New actions

Tableau's power resides in the ability to build simple and powerful visualizations and dashboards in minutes, but also to create interactivity with only a few clicks thanks to Actions. Tableau 2018.3 already introduced two new actions: Go To Sheet and Change Set Values. Tableau 2019.1 and 2019.2 continue to improve on these actions with a great enhancement for Go to URL actions and a revolutionary way of working with parameters: Change Parameter.

Improved URL Actions (2019.1)

The Go to URL... action allows you to open a website directly inside the Dashboard or in a new window. With effect from version 2019.2, you have the ability to choose how to open the URL target in the configuration window:

• New Browser tab: Always opens the link in a new browser tab, even if a Web Page object exists in the Dashboard.
• Web Page object: Opens the URL in a Web Page object in your Dashboard. You can even have multiple Web Page objects in your Dashboard with multiple URL actions targeting each Web Page object separately.
• Browser tab if no Web Page objects exists: The default option; this opens the URL in a browser tab if there is no Web Page object.

Let's continue with Change Parameters.

Change Parameter (2019.2)

The Change Parameter... is the newest action to be introduced in Tableau 2019.2. It allows you to change the value of a Parameter based on the value on a Worksheet. It was already possible to achieve this thanks to Extensions, but now Tableau has made it official!

Previously, modifying the value of a Parameter was only possible using the Parameter Control card. Now, you can use any action triggers (Hover, Select, or Menu) to modify the current value of a Parameter. As for the highlight action, the value you want to pass to the Parameter has to be in the View.

Let's create an example together. We want to compare the sales value of a state to a parameter and see if the sales are above or below the Parameter's value. The value of the Parameter will be automatically set when you hover over a state, allowing you to easily compare a state with others. For this example, you can use the Sample – Superstore saved data source. Perform the following steps:

1. On a blank Worksheet, create a new Parameter.
2. On the Parameter configuration window, name it Sales comparison value, of the Float type with All allowable values, and then click on OK. Your Parameter configuration should look like this:
   
3. Create a new calculated field, name it Sales comparison, and write the following formula: SUM([Sales])-[Sales comparison value].
4. Double-click on State, then put Sales in Detail and Sales Comparison in Color. Your visualization should look like this:
   
5. Open the Worksheet top menu and click on Actions….
6. Click on the Add Action button and choose Change Parameter….
7. Name the action Set sales comparison value and set it to run on Hover. In the Target Parameter list, choose Sales comparison value, and in the Value list, choose SUM(Sales). Keep the Aggregation as Sum. Your configuration window should look as follows:
   
8. Back in your visualization, hovering over a state should change the value of the parameter and therefore allow you to quickly compare the sales of a state to the others. The following is the final result when you hover over Washington:
   

This new action will unlock many new opportunities so that you can create awesome interactions for your users. I can't wait to see what the Tableau Community will create!

Let's continue with all the new features of the Dashboard.