21 Creating Dashboards and Actions

What This Chapter Covers

A Tableau dashboard assembles multiple worksheets into a single, interactive analytical surface. This chapter covers the complete dashboard creation workflow: the Dashboard panel and its components, layout types (tiled vs. floating), sizing and device layouts, placing and arranging worksheets on the canvas, and configuring the full range of Tableau actions, filter actions, highlight actions, URL actions, go-to-sheet actions, and parameter actions. Actions are the mechanism that makes dashboards interactive, transforming a static display into an exploratory tool where clicking a mark in one chart filters every other chart simultaneously.

flowchart LR
    A[Individual <br> Worksheets] --> B[Dashboard <br> Canvas]
    B --> C[Layout <br> Tiled / Floating]
    B --> D[Actions <br> Interactivity]
    D --> D1[Filter Action <br> Cross-filter views]
    D --> D2[Highlight Action <br> Emphasise marks]
    D --> D3[URL Action <br> Open web pages]
    D --> D4[Parameter Action <br> Update parameters]
    style A fill:#e3f2fd,stroke:#1976D2
    style D fill:#fff9c4,stroke:#F9A825
    style B fill:#e8f5e9,stroke:#388E3C

21.1 The Dashboard Interface

Dashboard Panel Components

Create a new dashboard by clicking the New Dashboard button at the bottom of the workbook (the icon showing a small grid). The dashboard workspace has four panels:

Dashboard panel (left, top): Lists all layout containers and dashboard size settings. The Size dropdown determines whether the dashboard has a fixed size (in pixels) or scales to the browser window (Automatic sizing).

Sheets panel (left, bottom): Lists all worksheets in the workbook. Drag a sheet from this panel to the canvas to place it on the dashboard.

Objects panel (left, bottom): Contains layout objects that can be added to the dashboard: Horizontal (layout container), Vertical (layout container), Text (text box), Image, Web Page (iframe), Blank (spacer), Extension (Tableau Extension).

Canvas (centre): The dashboard surface. Sheets and objects are placed here by dragging from the panels. The layout mode (tiled vs. floating) determines how objects snap and resize.

[Insert screenshot of the Dashboard workspace showing the four panels labelled: Dashboard Panel with size settings, Sheets panel with listed worksheets, Objects panel, and the blank canvas with a placeholder dotted border]

Dashboard Sizing

The most important dashboard decision before placing any content is the target size. Tableau offers three sizing modes:

Sizing Mode	When to Use	Behaviour
Fixed size	Dashboards designed for a specific screen or embed size	Content never reflows, elements stay exactly where placed
Automatic	Dashboards displayed on Tableau Server/Cloud for varying screen sizes	Content scales to fill the browser window
Range	Dashboards that should scale within a minimum/maximum	Content reflows between the defined bounds

Device-specific layouts: Tableau supports multiple layout variants for the same dashboard (Desktop, Tablet, Phone). Click Device Preview at the top of the canvas to design a separate phone-optimised layout with repositioned and resized elements. This is essential for dashboards published to Tableau Cloud where mobile access is expected.

Common fixed sizes: 1200×900px (standard desktop), 1600×900px (widescreen), 800×600px (embedded in a web page).

21.2 Tiled vs. Floating Layout

Tiled Layout: Structured Grid Placement

In tiled layout, sheets and objects snap into a grid structure. Each element occupies a non-overlapping cell; adding a new sheet pushes existing elements to make room. Tiled layout is the default and is recommended for most dashboards:

Advantages of tiled layout: - Elements automatically resize proportionally when the window size changes. - Consistent alignment without manual pixel-level positioning. - Supports nested layout containers for complex multi-column designs.

Layout containers: In tiled mode, use Horizontal and Vertical layout containers (from the Objects panel) to create multi-column or multi-row layouts. Drag sheets into a Horizontal container to place them side by side; into a Vertical container to stack them.

Adjusting element sizes: Drag the border between adjacent tiled elements to resize. Right-click an element > Edit Width or Edit Height to specify exact pixel dimensions.

Floating Layout: Precise Positioning

In floating mode, elements are positioned with absolute X/Y coordinates and can overlap. Floating is appropriate for: - Decorative elements (logos, watermarks, background shapes) that need to sit behind or on top of charts. - Callout boxes or annotation panels that overlay the chart area. - Advanced designs with layered elements.

Using floating: Hold the Shift key while dragging a sheet or object from the Sheets/Objects panel to place it as a floating element. In the floating element’s right-click menu, select Floating Order to set whether it appears above or below other floating elements.

Mixed layouts: Most professional dashboards mix tiled (for the primary chart grid) and floating (for overlay labels, logos, or navigation buttons). The floating elements are added on top of the tiled grid.

21.3 Filter Actions

How Filter Actions Work

A filter action is the most commonly used dashboard action. When a user selects marks in the source sheet, Tableau applies a filter to the target sheet(s), showing only the data that matches the selected marks. This creates the “click a bar, and all other charts update to show only that category” behaviour that makes dashboards powerful analytical tools.

Creating a filter action: 1. In the dashboard, go to Dashboard > Actions (or click the Actions button). 2. Click Add Action > Filter. 3. In the Add Filter Action dialog: - Name: Give the action a clear name (e.g., “Select Region, Filter All Views”). - Source Sheets: Select which sheet(s) trigger the action (usually the primary chart the user will click on, e.g., a map or a category bar chart). - Run action on: Choose when the action fires: Hover (instant, on mouse-over), Select (on click), or Menu (a right-click menu option). - Target Sheets: Select which sheet(s) are filtered by the action. “All Sheets Using This Data Source” applies the filter to all charts automatically. - Clearing the selection: Set what happens when the user deselects, Show all values (resets to the unfiltered view) or Exclude all values (shows empty charts).

[Insert screenshot of the Add Filter Action dialog showing source sheet, target sheets, “Run on Select”, and “Show all values” on clear selected]

Making Filter Actions Intuitive: Design Considerations

The most common user complaint about interactive dashboards is: “I don’t know what I’m supposed to click.” Make filter actions discoverable:

Add an instructional caption to the source chart: “Click a region to filter the dashboard”, either as a chart subtitle or a floating text box.
Configure the source chart to use the “Select” trigger, not “Hover”, hover-triggered filters create accidental filtering during normal mouse movement.
Set a clear visual affordance: add a Highlight action (see below) alongside the Filter action so that selected marks glow, confirming to the user that their click was registered.
Test the “clear selection” behaviour: always use “Show all values” unless there is a specific reason to show empty charts on clear.

21.4 Highlight Actions

Highlighting Across Multiple Views

A highlight action dims non-selected marks and emphasises selected marks across multiple charts, without filtering the data (all marks remain visible, just de-emphasised). This is ideal for comparison: the user selects the East region and can see East’s performance in context of all other regions simultaneously.

Creating a highlight action: 1. Dashboard > Actions > Add Action > Highlight. 2. Set the source sheet, run trigger (usually Select), and target sheets. 3. Choose the Target Highlighting field: the dimension field that will be matched across sheets (e.g., “Region”, clicking “East” on the map highlights all East marks across every chart).

Combining filter and highlight actions: A common pattern is to have two actions: a Highlight action that fires on Hover (giving instant visual feedback as the user moves the mouse) and a Filter action that fires on Select (deeply filtering when the user clicks). This two-action pattern provides both exploratory preview and committed selection.

21.5 URL Actions and Go-to-Sheet Actions

URL Actions: Connecting Dashboards to External Resources

A URL action opens a web page (in a browser or in a Web Page object on the dashboard) when the user selects a mark. URL actions are used to: - Link to a CRM record when the user clicks a customer name. - Open a product detail page when clicking a product mark. - Navigate to a related report on an external system.

Creating a URL action: 1. Dashboard > Actions > Add Action > Go to URL. 2. In the URL field, enter the target URL. Use field token variables to make the URL dynamic: https://crm.company.com/customers/<Customer ID>, Tableau substitutes the Customer ID value of the selected mark into the URL. 3. Set Open In: Browser (opens external tab) or a Web Page object on the dashboard (inline).

Go-to-Sheet actions: Navigate to another worksheet or dashboard when a mark is selected. Useful for drill-through navigation: selecting a summary chart navigates to a detail dashboard filtered to that selection. Create via: Dashboard > Actions > Go to Sheet.

21.6 Parameter Actions

Parameter Actions: Dynamic Calculations from User Clicks

A parameter action updates the value of a Tableau parameter when a user selects a mark, connecting direct user interaction to calculated fields and views that depend on the parameter.

Example use case: A scatter plot compares two user-selectable metrics. Clicking a dimension member on a separate selector chart updates a Parameter to that dimension value, which in turn drives which metric is displayed.

Creating a parameter action: 1. Create a Parameter of the appropriate data type (e.g., a String parameter for a region name, a Float for a target value). 2. Dashboard > Actions > Add Action > Change Parameter. 3. Set the source sheet, target parameter, and source field (which field’s value is assigned to the parameter when a mark is selected).

Common parameter action patterns: - Dynamic reference line: Click a bar to set the parameter to that bar’s value, which is used as a reference line constant, the reference line jumps to the selected value. - Metric selector: A separate sheet with just dimension members acts as a clickable menu; clicking a member sets a parameter that controls which metric is displayed in the main chart via a calculated field.

[Insert screenshot of a dashboard with a small “KPI Selector” sheet on the left (showing Sales, Profit, Quantity as clickable text marks) and a main chart that updates to show the selected metric, parameter action wiring the two together]

21.7 Summary

Key Concepts at a Glance

Topic	Key Feature	Access Point
Dashboard creation	New Dashboard tab	Bottom tab bar > New Dashboard icon
Dashboard sizing	Fixed, Automatic, Range	Dashboard panel > Size dropdown
Tiled layout	Grid-snapping, auto-resize	Default layout mode
Floating layout	Absolute positioning, layering	Hold Shift while dragging
Layout containers	Horizontal/Vertical nesting	Objects panel > Horizontal/Vertical
Filter action	Cross-filter on click	Dashboard > Actions > Filter
Highlight action	Dim non-selected marks	Dashboard > Actions > Highlight
URL action	Open web page on click	Dashboard > Actions > Go to URL
Go-to-sheet action	Navigate to another dashboard	Dashboard > Actions > Go to Sheet
Parameter action	Update parameter on click	Dashboard > Actions > Change Parameter

Applying This in Practice

The single most valuable discipline in dashboard action design is to limit the number of actions to those that answer a specific user question. Dashboards with five or six actions on every chart create confusion, users do not know what clicking does, and accidental selections produce unexpected results. Design actions by writing the user’s interaction story first: “The analyst clicks a region on the map to see how that region’s product mix has changed over time.” Then build the minimum set of actions that enables exactly that story. Purposeful interactivity, where every action serves a clear analytical goal, produces dashboards that users trust and return to.