Tableau calculated field

Sometimes your data may not have all the pieces you need for your analysis.

This article describes how to create and format calculations in Tableau. It lists the basic components of calculations and explains the proper syntax for each. Not all calculations need to contain all four components. Additionally, calculations can contain:. For more information about how to use and format each of these components in a calculation, see the following sections. For example, consider the following calculation, which adds 14 days to a date [Initial Visit]. A calculation like this could be useful for automatically finding the date for a two-week followup.

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. To isolate the number of orders, we will first create a calculated field to count the number of orders. To start a calculated field, you can either:. This opens a new dialog box where we can enter the formula for my calculated field:. Any time you see a blue color-coding when creating a calculated field, you can click on the blue-colored word to get a definition and example of that particular function; this is a great way to learn the syntax. After clicking the OK button, you will see a new measure for Orders appear on the Measures Shelf — a brand new measure that we can now use throughout the workbook! Notice this time that the measure of Sales is aggregated as SUM, but Orders appears to have no aggregation.

Parameters are placeholder variables that can be inserted into calculations to replace constant values. A parameter in a calculation is surrounded by tableau calculated field [ ], like a field. Read Next Post.

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.

Calculated fields are one of the most useful features in all of Tableau and you may use them every single day, but did you know there are actually three types of calculated fields? The difference between these two is defined in their names. The row-level calculated field computes at the row-level of the underlying data whereas the aggregate calculation computes at the visualization level of detail to combine several rows of data into single values. Once you have a foundational understanding of these basic calculations, I will then provide you with the resources you need to advance the complexity of your calculations by learning about the second and third types of calculated fields — table calculations and level of detail calculations. These provide more advanced control over data granularity and create quick computations within the flow of your analysis. The first type of basic calculated field uses functions that compute at the row-level of the underlying data. As you can see, the calculation returned the last name for every row in the data for Customer Name. This is just a basic example of a row-level calculation, but reality is typically messier. For example, your data could contain middle names which would cause problems for this simple calculation. The solution to a problem such as that would require more complex calculations, but for the sake of this tutorial, we will not get any more complex than guiding you through the behavior of the basic row-level calculation.

Tableau calculated field

Easily load data from your data sources such as Tableau to your desired destination without writing any code in real-time using Hevo. These new fields are termed Tableau calculated fields and they can be used to examine data, experiment with ratios, create data comparisons, and discover new possibilities. If you work as a data analyst, finance, or marketing professional, you probably deal with loads of data that has to be processed once it has been submitted to your Business Intelligence platform.

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Each function includes syntax, a description, and an example for your reference. Sure, every company gets bombarded with tons of data, and unless they really know how to put it to use, every attempt to solve a problem is a wild goose chase. Our above formula uses the SUM function to find the gross profit margin. These issues appear as error dialogs at the time of the query rather than in the calculation dialog box. Use the calculation editor reference pane You can look up how to use and format a particular function at any time. This section introduces you to logical functions available in Tableau that you can use while framing your own Tableau calculated fields. This happens because the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers IEEE floating-point standard requires that numbers be stored in binary format, which means that numbers are sometimes rounded at extremely fine levels of precision. Why Use Calculated Fields Calculated fields allow you to create new data from data that already exists in your data source. Some examples might include: To segment data To convert the data type of a field, such as converting a string to a date. 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. To follow along with the steps in this article, connect to the Sample-Superstore saved data source and navigate to Sheet 1. For example:. You create calculated fields using calculations. Operator syntax To create calculations, you need to understand the operators supported by Tableau. Notice this time that the measure of Sales is aggregated as SUM, but Orders appears to have no aggregation.

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.

Tip :To see a list of available functions, click the triangle icon on the right-side of the Calculation Editor. Tableau calculated fields are quite useful when you work on data visualizations to deliver fast insights. From the Data pane, drag Category to the Rows shelf. For example, consider the following calculation, which adds 14 days to a date [Initial Visit]. After clicking the OK button, you will see a new measure for Orders appear on the Measures Shelf — a brand new measure that we can now use throughout the workbook! It can be used to negate another boolean or an expression. MAX function returns the maximum value across all records or a maximum of two expressions for each record. Build the view Drag to Text on the Marks card. 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. Continue Reading. NOT This is a logical operator. As the name suggests, these are calculated fields.