The Blog

Ideas, inspiration, creativity & understanding

At The Data School we believe that sharing knowledge and expertise is key to driving innovation and growth in the data community. Posts cover all topics across the Tableau, Alteryx and PowerBI communities.

We make blogging a cornerstone of each consultant's time at The Data School with the aim to solidify their own learning while giving back to the community. Our goal is to empower you with the knowledge and skills you need to succeed in the ever-evolving world of data analysis. So, explore our blog today and join the conversation!

New York, US

Select Cohort

Select Author

Avatar
Wed 17 Jul 2024 | Le Luu
Calculations in SQL and Tableau - Part 1
I wrote a blog about comparing the calculations between Power BI and Tableau. In 2 blogs, I shared how to write DAX in Power BI and compare it with the calculations in Tableau through some use cases (Part 1, Part 2)
Avatar
Thu 01 Feb 2024 | Michael Imbriale
My Experience with LWTDSL
As of today, DSNY7 is taking their turn presenting "Learn What the Data School Learns," a session where data school trainees each give a 45-minute presentation on a subject they have learned since joining the data school
Avatar
Tue 23 Jan 2024 | Alex Briody
LODs Fundamentals
 What is an LOD? LOD stands for "Level of Detail." Level of Detail expressions in Tableau allow you to control the granularity or level of detail at which a calculation is performed in your data visualization
Avatar
Tue 19 Dec 2023 | Le Luu
Calculations in Power BI and Tableau (Part 2)
In the first blog of Calculations in Power BI and Tableau, I introduced the definition of the DAX and some common DAX functions in Power BI. If you haven't read it yet, you can click here
Avatar
Tue 19 Dec 2023 | Le Luu
Calculations in Power BI and Tableau (Part 1)
During the training time with DSNY 5, I had an opportunity to work on a client project using Power BI. The team and I didn't know much about the Power BI tool at that time. Thanks to Lyon Abido, and Kinley Ly - The Data School consultants in cohort DSNY 3, they supported us in that project
Avatar
Mon 27 Nov 2023 | Sid Saythongphet
Zoning In: Tableau's Dynamic Zone Visibility
Tableau's Dynamic Zone Visibility (DZV) feature is a powerful tool that enables users to create interactive dashboards, enhancing data exploration and comprehension
Avatar
Tue 14 Nov 2023 | Le Luu
LODs in Tableau - Part 2
In the first blog of LODs in Tableau - Part 1, I introduced the definition of LOD, 3 main types of LOD expressions in Tableau, and the LOD expressions in Tableau's order of operation. In this second part, I will continue with the LOD topic
Avatar
Mon 30 Oct 2023 | Le Luu
LODs in Tableau - Part 1
In Tableau, there are two methods that I usually use for aggregations. One is Table Calculation which I wrote 2 blogs about. The first part of my Table Calculation blog is about the dimension of Table Calculation in Tableau
Avatar
Thu 28 Sep 2023 | Lex Devlin
Music Genres, LODs, and Algorithmic Scoring (Dashboard Week #4)
Music genres are fascinatingly multiplicitous. As a musician myself I love finding out about new ones and where they "fit into" the wide-ranging scheme of all genres. One genre can break down into ten others, which may each break down further into dozens or potentially hundreds of sub-genres
Avatar
Mon 14 Aug 2023 | Le Luu
Table Calculations in Tableau - Part 2
In Tableau, there are multiple ways to compute the value. Table Calculation and LODs are mostly used in Tableau to compute the data. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages
Avatar
Wed 13 Sep 2023 | Terrence Miller
Nested LOD: Window Max across a dimension but as an LOD
Decided to challenge myself by doing what would be a pretty simple Window_Max as an LOD for a Workout Wednesday. Simplest way to approach this is by starting with a table. In here Linkedin post Lorna says to use an LOD so I went for it with an LOD
Avatar
Wed 19 Jul 2023 | Terrence Miller
How to create a must include filter.
Today I attempted Workout Wednesday 2021 Week 10. The majority of this workout Wednesday is pretty easy. Easy:  4 BANS (used a lod for % of total),  A Chart with Order ID, Customer, Sales, and Quantity. More Difficult:   1. Allow user to filter to orders with specific products specified   2
Avatar
Fri 30 Jun 2023 | Afnan Foyez
LODs
What Are LODs? LODs, or Level of Detail expressions, are a powerful capability within Tableau that allow you to perform calculations at different levels of detail in your data; regardless of which dimensions are within your view
Avatar
Tue 13 Jun 2023 | Terrence Miller
Using LODs to calculate percent of total.
If you’re looking at this blog you’re probably like me and love to use interactive filters in your dashboards. It is nice to see how the field you are filtering to compares to the whole while also seeing just the data for what you are filtering for
Avatar
Sat 13 May 2023 | Nayeli Jaime
LO(A)Ds of LODs
Level of Detail calculations, also known as LODs, allow users to compute values at both the data source level and at the visualization level in Tableau. They allow users to perform complex calculations on data based on different levels of granularity
Avatar
Tue 14 Mar 2023 | Vivian Ng
A Whole LOD-ta Love
[cross-posted here] When I first started working on my HIPAA breaches dashboard, I was interested in seeing how many individuals were affected by HIPAA breaches every year
Avatar
Sun 05 Feb 2023 | Mohammed Uddin
BENCH BLOG 2 - Concepts That Gave Me Headaches, But I Finally Understood and Now You Can Too: LODs
   LOD’s or level of detail in Tableau always gave me nightmares. To be completely honest, anything with calculated fields fills me with dread. Although, I feel that's due to negative assumptions from fear; like bad news creating hysteria about something without proper research
Avatar
Wed 28 Dec 2022 | Elaine Yuan
SQL Aggregate Window Functions & Fixed LOD Expressions
SQL window functions are confusing – so are fixed level of detail (LOD) expressions in Tableau. Then, why am I comparing them? Wouldn’t that make everything even more complicated?!
Avatar
Thu 15 Dec 2022 | Bianca Ng
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
Avatar
Thu 13 Oct 2022 | Mohammed Uddin
How to Make the Client Experience Feel Like a Walk in the Park
It’s hard learning something new for the first time. Trust me, I’m trying to figure out how to navigate Tableau Prep without my head exploding. Your immediate confusion turns to anxiety; which turns to anger, and finally all that leads to abdication
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