Dynamic Zone Visibility in Tableau

What is Dynamic Zone Visibility?

Dynamic Zone Visibility is a feature which enables users to dynamically hide or reveal zones on a dashboard based on the value of a field or parameter. This is a useful feature to have to maintain a clear and uncluttered dashboard without compromising on the information being displayed.

Uses of Dynamic Zone Visibility:

• If a dashboard is being used by multiple stakeholders or teams, Dynamic Zone Visibility allows the charts to be toggled based on which charts each team needs to see.

• It can be configured to allow users to toggle between different types of charts for the same data depending upon their preference like bar charts, line graphs, etc.

• It can be configured to zoom in and out of charts on a dashboard.

Creating a Dashboard with Dynamic Zone Visibility:

Following is a simple example illustrating the configuration of Dynamic Zone Visibility to toggle between different charts for the same data on a dashboard.

1.      Using the Sample- Superstore dataset, we create two charts: Category-wise Sales bar chart (image 1) and Category-wise Sales Pie Chart (image 2).

Image 1- by author

Image 2- by author

2.      Next we create a Parameter “Chart Type” with values “Bar Chart” and “Pie Chart” as shown below (image 3):

Image 3- by author

3.      Next we create two calculated fields as shown below:

Image 4- by author

This calculated field returns True when the Chart Type Parameter value is Bar Chart.

Image 5- by author

This calculated field returns True when the Chart Type Parameter value is Pie Chart.

4.      Next, we create a dashboard with a horizontal container containing both the Bar Chart and the Pie Chart as shown below (image 6):

Image 6- by author

5.      We then display the Chart Type parameter on the dashboard by selecting it from the menu Analysis>Parameters>Chart Type as shown (image 7):

Image 7- by author

6.      Next, on the dashboard we select the Bar Chart and in the Layout tile, we check the option “Control visibility using value” and in the dropdown that appears below we select the calculated field we created in Step 3 – BarCalc.

Image 8- by author

This ensures that when BarCalc is True (i.e, when the Chart Type selected is Bar Chart) the Bar Chart is displayed.

7.      Similarly to Step 6, we select the Pie Chart on the Dashboard and in the Layout tile, we check the option to “Control visibility using value” and from the dropdown we select PieCalc.

Image 9- by author

This ensures that when PieCalc is True (i.e, when the Chart Type selected is Pie Chart) the Pie Chart is displayed.

8.      Finally, we see that depending on which Chart Type is selected, the chart displayed on the dashboard changes.

Image 10- by author

Image 11- by author

9.      It is also possible to have both charts visible at once by adding a value “All” to Chart Type parameter and modifying the calculations in the BarCalc and PieCalc calculated fields as shown:

Image 12- by author

Image 13- by author

In this way, when the “All” option is selected on the Dashboard, both charts are displayed at once.

Image 14- by author

Notes:

• It is important to note that the charts that need to be toggled should be present within the same container or else this feature will not work.

Conclusion:

Dynamic Zone Visibility is a useful feature when dashboard real estate is limited and it can improve the efficiency of the dashboard by reducing clutter and highlighting or displaying charts dynamically as per the users’ requirements.