Tableau calculated field

To help you become more efficient with tableau calculated field and editing calculated fields in Tableau, this article lists several tips for working in the calculation editor. Note : The gifs in this topic show an older version of the UI, tableau calculated field. The Data pane no longer calls out Dimensions and Measures. When creating fields in the calculation editor, you can drag existing fields from the Data pane into the editor at any time.

Possibly the most powerful feature of Tableau is its ability to allow authors to create new data from existing data through calculated fields. Calculated fields can be used to create new dimensions such as segments, or new measures such as ratios. They can also be used with any data type, a multitude of functions and aggregations, as well as logical operators, making the calculated results virtually limitless. This post will introduce calculated fields by walking you through how to create two new measures and one new dimension in the Sample — Superstore data set. There are many reasons to leverage the calculated fields functionality in Tableau. Here are just a few:. AOV is defined as total sales revenue divided by the number of orders.

Tableau calculated field

You'll learn Tableau calculation concepts, as well as how to create and edit a calculated field. You will also learn how to work with the calculation editor, and use a calculated field in the view. If you're new to Tableau calculations or to creating calculated fields in Tableau, this is a good place to start. Calculated fields allow you to create new data from data that already exists in your data source. When you create a calculated field, you are essentially creating a new field or column in your data source, the values or members of which are determined by a calculation that you control. This new calculated field is saved to your data source in Tableau, and can be used to create more robust visualizations. But don't worry: your original data remains untouched. You create calculated fields using calculations. There are three main types of calculations you can use to create calculated fields in Tableau:. The type of calculation you choose depends on the needs of your analysis and the question you want to answer.

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Sometimes your data source does not contain a field or column that you need for your analysis. For example, your data source might contain fields with values for Sales and Profit, but not for Profit Ratio. If this is the case, you can create a calculated field for Profit Ratio using data from the Sales and Profit fields. Formulas use a combination of functions, fields, and operators. To learn more about creating formulas in Tableau, see Formatting Calculations in Tableau Link opens in a new window and Functions in Tableau Link opens in a new window. Get Started with Calculations in Tableau Link opens in a new window.

Sometimes your data source does not contain a field or column that you need for your analysis. For example, your data source might contain fields with values for Sales and Profit, but not for Profit Ratio. If this is the case, you can create a calculated field for Profit Ratio using data from the Sales and Profit fields. Formulas use a combination of functions, fields, and operators. To learn more about creating formulas in Tableau, see Formatting Calculations in Tableau Link opens in a new window and Functions in Tableau Link opens in a new window. Get Started with Calculations in Tableau Link opens in a new window. Formatting Calculations in Tableau Link opens in a new window.

Tableau calculated field

Possibly the most powerful feature of Tableau is its ability to allow authors to create new data from existing data through calculated fields. Calculated fields can be used to create new dimensions such as segments, or new measures such as ratios. They can also be used with any data type, a multitude of functions and aggregations, as well as logical operators, making the calculated results virtually limitless. This post will introduce calculated fields by walking you through how to create two new measures and one new dimension in the Sample — Superstore data set. There are many reasons to leverage the calculated fields functionality in Tableau. Here are just a few:. AOV is defined as total sales revenue divided by the number of orders. While this data set has Order ID as a dimension, it does not have the number of orders as a measure, which is the denominator for the AOV calculation.

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Operators are colored black in Tableau calculations. To quality check a dimension calculation such as this one, we like to first place the original dimension on the rows shelf, followed by the newly created calculated field to make sure the dimension members are being properly calculated:. LEFT takes two arguments, a field and a number, such as LEFT [Name], 5 which returns the first five characters from each value in the Name field starting from the left. Table of Contents. At times your Tableau calculated fields might require a change in the formula for better and more relevant data visualization. Back to top. Read Next Post. However, the data structure detailed above is more standard and more likely to be encountered. This example is one where the calculation could change quite a lot based on the structure of the data. Take advantage of auto-complete for formulas As you type a formula in the calculation editor, Tableau suggests options to complete items in your formula. Logical calculations allow you to determine if a certain condition is true or false boolean logic and produce results accordingly. When typing a calculation in the calculation editor, you can highlight all or part of the formula and drag it to the Data pane to create a new calculated field. Hence, it can also be used to calculate the difference in days between two dates. Drag and drop formulas from the calculation editor to the Data pane When typing a calculation in the calculation editor, you can highlight all or part of the formula and drag it to the Data pane to create a new calculated field. The calculation will evaluate each student's GPA against the cutoff value and assign a label.

What is calculated fields in Tableau? Tableau Calculation Fields are user-defined expressions that allow users to create new data fields or new column based on the existing data fields in your Tableau data source.

Lastly, we sum up our blog with some of the tricks and best practices you can use while creating your own Tableau calculated fields:. By default, calculated fields do not receive number formatting. Format the measure the exact same way. Transform Values with Table Calculations Link opens in a new window. Using multiple functions in a calculation You can use more than one function in a calculation. A parameter in a calculation is surrounded by brackets [ ], like a field. For example:. If you want to type the string She's my friend as a string literal, use double quotes for the literals, as in "She's my friend. For this example, the formula is changed to return a discount ratio for orders over USD in sales:. See the following sections to learn more about the different components of Tableau calculations and how to format them to work in Tableau. Date Literals Date literals are signified by the pound symbol. At times your Tableau calculated fields might require a change in the formula for better and more relevant data visualization.