Independent filters on duplicate tableau dashboards?

Question

I have a dashboard + filter question.

I would like to have duplicate dashboards with the same filter working independently on each dashboard.

For example, there are 15 branches in my organization. None of these branches have Tableau yet, but I'd like to provide them with a pdf export of the dashboard viz, filtered by their branch.

I've created 3 worksheets that are contributing to a single dashboard. When I duplicate this dashboard and select a different branch from the drop-down filter, the first dashboard viz changes. Essentially, one filter affects all dashboards.

Is there a way for me to duplicate the dashboard I've created using the same 3 worksheets and have the filter working independently in each dashboard?

I imagine that if I duplicate the 3 sheets themselves and create a new dashboard from those duplicates, the problem would be solved. But with 15 branches and 3 sheets per dashboard, I'd be looking at 45 sheets in the workbook!

I found some answers on the forums indicating that it's not possible to do what I'm asking, but those were old posts. I'm hoping that there is some new info that could help.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

The simplest approach is to publish a single dashboard to Tableau Server that has a filter for the branch, and then define a custom view for each branch.

Set the filter to one branch, press the button that says "View: Original" on the toolbar above the viz, and save a custom view with a name, say "Branch X view". Repeat for the other branches.

Custom views really just give you a URL for a preconfigured version of your published dashboard. They are very good for sharing and convenience.

Custom views don't impact security or access control. So, if you don't want branch X users to be able to change the filter to then see branch Y data, you'll need to learn about other options - like user filters or virtual connections (the latter feature requires the Data Management add-on) Row level access control adds complexity, so only go that route when you need to - don't make it the default approach for everything.

On a separate point - if your goal is to print a PDF and if you have tables or graphics that can run into multiple pages, you'll have better luck publishing/printing worksheets instead of dashboards. Dashboard printing is just a screenshot of what fits on the screen, while worksheets can print across multiple pages. For PDF reports, I often pair a dashboard with fixed sized summary charts with a worksheet of data details configured to print multiple pages via page setup. Then you can select both tabs and print to the same PDF.

Answer 2

Off the top of my head there are three or four different ways to accomplish this.

Brute Force

1. You could copy and paste the dashboard into a new blank Tableau Workbook then name and filter them according to each branch. Export your PDF.

2. You could create the 15 dashboards in one workbook (hide all sheets so its not too too cluttered). Create a custom calculated field for each branch that only returns TRUE for a single branch. Then filter the three worksheets that make up a dashboard on that calculated field. Something like:

   IF [branch name] = 'branch 1' THEN TRUE
   ELSE FALSE
   END
   

Honestly an awful option as it is slow and tedious, but it is a solution so I'm putting it on here.

Tableau Server User Based Permissions

You mentioned the branches don't have access to tableau yet, but if you have your dashboard hosted on a Tableau Server you can use user based filtering to only allow a branch to see that branch's data. However this would mean that these branches would need viewer licenses (unless you're tableau server is core licensed).

Pass Filter Values via Tableau's REST API

You could do this programmatically via Tableau's REST API by passing your filter or parameter values through a URL request. See this link on filter and sorting concepts via the Tableau API to learn more about it in greater detail. Again, this assumes you have this dashboard (singular) published to a tableau server, however you would only need one license and then a script to run through all your branch options.

If I come up with more, I will update this answer; hope this helps.