How to create a top N Set

In Tableau, creating a Top N set can be achieved in various ways, and hierarchizing or filtering data to obtain the top N elements is quite accessible.

Creating a Top N set helps the end user craft an interactive visualization with a control that allows users to adjust the number of customers included in the desired group. Here’s a simple guide on how to do it:

Step 1: Connect to Data

→ InTableau Desktop, connect to the provided Superstore sample data by Tableau 

Step 2: Create the “Top Customers” Parameter:

→ Navigate to the “Data pane”.

→ Right-click and select “Create” -> “Parameter”.

→ Name the parameter “Top Customers”.

→ Set the “Data Type” to “Integer”.

→ Set the “Current value” to 5.

→ In the “Allowable values” section, select “Range”.

→ Set “Minimum” to 5, “Maximum” to 20, and “Step size” to 5.

Step 3: Create the “Top N Customers by Sales” Set:

→ Right-click on “Customer Name” in the “Data pane” and choose “Create” -> “Set”.

→ Name the set “Top N Customer by Sales”.

→ In the window that appears, select the “Top” tab.

→ Choose “By field” and select “Sales” from the “Category” list.

→ For “Aggregation,” choose “Sum” and click “OK.”

Step 4: Add the Set to the View:

→ Go to the “Sets” area and drag “Top N Customers by Sales” to the “Rows” area.

Step 5: Add Dimensions and Measures to the View:

→ From the “Dimension” area, move “Customer Name” to the “Rows” area.

→ From the “Measures” area, move “Sales” to the “Columns” area.

Step 6: Descending Sorting:

→ In the toolbar, click the “Sort Descending” button to arrange sales in descending order.

Step 7: Create the “Subset Labels” Calculated Field:

→ Right-click under “Sets” in the “Data pane” and choose “Create Calculated Field”.

→ Name the calculated field “Subset Labels” with the formula:

IF [Top N Customers by Sales] 

THEN “Top ” + str([Top Customers]) + ” Customers” 

ELSE “Others” 

END 

Step 8: Add the Calculated Field to the View:

→ Add the calculated field “Subset Labels” to the “Rows” area between “Top N Customers Set” and “Customer Name”.

Step 9: Add Color to the View:

→ From the “Sets” area, drag “Top N Customers by Sales” to the “Marks” area, under “Color”.

Step 10: Configure the “Top N Customers by Sales” Set:

→ Right-click on the set “Top N Customers by Sales” and select “Edit Set”.

→ Go to the “Top” tab and, in the “By field” section, choose “Top,” adding the “Top Customers” parameter from the list.

Step 11: Configure the Parameter:

→ Right-click on the “Top Customers” parameter and select “Show Parameter Control”.

Step 12: Control the Parameter Value:

→ Now you can use the parameter control to adjust the “Top N” value and display the desired top customers.

Here is the dashboard in Tableau Public:

Watch the video tutorial here:

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