Tableau Parameters

Tableau’s parameters are similar to containers of values. Parameters can be used dynamically to enter values that are not fixed or not present in our original data set. We can, for example, enter a greater than/less than condition into a parameter, set a range of values that we wish to analyze, or select top values.

Tableau parameters can be programmed so that the user controls the dashboard entirely, rather than the author, at the user end. Parameter values make it easy for users to interact with dashboard elements. A parameter can be a string value, a numeric value, a range of numbers, a currency, and more. Therefore, parameters offer Tableau users a great deal of flexibility and freedom in the way they think of new scenarios and use data in a way that gives them maximum value in the form of useful insights.

Steps to Create a Parameter in Tableau

Follow the steps given in this section to create a parameter in Tableau.

Step 1: Click on the drop-down arrow in the top right corner of the Data pane to create a parameter. From the drop-down menu, select Create Parameter.

Step 2: Upon clicking Create Parameter, a window will appear. In this window, you can name the parameter, select its data type, set the current value, and set the allowable values.

In the screenshot below, we can choose a data type from the list of available data types.

Step 3: Additionally, you can select a display format for the parameter you are creating. Among the formats available are Number, Currency, Scientific, Percentage, Automatic, Custom, etc.

Step 4: Under the next option, Allowable values, you will find three options; All, List, and Range. The result is that we can either select all the values within a field and create a parameter. We can also select a list of values from the field or specify a range within which we would like the parameter to contain values.

Let’s add field values to our parameter using the Add from field option. From our list of fields, we select Sub-category.

In the List of values section, you will be able to view a list of all the values within a field. You can remove selected field values from the cross (⨯) icon given next to them. Once you are done with selecting or removing values from the field, click on OK.

Step 5: This will result in the newly created parameter “Top 10 brands” showing up in the Parameters section at the bottom of the page.

Using a Parameter

Once a Tableau parameter has been created, it can be added to a sheet by right-clicking on the parameter’s name and selecting Add to Sheet. This drop-down menu provides a number of other options for editing, copying, duplicating, renaming, hiding, deleting, creating, and describing the parameter.

When you select the Show Parameter Control option, a new parameter control box appears on the right where you can manually enter values to view selected parameters.

You can hide this card or box by right-clicking on it and selecting Hide Card. From this drop-down menu, you can edit the parameter, edit the title, format the parameter, and select the type of parameter card, such as Type In, Single Value List, Slider, and Compact List.

Edit a Parameter

To edit an already existing parameter, right-click on its name and select the Edit Option.

Parameters in Filter

Parameters can also be used when applying filters. The Filter window also allows us to create new parameters instantly. Open the drop-down menu and select the Create a New Parameter. option.

You can create a new parameter from scratch in the next window.

In this example, we create a range of 10 values. Once the parameter has been created, click OK.

In the screenshot below, a Tableau parameter filter is applied to the bar graph based on the top 10 brands or subcategories. Only the top 10 electronic brands are shown region-wise in this graph.

This type-in filter also allows us to manually enter values. For instance, we only want to see the sales of the top 6 brands instead of 10. You can accomplish this by entering number 6 in the filter. Tableau will then show the top six brands’ sales values.

Thus,this is all about parameters in Tableau.