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:
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!