4.2 Dashboard Actions & Interactivity
Key Takeaways
- Dashboard Actions add context-driven interactivity by letting user selections in source sheets trigger filtering, highlighting, URL navigation, parameter updates, or set modifications in target sheets.
- Actions can be triggered by three distinct user behaviors: Hover (mouse over), Select (click mark), or Menu (clicking a hyperlink in the mark's tooltip).
- The Use as Filter shortcut on a dashboard worksheet automatically creates a Filter Action scoped to all other sheets on that dashboard using all source fields.
- When clearing a Filter Action selection, authors can configure the target view to Show all values, Leave the filter, or Exclude all values.
- Parameter Actions dynamically update a workbook parameter's current value based on user interactions with specific data marks on a worksheet.
4.2 Dashboard Actions & Interactivity
Interactive dashboard design in Tableau relies on Dashboard Actions, which allow data selections in one view to dynamically drive changes in other views, update parameters, alter set memberships, or navigate to external resources. Mastering action types, execution triggers, and target behaviors is a central component of the Tableau Desktop Specialist examination.
Core Types of Dashboard Actions
Tableau supports six primary dashboard action types configured via the Dashboard > Actions menu (Ctrl+Shift+D / Cmd+Shift+D):
| Action Type | Primary Function | Typical Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Filter Action | Sends selected data values from a source sheet to apply filters across one or more target sheets. | Clicking a specific region on a map filters line charts and data tables to show only that region's metrics. |
| Highlight Action | Diminishes unselected data marks while drawing visual focus to matching marks across target sheets without removing data. | Hovering over a product category in a bar chart highlights the corresponding scatter plot points across all sub-categories. |
| Go to URL Action | Opens a specified web address or displays external web content inside a Dashboard Web Page object. | Clicking a customer row triggers a URL action passing <Customer_ID> into a CRM database web search. |
| Go to Sheet Action | Navigates the user directly to another worksheet, dashboard, or story point within the same workbook. | Clicking an executive summary KPI card jumps directly to a detailed operational dashboard tab. |
| Parameter Action | Dynamically changes the value of a target parameter based on user interactions with marks in a source view. | Clicking a timeline mark sets a date parameter used in reference lines or table calculations. |
| Set Action | Dynamically updates the values contained within a target Set by adding, removing, or replacing members upon mark selection. | Selecting multiple scatter plot points places those specific customers into an "In-Set" analytical bucket for comparison. |
Action Triggers (Run Action On)
Every action must be configured with a specific user event trigger that dictates when the action executes:
- Hover: The action runs automatically when the user rests the mouse cursor over a data mark in the source worksheet. Hover actions provide immediate feedback but can cause unwanted updates if overused.
- Select: The action runs when the user clicks or marquee-selects one or more data marks in the source sheet. This is the most common trigger for analytical filtering.
- Menu: The action generates a clickable hyperlink inside the tooltip of the selected data mark. Menu actions are ideal when multiple actions originate from the same view, giving users explicit control over which action to execute.
Configuring Source Sheets, Target Sheets, and Field Mappings
When defining a Filter or Highlight Action, authors explicitly specify the Source Sheets (where the user interacts) and the Target Sheets (where the visual changes occur).
Target Field Scoping
By default, Filter Actions pass All Fields common to both the source and target sheets. However, authors can configure Selected Fields to pass only specific dimension attributes:
- All Fields: Passes every shared dimension field associated with the selected mark (e.g., Region, Category, and Year simultaneously).
- Selected Fields: Restricts the filter payload to explicitly mapped fields (e.g., passing only the
[Region]field while ignoring[Category]).
The "Use as Filter" Shortcut
Selecting a worksheet object on a dashboard and clicking its funnel icon (Use as Filter) automatically generates a default Filter Action. This shortcut configures the selected sheet as the Source, sets the trigger to Select, targets all other sheets on the dashboard, and passes All Fields.
Clearing Selection Behaviors
A critical exam topic is configuring what happens to target views when a user deselects all marks in the source sheet:
[ User Clears Mark Selection ]
|
+--> Show all values (Default: Removes filter; target sheet displays entire dataset)
|
+--> Leave the filter (Retains last filtered results; target sheet stays filtered)
|
+--> Exclude all values (Clears target view entirely; creates pop-up detail panels)
- Show all values (Default): Removing the selection clears the action filter, returning target sheets to their unfiltered state displaying all data.
- Leave the filter: Removing the selection preserves the filtered state. Target sheets continue displaying data for the last selected item until a new selection is made.
- Exclude all values: Removing the selection filters out all data, hiding the target sheet completely. This technique is widely used to create collapsible detail views that only appear when a user actively clicks a summary mark.
Dynamic URL and Parameter Actions
Advanced URL Actions
Go to URL actions support dynamic query parameters using field name tags (e.g., https://www.google.com/search?q=<Sub-Category>+Sales). When triggered, Tableau replaces <Sub-Category> with the actual dimension string of the selected mark. If the dashboard contains a Web Page object, Tableau routes the URL directly into that object rather than opening a new web browser tab.
Parameter and Set Action Mechanics
- Parameter Actions require selecting a Source Field and a Target Parameter. Authors define an aggregation type (such as Minimum, Maximum, or None) for measures being assigned to parameters.
- Set Actions allow authors to choose whether clearing a selection Keeps set values, Adds all values to set, or Removes all values from set, enabling powerful drill-down and proportion-of-total analysis.
Which selection clearing behavior causes a target worksheet on a dashboard to hide all data and display a blank frame when no marks are selected in the source sheet?
An author wants a dashboard action to execute ONLY when a user clicks a hyperlink displayed inside a mark's tooltip. Which "Run action on" setting must be selected?
What occurs when a dashboard contains an embedded Web Page object and a user triggers a Go to URL Action?