
Design, Tableau Dashboards

The visual look and feel of our dashboards make a huge impact to our end-users, and can increase the adoption rate of dashboards, particularly by non-technical users. We can't under-estimate the "wow-factor" of a good-looking dashboard!

But how do you begin to build a good looking dashboard when you're sitting with one that looks like an out-of-the-box Tableau dashboard? The answer is to craft your own design style using best practices and inspiration from others.

How to Build Hierarchies in Tableau

Ollie Linley
Design

Hierarchies are a simple Tableau tool that allows us to drill through dimension levels, from least specific to most specific. Hierarchies typically work best when our dimensional data is organized in levels, like location (State, City, Address), or person (Office, Department, Team, Individual).

However, hierarchies can be limited. The interface to find the drill-down button is not obvious to our end-users, and drilling down from level 1 to level 4 can be cumbersome. In this video, we'll not only look at how to build and use hierarchies, but work through one or two tips on how to create optimized functionality for some selective features of hierarchies, giving you a better overall end-user experience.

Power BI Basics for Tableau Users

Eric Parker
Power BI

📊 There will never be a better time to learn Power BI! If you come from a Tableau background and want to understand the core skills you need to successfully build data models and reports in Power BI, this one is for you!

We cover how to transform data in Power Query, model data in Power BI, build and customize visuals, and how to format a report!

Whether you want to prioritize your personal skills development or your organization is making the jump from Tableau to Power BI, start here to build a solid foundation for future Power BI success!

How to Build Dumbbell Charts in Tableau

Ollie Linley
Design

Dumbbell charts are an eye-catching way of comparing two values. They can be used for detailed comparisons or simple KPIs. Dumbbell charts are are effective at displaying the relationship between two data points and highlighting the magnitude of change between them. By using a simple yet powerful visual representation, dumbbell charts enable you to easily compare and contrast data points, identify trends, and uncover insights that might be hidden in traditional visualizations.

How to Add Input Filters in Tableau Prep (Improve Performance!)

Eric Parker
Tableau Text Tables, Tableau Totals, Level of Detail

One of the biggest gripes about Tableau Prep is that it isn't as fast as people want. However, most people aren't leveraging the best way to improve performance; input filters!

Input filters allow you to filter the data at input ensuring that unneeded data is never loaded into and processed in Tableau Prep. This can lead to massive performance benefits.

Ready to learn how to apply input filters and numerous ways they can be configured? Check out this video!

12 Tips for Amazing Tableau Bar Charts

Ollie Linley
Design, Tableau How-Tos

Do you feel stuck when working with bar charts? How do you take them from the standard (although a bit boring) chart we all know to something powerful, engaging, and compelling?

We've put together a free webinar on our 12 top tips to taking your bar charts to the next level.

We looked at things like:

•Color-changing labels

•Multi-axis bar charts

•Multiple labels on a bar

•Drilldowns

How to Make a Pop-Up Warning Message in Tableau

Eric Parker
Layout Containers, Tableau Dashboards, Tableau General Knowledge

Do you want a warning message to pop up in Tableau when there is no data or a user makes an invalid selection? Look no further, we've got the solution for you!

We've worked with numerous clients to help them apply their own version of this method to their dashboards. Ultimately, it comes down to creating a warning message sheet, putting it in a vertical layout container with the worksheet it will replace when activated, and applying some logic and customizations to the warning sheet so it only shows up when you want it to.

Ready to add dashboard warning messages to your Tableau toolkit? Check out this video!

Build Custom Parameter Selection Buttons in Tableau

Ollie Linley
Design, Tableau Dashboards, Tableau Parameters

If you're looking to turn your static Tableau dashboards into interactive powerhouses, buttons are a fantastic way to do that! In today's tutorial, we're diving into one of Tableau's most underutilised secrets: using buttons to control parameters. This isn't just about making dashboards look sleek (though they absolutely will), it's about creating an experience so intuitive that your users will actually want to explore your data.

How to Calculate Equivalent Comparison Dates in Tableau

Eric Parker
Tableau Dates

Do you need to use Tableau to compare values to an equivalent date from a prior year? For example, "How did sales from this Monday compare to the same Monday from last year?"

This is different than comparing to the exact same date from last year since the comparison is probably 364 days (52 weeks) ago. Additionally, this can be made complicated if there are any gaps in your data. For example, if your business doesn't record transactions on Saturdays, you can't simply use the LOOKUP function to go back 364 days because that would take you back too far. Additionally, if you apply a filter and "lose" days in your data set as a result, the LOOKUP approach will fail.

Stacked Bar Chart With Multiple Label Colors in Tableau

Ollie Linley
Design

Have you ever tried to manually change the label color for different segments of your stacked bar chart? It's really tricky! While Tableau has a default color which can be white, black, or white and black alternating, you can't dictate how that should be attributed, and it can't be edited individually.

Here's a fun workaround that lets you control every aspect of the labels in your stacked bar chart from color to size to anything else! We’ll use a dual axis chart (a Tableau workaround hero!), and a reversed axis.

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