LOL: LODs of Love

What is Level of Detail (LOD)?

The lowest level of detail is a single row of your data and is not aggregated at all.

In Tableau, the level of detail determines the number of marks in the view.



Level of Detail Expressions


The 3 Types of LOD Expressions:

Tableau Definition

Plain English

FIXED level of detail expressions compute a value using the specified dimensions, without reference to the dimensions in the view.

Regardless of the dimensions in the view, always calculate at the following level(s) of granularity.

EXCLUDE level of detail expressions declare dimensions to omit from the view level of detail.

If a dimension IS in the view, ignore it in the calculation.

INCLUDE level of detail expressions compute values using the specified dimensions in addition to whatever dimensions are in the view.

If a dimension is not in the view, calculate using that dimension as well anyway.

When would you use an LOD?

Default Tableau behavior is to aggregate values based on what you have in the Rows and Columns shelves.

If the goal is to aggregate values on a level that is different from what is on those shelves, use an LOD expression.

LOD Examples

Using a FIXED LOD to show total sales by region, but also to see each category.

To show the same result with an EXCLUDE LOD:

Using an INCLUDE LOD to find the highest average order value in each region:

Hot tip for creating a FIXED LOD quickly:

Hold down CTRL and click on a metric (like Sales) and drag it on top of a dimension (like Region).

This will create a new calculated field:

And that's LOL 😂 for you!

Author:
Bianca Ng
Powered by The Information Lab
1st Floor, 25 Watling Street, London, EC4M 9BR
Subscribe
to our Newsletter
Get the lastest news about The Data School and application tips
Subscribe now
© 2025 The Information Lab