Today we can access any information through the Internet in any corner of the world. The analyses of a particular data can be time-consuming and sometimes frustrating. To address these challenges, filters have emerged as a valuable solution. The filters in Tableau let you extract or filter data based on some criteria. It helps in visualizing the data in a more readable format.
In this blog, we will go through the Introduction to User Filter. We will explore their benefits and discuss how they can help in our data visualization and analysis. So, let's get started.
Types of filters
Let us discuss the different types of filters available in Tableau. The following are the six different types of filters:
However, in this article, we will go through the Introduction to User Filter.
What is User Filter in Tableau?
User filters secure the row-level data present in our dataset. When we upload our Worksheet on a server, different users might work on it. Every user has different filtering conditions. The User filter comes in usage in these cases. It limits what data a user can see depending on the user looking at the dashboard.
User filters are beneficial tools in Tableau. With the help of these, users can select or exclude specific datasets. This helps them explore and analyze deeper insights into their data and help make decisions.
Features of User Filter
The user filters in Tableau offer some features that improve data exploration. Below are some of the critical features of user filters in Tableau:
Custom filters: Tableau lets you define conditions for filtration with the help of an interface. Users can specify the filter conditions based on their requirements. The complexity level of these conditions can range from very simple, like specific value or range, to very complex, like multiple criteria using logical operators.
Supports Different Filter Types: Some of the types of filters Tableau supports are given below:
Single Value filters
Range filters
Date based filters
Top/Bottom values-based filters
Specify Filter Actions: User filters in Tableau allow the users to define the action that will happen when interacting with specific data, such as selecting a data point or clicking on a certain category.
Allows Hierarchical Filtering: It supports hierarchical filtering that lets users filter data based on different levels of a dimension or category. For example, users can filter data by country and then filter it more by state or city.
Filter Presets and Default Settings: Tableau allows users to save filter presets and define default filter settings. This is useful when we want to share the dashboards or visualizations with others. Users can save specific filter configurations, including selected values or ranges, enabling recipients to view the data with the same filters applied. Default settings ensure that the initial state of the filters aligns with the intended analysis.
Implementation of User Filter
We added a data set containing information about various product sales under the Category of Furniture, Office Supplies, and Technology. Various subcategories are also present under these. Now, if we upload this workbook to a server and want a Furniture worker to access the data about the Furniture sales or a user working in a Technology company only sees the Technology sales, User filters will help in these cases.
Following is the procedure for implementing user filters; we will create groups and map them with their respective category.
Step 1: Firstly, we will create a group named Furniture on Tableau Cloud. Go to https://sso.online.tableau.com/public/idp/SSO, and sign in using your registered email id and password. The following Home will open.
Step 2: Go to the Groups tab in the left panel, add a group, and name it Furniture. Click create.
Step 3: Now, Click on the Furniture group and click on Add a User. A list of Users will be displayed; select the users you want to add to that group. In our case, we have only one user, so we will select it.
Similarly, create a group named Technology and add another user to it. You can add users to your site by clicking Add User in the User tab.
Step 4: In the Tableau Server tab, hover over the Create User Filter option and select the field to create a user filter.
Note: The create user field option only works in Worksheets. So if you are working in a dashboard, you cannot access it.
Step 5: A Tableau Server Sign-in box will appear after selecting the field. Click on the Tableau Cloud option in the left corner.
Step 6: A Sign in page will appear. Sign in using your registered email and password.
It opens a ‘User Filter’ window. Follow the below steps to add a user filter.
Enter a name for the user filter.
Select a user from the user’s list.
Check in the members as per your requirements and click OK.
Here we mapped the Furniture group with the Furniture category and Technology group with the Technology category.
It creates a user filter under the sets panel in Tableau.
Step 7: We will drag User Filter 1 to the filter shelf in your worksheet, and only the Furniture data will be shown as we are signed in using the user under the Furniture group.
Now, if we go to the Server tab and sign in as another user under the Technology group, the below image shows that only the Technology member data is shown.
We can also publish our workbook.
Step 1: Under the Server tab, click on Publish Workbook. The following window will appear:
Step 2: Click on Edit under the Sheets option and select only the Dashboard.
Step 3: And in the "Generate thumbnails as user," we will select Furniture. Lastly, click on Publish.
The following webpage will open on your default browser:
Step 4: When you click Dashboard 1, you will see the data under the Furniture Category. There is only one user in the Furniture group, which is us, so it will only show the Furniture data.
This shows the implementation and use of User filter in Tableau.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the purpose of user filters in Tableau?
The User filters in Tableau limit the data they can see based on specific conditions. It helps customize data exploration and analysis, provides users with relevant insights, and facilitates decision-making. This helps in data privacy and security.
What types of filters are available in Tableau?
Tableau offers various filters, including extract, data source, context, dimension, measure, and user filters. Each filter type has its purpose and functionality, providing users with flexibility in data analysis. These filters help you filter data based on some criteria and help visualize the data in a more readable format.
Can user filters be saved and shared with others in Tableau?
Tableau allows users to save user filter configurations as part of a workbook. This enables users to share their dashboards or workbooks with others while maintaining the filter settings. Recipients can view the data with the same filter conditions applied, ensuring consistency in analysis.
Conclusion
We expect this article was insightful and that you learned something new today. In this blog, we thoroughly discussed the Introduction to User Filters. User filters in Tableau allow you to filter data based on user requirements. Different users might work on the workbook if we upload it to a server, so these filters impose restrictions on users so they cannot access unnecessary data. We discussed its features and also saw the implementation step by step.
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