Dynamic Title and Highlight with a Set action in Tableau

Dynamic Title and Highlight with a Set action in Tableau

In Tableau, one way to make a dashboard dynamic using a selected dimension is through set actions. With set actions, users can dynamically update text fields based on their selection and highlight relevant data points in visualizations. This guide will walk you through the process of setting up a set action to enhance dashboard interactivity.

For example, in the PIXAR movie dashboard below, users can select a specific movie from the “Select a Movie” dropdown. Based on their selection, the dashboard’s subtitle will update dynamically, along with detailed information about the movie, such as its release date, film rating, and more. Additionally, the selected movie will be visually emphasized—a large red point in the scatter plot, a highlighted position in the distribution box plot, and a red-colored bar in the bar charts at the bottom.

As explained above, when you select a different movie, all titles and highlights in the dashboard will update automatically. Below, you can see the updated dashboard with the newly selected movie, Wall-E.

Create a set:

Using the dimension you want to use for selection, in this case, the “Film” field, create a set named Selected Film Set.

Configure Text / Content update:

To create a dynamic text/content field, first, make a calculated field (named “Title” in this case) that includes the “Film” dimension. Then, drag and drop this field into the Label in the Marks pane. Next, drag and drop the newly created set (“Selected Film Set”) into the Filters pane.

 

Configure Highlight Action in Visuals:

To set up the highlight action for visuals such as scatter plots, box plots, or bar charts, create a calculated field that assigns color and size to the selected dimension. The calculated field can be structured as follows:

 

Next, drag and drop the calculated field into the Color and Size shelves in the Marks pane. This will ensure that the selected dimension is highlighted in the visuals, as shown below.

 

Configure a Dashboard Set Action:

Create a Set Action in the dashboard with the following settings:

• In the Source Sheets section, select the visuals that should be updated.
• Set the Target Set to the previously created set (Selected Film Set).
• Under Running the action will, choose Assign values to set.
• Under Clearing the selection will, select Keep set value.
  

 

By using Set Actions in Tableau, you can create a dynamic dashboard that updates text and highlights visuals based on user selections. In the PIXAR movie dashboard example, selecting a film updates the subtitle, displays key details, and emphasizes the movie in charts. This approach enhances interactivity, making data exploration more intuitive and engaging.

 

Click the link below to check the PIXAR dashboard:

https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/don3154/viz/PixarMovieStanding-RatingandBoxOffice/Dashboard