How to create Sets from Custom Dates

The direct interaction with a dashboard in Tableau is facilitated by Sets that can be of two types: fixed or dynamic. After the creation of a set, you can find it at the bottom of the Data pane in Sets action. If you want to create a custom date you can use in the Data Pane functions as datepart or datetrunc. Today we will show you how to create sets from these Custom Dates, a useful method that allows time comparison flexibility for different KPIs.

Let’s see which are the steps:

Step 1: Connect to data

→In Tableau Desktop, connect to Global Superstore data provided by Tableau.

Step 2: Create computations

→Create a custom date named ‘Year’:

Right-click on Order Date field → Create → Custom Date → Detail: Years → Date Part

→Create a custom date named ‘Month’:

Right-click on Order Date field → Create → Custom Date → Detail: Months → Date Part

→Create a set named ‘Year Selection 1’:

Right-click on Year field → Create → Set → Choose a value

→Create a set named ‘Year Selection 2’:

Right-click on Year field → Create → Set → Choose a value

→Create a set named ‘Month Selection 1’:

Right-click on Month field → Create → Set → Choose a value

→Create a set named ‘Month Selection 2’:

Right-click on Month field → Create → Set → Choose a value

→Create a calculated field named ‘Filter Selection 1’:

Year Selection 1 AND Month Selection 1

→Create a calculated field named ‘Filter Selection 2’:

Year Selection 2 AND Month Selection 2

→Create a calculated field named ‘Sales Selection 1’:

SUM (IF Filter Selection 1 THEN [Sales] END)

→Create a calculated field named ‘Sales Selection 2’:

SUM (IF Filter Selection 2 THEN [Sales] END)

→Create a calculated field named ‘% Change’:

(Sales Selection 1 – Sales Selection 2)/ Sales Selection 2

Step 3: Create graph

→Add Sub-Category field on rows and Measure Names field on the filter (choose Sales Selection 1, 2 and % Change fields) and columns

→Add Measure Values field on Marks

→Format as a percentage from view: Right-click on % Change field → Format → Numbers → Pane → Percentage

→Display sets: Right-click on previously-created sets → Show set

Also, watch the video tutorial here:

A skillpill created by Ana Brinaru – Data Analyst at btProvider.

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