Parameters and Filters in Tableau: When to use them

Global Quick Filters

Global quick filters are very useful when creating dashboards that contain worksheets that all use the same data source. For example, in a dashboard that displays the dataset in both text and visual forms, global quick filters give the flexibility to present the filter in a variety of formats: single value dropdown, multiple values list, wildcard match, etc. They also allow the user to show an aggregation of all marks with the “(All)” filter.

Disadvantage of global quick filters is that if the analyst has a dashboard with worksheets that each use a different data source, they do not work.

Filter Actions

Filter actions are best used when the user should interact with a specific sheet that acts as the “control. A filter acts directly on a dimension or measure and restricts the domain of the field.

There are a lot of options for filters. You can include or exclude members of a dimension, use a wildcard for the member name, choose the top N, given another measure, or use an condition (essentially a true/false calculation) to choose what is in and what is out. You have a fair number of UI options for filters: radio buttons, check boxes, drop down lists, sliders, and more. On top of that, you can choose what sheets the filter applies to.

Parameters:

Parameters are more powerful and more complex. A parameter, is like a variableYou can then use that variable inside calculations to change the calculation. If you filter by a calculated field, you essentially have a parameter controlling a filter. Parameters have almost the same UI options as filters, but they are single valued, so you have options for radio buttons, but not check boxes. There are also sliders and drop downs. Parameters are global, so can affect calculations for all data sources and connections in a workbook.

Unfortunately, parameters have their own limitations. Whereas global quick filters have seven ways to be represented on a dashboard, parameters only have four. Parameters cannot make multiple selections in a filter, e.g., with a list of checkboxes, and they do not have the “(All)” aggregate choice of quick filters. While the inability to select multiple items in a filter cannot be circumvented, the data can be structured to include an “All” row that aggregates the relevant data for that mark. This is not optimal, since the analyst must make this consideration when preparing their data for use in Tableau, but it is the only workaround we have come across.

Sources:

http://stevensanne.com/tableau-tutorial-3-filters-and-parameters/

http://www.wmanalytics.io/blog/filters-and-parameters-tableau-when-use-them

https://community.tableau.com/thread/144158