Tableau Desktop and Web Authoring Help

Dashboard space is valuable, especially when you want to progressively reveal insights about data. With Dynamic Zone Visibility, you can hide or reveal zones (tiled or floating dashboard elements) based on the value of a field or parameter. As you interact, zones on your dashboard appear or disappear. The result is a dynamic dashboard that doesn’t compromise your desired layout.

While you can show or hide objects by clicking a button on a dashboard, Dynamic Zone Visibility allows you to show and hide objects automatically. This is ideal for dashboards that are used by different user groups. For example, you might want to show different user groups different zones when they visit your dashboard.

And you can use Dynamic Zone Visibility with Parameter Actions. For example, when a user clicks a mark on a viz, a previously hidden zone appears. This is ideal for complex dashboards because it allows you to choose when deeper levels of data are revealed.

Supported field types

To be used for Dynamic Zone Visibility, a field or parameter must be:

• Boolean.
• Single value.
• Independent of the viz, meaning the field returns a constant value independent of the structure of the viz, such as a fixed level of detail (LOD) calculation.

Configure a dynamic dashboard zone

The following example has two sheets that use Superstore data: the first sheet has a bar chart with Sales by Category, and the second sheet has a bar chart with Sales by Sub-Category. By using Dynamic Zone Visibility, the second sheet is visible only after a mark is clicked in the Sales by Category zone. This example relies on a boolean calculated field, which is used as the source field for a parameter action. For the calculation to be used as the source field for the parameter action, the calculation must be added to the marks card.

1. From the Sales by Category sheet, create a parameter. In this example, the parameter Data type must be set to Boolean.
2. From the Sales by Category sheet, create a calculated field. This example uses the following calculation: True
3. On the Sales by Category sheet, drag the calculation that you created to Details on the marks card.
4. Create a dashboard.
5. Drag the sheet that you always want to be visible onto your dashboard. In our example, we want Sales by Category to be visible.
6. From your dashboard, click the Sales by Category zone (dashboard object). Then, from the Worksheet menu on your dashboard, create a parameter action. This example uses the following Change Parameter action:
   The source sheet is set to use the dashboard you created and the Category Sales sheet.
   The Target Parameter is the parameter you created.
   The Source Field is the calculation you created.
   
   
7. Drag the Sales by Sub-Category worksheet onto your dashboard.
8. Click the Sales by Category zone. From the upper right corner, click the dropdown arrow and select Use as Filter.
9. Click the Sales by Sub-Category zone, and then click the Layout tab.
10. Check the box for Control visibility using value.
11. From the dropdown, choose the parameter you created to control zone visibility.

Note: If the option to Control visibility using value doesn’t contain the field you want to use, be sure that the field is a supported field type.

Now, when you click a category mark in the Sales by Category zone, the Sales by Sub-Category zone appears in your dashboard.