Tableau Course
Dashboard Actions
Dashboard actions turn a static layout into an interactive experience. When a viewer clicks or hovers on one chart, actions can filter other charts, highlight related marks, open a URL, or navigate to another dashboard — all without the viewer leaving the page.
The Three Core Action Types
Two additional action types round out the set: Go to Sheet navigates to another dashboard or worksheet when a mark is clicked, and Change Parameter updates a parameter value based on what the viewer selects. Both are covered in later lessons.
Creating an Action — The General Workflow
Filter Actions — In Depth
A filter action passes the selected mark's Dimension values as a filter to the target sheet. If you click the "Furniture" bar on a Category chart, the target sheet immediately filters to show only Furniture data. The filter is applied on top of any existing filters on the target sheet.
The Clearing the selection option controls what happens when you click away or deselect the mark:
| Option | Behaviour When Selection is Cleared |
|---|---|
| Leave the filter | The target sheet stays filtered — the last selection remains in place until a new mark is clicked |
| Show all values | The target sheet reverts to showing all data — deselecting removes the filter entirely |
| Exclude all values | The target sheet shows nothing when no mark is selected — useful for detail panels that should be empty by default |
Filter Action — Dashboard Mockup
Highlight Actions — In Depth
A highlight action emphasises matching marks across charts without removing any data from view. All marks remain visible — non-matching marks are simply dimmed. This is the right choice when you want the viewer to see the selected item in context, not in isolation.
Highlight actions match on shared Dimension fields. If the source and target sheets both use Category, clicking "Technology" on the source highlights all Technology marks on the target. The matching field must exist in both sheets — if it does not, the highlight action has no marks to match against and does nothing.
URL Actions — In Depth
A URL action opens a web address when a viewer clicks a mark. The URL can be static — always the same page — or dynamic, embedding the value of a field from the clicked mark directly into the URL string. Dynamic URLs are built using angle-bracket field references: <Field Name>.
Dynamic URL example — opening a product page from a click
https://www.example.com/products/<Product ID>
URL actions have two destination options in the action dialog: New browser tab opens the URL in a separate tab, and Web Page object loads the URL inside a Web Page panel already placed on the dashboard — keeping the viewer on the same page.
Action Triggers — Hover, Select, Menu
| Trigger | Fires When | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Hover | The viewer moves the mouse over a mark — no click required | Highlight actions that preview related data as the viewer explores. Avoid for filter actions — hover filters are disorienting. |
| Select | The viewer clicks a mark to select it | Filter actions and most interactive dashboards. The most commonly used trigger. |
| Menu | The viewer right-clicks a mark and chooses the action from the tooltip context menu | URL actions and Go to Sheet — keeps the dashboard clean while still offering the option |
Filter Action vs Highlight Action — Choosing the Right One
— The target chart would be too cluttered with all data visible
— You are building a master–detail layout (list on left, detail panel on right)
— The selection should drive a KPI tile showing totals for just the selected item
— You have a scatter plot or map where position of all marks matters
— The overall distribution should remain visible while one group is emphasised
— Removing data would hide important context (e.g. outliers, trends)
Dashboard actions are what separate a Tableau dashboard from a static slide — the moment a viewer clicks a bar and the rest of the dashboard responds, it becomes a tool, not a report. For filter actions, use Select as the trigger in almost every case. Hover fires too easily as the mouse moves around and creates a disorienting experience. Set Clearing the selection to Show all values so the full dataset is visible when nothing is selected, or Exclude all values so the detail panel stays empty until the viewer makes a deliberate choice.
Practice Questions
1. What is the difference between a filter action and a highlight action in terms of what the viewer sees on the target sheet?
2. A master–detail dashboard has a customer list on the left and a detail panel on the right. The detail panel should be empty until the viewer clicks a customer. Which Clearing the selection setting achieves this?
3. A URL action needs to open a different product page depending on which mark the viewer clicks. How is the field value from the clicked mark embedded in the URL?
Quiz
1. A filter action on a sales dashboard should respond when the viewer deliberately clicks a Category bar. Which trigger is most appropriate?
2. A filter action is set up between two charts. When the viewer deselects a mark, the target chart should return to showing all data. Which Clearing the selection option achieves this?
3. A dashboard has a Region bar chart and a scatter plot showing all orders. Clicking a Region should emphasise that region's orders on the scatter plot while keeping all other orders visible for comparison. Which action type is correct?
Next up — Lesson 42: Dashboard design best practices — layout principles, colour, typography, and building dashboards that communicate clearly.