How to build interactive dashboards using navigation buttons in Tableau Software?

Navigation Buttons in Tableau Software

As a company, all the activities carried out in order to maximize and increase business profitability generate a huge volume of data. Data generated over time are analyzed and studied by each organization and department. This information have the role of continuing and developing strong strategies in order to increase sales or company objectives. Also, data is the most reliable source when we consider setting long-term goals or making decisions that impact the company’s business.

Most of the time, data analysts, managers or the operational team from any organization face a multitude of tables, graphs and reports that need to be analyzed and presented to higher departments. Interpreting reports from multiple sheets makes it difficult for them to work. At the same time, the analysis of such data may seem complicated, especially for those who do not have the necessary knowledge to use a business intelligence platform or for those who want to quickly view the information they need.

Navigation Buttons from Tableau Software

Viewing graphs or reports in a single interface or dashboard simplifies the process of analyzing and interpreting the resulting data or information. Tableau Software offers users the ability to build navigation buttons in order to browse and interpret data in a simple and interactive way. Navigation buttons offer the possibility to view the data in a single dashboard and to bring all the necessary information in a single report.

Similarly, navigation buttons in Tableau Software allows data scrolling from other sheets much easier. The user can view his data from different sheets without going through them in separate views. Tableau also allows user to add buttons with images or informational text that represent different sheets in order to help them quickly identify what they need.

Navigating Tableau can be much more interactive with these two options: Navigation button and Dashboard Actions. The impact is both visual and practical for end users. In general, this type of graphic is used for “overview” reports in which we want to see information in graphs, but also numerically, in detail.

Below you can find a step by step guide which shows you how to create Navigation Buttons in Tableau Software:

Step 1: Connect to data source

→ In Tableau Desktop, connect to the Superstore dashboard provided by Tableau.

Step 2: Create the navigation button

→ Bring the Navigation object to the dashboard.

→ Edit the button by double-clicking.

→ Select the Product dashboard.

→ Select an image.

→ To navigate to the other dashboard you will have to hold down the ALT key and click on the button.

Step 3: Create the navigation action

→ Click on the Dashboard

→ Select Actions

→ Select Go to sheet

→ Select the source sheet and select the Overview dashboard

By Eduard Arhire

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