How to document in Tableau: Three top tips

In this post I’ll describe three documentation tips I wish I would have known earlier when using Tableau. They are;

1. Leaving comments in calculated fields
2. Leaving comments on dimensions or measures
3. Adding a caption pane at the bottom of the page

During the Data School training we’ve built a massive number of dashboards, and these tips are useful for ;

• Smooth handover of work
• Understanding your methodology / documenting calculations
• To add context, or notes, to each sheet
• To make it easier to come back to a workbook and understand what’s going on
• Planning

Without further ado, here are the tips;

1. Leaving comments in calculated fields

Use ” // ” in the calculated field to leave a comment

Note; this will only show up when you click edit calculation

2. Leaving comments on dimensions or measures

You are able to leave a comment on a dimension or header which would show up if you hover over it.

To do it you, left click on the Dimension or Measure and follow the path below;

Now enter the comment you’d like.

Now.. when you hover over the Dimension;

3. Adding a caption pane at the bottom of the page

To do this follow the steps below;

And now a caption appears at the bottom of the page;

Double click on it to edit;

..and the comment box will now appear at the bottom of the page;

Feel free to comment below, or contact me on LinkedIn or Twitter @vikb03.

Thanks for reading!