EDUCBA

EDUCBA

MENUMENU
  • Explore
    • Lifetime Membership
    • All in One Bundles
    • Fresh Entries
    • Finance
    • Data Science
    • Programming and Dev
    • Excel
    • Marketing
    • HR
    • PDP
    • VFX and Design
    • Project Management
    • Exam Prep
    • All Courses
  • Blog
  • Enterprise
  • Free Courses
  • Log in
  • Sign up
Home Data Science Data Science Tutorials Tableau Tutorial Parameters in Tableau

Parameters in Tableau

Priya Pedamkar
Article byPriya Pedamkar

Updated July 5, 2023

Parameters in Tableau

Introduction to Parameters in Tableau

The variable that assumes no particular value but takes a value as passed or assigned by the user based on the context is termed a “parameter” in general. In Tableau, parameters are similar entities that take context-based values and offer dynamism to the user. Let us take an example. The senior management in an organization likes to see a certain number of top and bottom-performing regions in sales at the end of every month. Their dashboard has provided to visualize the first top ten performing regions. However, the management now feels that it is essential to have dynamic control for deeper analysis using any number of top performers to view over the dashboard. In Tableau, this can be achieved using “parameters.”

ADVERTISEMENT
Popular Course in this category
TABLEAU Course Bundle - 16 Courses in 1 | 2 Mock Tests

Start Your Free Data Science Course

Hadoop, Data Science, Statistics & others

How to Create and Use Parameters in Tableau?

Now, we shall see how to create and use parameters step-by-step. Using parameters, we will display the requisite number of top-performing regions. For this example, we will use data with multiple fields. Each field has a significance of its own. For our purpose, the fields of interest are Region and Quantity. The region is a categorical variable, while quantity is a numerical variable.

Below are the steps to create and use Parameters.

Step 1: First, we shall have the requisite data loaded in Tableau, as shown below:

Parameters in Tableau

Step 2: In this step, we will understand the initial few aspects of Parameters.

Parameters in Tableau

Click on this button. It will pop up various options.

pop-up various options

Clicking on the button will generate a list of menus. Click on the “Create Parameter…” option from the list.

Step 3: Clicking on the “Create Parameter…” option as in the above step will generate a dialogue box, as shown below:

Parameters in Tableau

Step 4: In this step, we shall create the actual parameter. We have provided the name for the parameter.

Parameters in Tableau

Parameters in Tableau

A newly created parameter appears in the lower-left corner of the window. It appears under the “Parameters” section below the “Measures.” It is highlighted for easy notice. We will use this parameter in the filter to serve our purpose.

Step 5: In this step, we will create a filter over the categorical variable, i.e., Region Name.

Parameters in Tableau

We have created a filter over the “Region Name” field by bringing the dimension in the “Filters.”
Section. Next, we will use the parameter “First Top N” created in the filter’s previous part.

Step 6: Edit the filter to use a parameter with it.

Filters

Clicking on the button will generate various options. Click on the “Edit Filter” option. It will generate a dialogue box with multiple options.

Filters

In the dialogue box, click on the “Top” tab. By default, “None” is selected. Click on “By field.” Clicking on “By field.”
Activates these options. Here the default value is 10. Notice the parameters that we created appeared on the list. Click on that and select it.

By field

The parameter that we created has been selected.

Here there are two options: Top and Bottom. Selecting the top will output Top performers based on “Quantity” using the “First Top N” parameter. Selecting Bottom shall do the reverse. Finally, Click on “Apply” and then on “OK.”

Step 7: We will make the parameter visible on the window, without which it won’t be possible to use it.

By field

Select the “Show Parameter Control” option from the list. It will make the parameter visible on the screen. Right-Clicking on the parameter will generate a list of menus.

 Parameter Control

Clicking on “Show Parameter Control” makes the parameter visible. Remember, we had set the default value to 5 while creating the parameter. The graph now has only 5 bars corresponding to the first 5 top performing regions.

Step 8: Validating and using the parameter, experimenting with multiple values.

 Parameter Control

Entering ‘3’ here has given us the first top 3 performing regions regarding quantity sold. The top three performing regions were generated after we entered the requisite parameter value. Parameters enable real-time value assignment and facilitate dynamism to the user.

In the above part, we learned to create and use the parameter. In this case, we allowed the parameter to take any value by selecting “All” in “Allowable values.” Now, we will try to explore the other two options, viz. List and Range.

Allowable values as a list

Right Click on the parameter and click on “Edit…” as shown:

 Parameter Control

Click on “Edit…”. It will generate the Edit Parameter dialogue box.

 Parameter Control

Select the “List” option. In the “List of Values” section, we created a list containing values 3, 5, and 10 with Top 3, 5, and Top 10 as their respective names. Once done, click on ‘OK.’

Range

See how the list appears now. It appears as a list. Now parameter can only take a value amongst those specified in the list. It will display the result accordingly.

list

Click on the parameter to explore various options. We can change how we want to display the list by selecting a suitable option.

Allowable values as Range

Again, edit the parameter mentioned in the above section and perform the requisite changes.

Range of Values

Select the “Range” option. Set the minimum and maximum values. We have set the minimum value to 3 and the maximum to 10. Click OK; once done

Range of Values

Now, the parameter appears as a slider that can take values ranging from 3 to 10. We have selected 7 as the
parameter value, as a result of which we got the top 7 performers in the output.

Conclusion – Parameters in Tableau

Parameters are dynamic entities that add tremendous value to Tableau as a functionality. They can be used in multiple ways based on the context. The basic idea underlying parameters in Tableau remains the same as any parameter in general: they are not constant but assume any value assigned to them in real time.

Recommended Article

This is a Guide to Parameters in Tableau. Here we discuss the Introduction to parameters in Tableau and how to Create and Use parameters, respectively. You can also go through our other suggested articles to learn more –

  1. Line Chart in Tableau
  2. Bubble Chart in Tableau
  3. Tableau Architecture
  4. Tableau Date Functions
ADVERTISEMENT
WINDOWS POWERSHELL Course Bundle - 7 Courses in 1
19+ Hours of HD Videos
7 Courses
Verifiable Certificate of Completion
Lifetime Access
4.5
ADVERTISEMENT
SALESFORCE Course Bundle - 4 Courses in 1
24+ Hours of HD Videos
4 Courses
Verifiable Certificate of Completion
Lifetime Access
4.5
ADVERTISEMENT
MINITAB Course Bundle - 9 Courses in 1 | 2 Mock Tests
35+ Hour of HD Videos
9 Courses
2 Mock Tests & Quizzes
Verifiable Certificate of Completion
Lifetime Access
4.5
ADVERTISEMENT
SAS PROGRAMMING Course Bundle - 18 Courses in 1 | 8 Mock Tests
123+ Hours of HD Videos
18 Courses
8 Mock Tests & Quizzes
Verifiable Certificate of Completion
Lifetime Access
4.5
Primary Sidebar
Footer
Follow us!
  • EDUCBA FacebookEDUCBA TwitterEDUCBA LinkedINEDUCBA Instagram
  • EDUCBA YoutubeEDUCBA CourseraEDUCBA Udemy
APPS
EDUCBA Android AppEDUCBA iOS App
Blog
  • Blog
  • Free Tutorials
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Blog as Guest
Courses
  • Free Courses
  • Explore Programs
  • All Courses
  • All in One Bundles
  • Sign up
Email
  • [email protected]

ISO 10004:2018 & ISO 9001:2015 Certified

© 2023 - EDUCBA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE CERTIFICATION NAMES ARE THE TRADEMARKS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

EDUCBA

*Please provide your correct email id. Login details for this Free course will be emailed to you

Let’s Get Started

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

EDUCBA
Free Data Science Course

Hadoop, Data Science, Statistics & others

By continuing above step, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
*Please provide your correct email id. Login details for this Free course will be emailed to you

EDUCBA

*Please provide your correct email id. Login details for this Free course will be emailed to you
EDUCBA

*Please provide your correct email id. Login details for this Free course will be emailed to you
EDUCBA Login

Forgot Password?

This website or its third-party tools use cookies, which are necessary to its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the cookie policy. By closing this banner, scrolling this page, clicking a link or continuing to browse otherwise, you agree to our Privacy Policy

Loading . . .
Quiz
Question:

Answer:

Quiz Result
Total QuestionsCorrect AnswersWrong AnswersPercentage

Explore 1000+ varieties of Mock tests View more

🚀 Extended Cyber Monday Price Drop! All in One Universal Bundle (3700+ Courses) @ 🎁 90% OFF - Ends in ENROLL NOW