# Dashboard layout, styling and chart types

*Tableau Next Consultant Study Guide · Visualizations & Dashboards · Last updated November 13, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/tableau-next-consultant/visualizations-and-dashboards/dashboard-layout-styling-and-chart-types*

How Tableau Next dashboards keep and override visualization formatting, arrange widgets with grids, Reflow, pages and the Navigation widget, reuse widgets and their styles, follow org themes, and use grouped tables, donut KPIs and radial line charts.

- Certification: Salesforce Tableau Next Consultant
- Exam section: Visualizations & Dashboards
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/tableau-next-consultant

**Official exam objective:**

> Apply visualization and dashboarding best practices to design user-friendly Tableau Next assets.

## What the exam expects

- Predict how a visualization's formatting behaves on a dashboard and where dashboard color overrides apply.
- Arrange a dashboard with grid presets, width settings, Reflow, pages and a Navigation widget shown on every page.
- Reuse widgets across pages and workspaces, unlink copies, select several widgets and paste formatting with the right shortcuts.
- Choose filter display styles, and explain how dashboards behave under org dark mode.
- Configure grouped tables, a KPI in a donut chart and a radial line chart.

Key terms:
- **Style pane:** the formatting panel for text, lines, backgrounds, marks and individual elements of visualizations and dashboards.
- **Reflow:** automatic repositioning of surrounding widgets when one widget moves.
- **Navigation widget:** a widget that turns dashboard pages into a horizontal navigation bar.
- **Unlink:** the toolbar command that makes a copied widget independent of its other uses.
- **KPI (radial charts):** an aggregate value shown with a radial chart, such as a total in a donut's center.

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Visualization formatting on dashboards | Preserved; can be overridden on the dashboard | [Style Pane Formatting](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_tua_visualization_dashboard_improved_style_pane.htm&type=5&language=en_US&release=262) |
| Dashboard color changes | Specific to that dashboard; Visualization Builder unchanged | [Widget Formatting](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.tua_create_dashboard_format.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |
| Pages per dashboard | Up to 50 | [Dashboard Pages](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.tua_create_dashboard_add_page.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |
| Copied widget across pages | Changes show everywhere until you Unlink | [Dashboard Pages](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.tua_create_dashboard_add_page.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |
| Navigation on every page | Add to All Pages | [Navigation Widget](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.tua_create_dashboard_navigation.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |
| Cross-workspace paste | Needs destination access; verify data sources there | [Reuse Widgets](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.tua_create_dashboard_reuse.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |
| Format shortcuts (Windows) | Control+Alt+C to copy, Control+Alt+V to paste | [Bulk Styling](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.tua_create_dashboard_bulk_styling.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |
| Mixed widget types selected | Styling panel shows only common widget-level styles | [Bulk Styling](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.tua_create_dashboard_bulk_styling.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |
| List (Classic) styles | Background color and border styles only | [Filter Widget](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.tua_create_dashboard_filter_widget.htm&type=5&language=en_US) |
| Theme switching | Default for new dashboards; existing need manual update; editor stays light | [Dark Mode](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_tua_dashboard_dark_mode.htm&type=5&language=en_US&release=262) |
| Donut center value | Measure or calculated field on KPI in the Analytics section | [KPIs in Radial Charts](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_tua_kpi_radials.htm&type=5&language=en_US&release=262) |

## Check yourself

- What is the maximum number of pages one Tableau Next dashboard can have?
- When moving between dashboard pages from the keyboard on Windows, which keys do you press?
- Where do you move, delete or clone a single dashboard page?
- When grouping rows in table layout, which shelf and menu do you use?

## Sources

- [Adjust Dashboard and Widget Formatting](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.tua_create_dashboard_format.htm&type=5&language=en_US)
- [Format Tableau Next Visualizations and Dashboards with Greater Control](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_tua_visualization_dashboard_improved_style_pane.htm&type=5&language=en_US&release=262)
- [Organize Content with Dashboard Pages](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.tua_create_dashboard_add_page.htm&type=5&language=en_US)
- [Build Automated Navigation for Multi-Page Tableau Next Dashboards](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.tua_create_dashboard_navigation.htm&type=5&language=en_US)
- [Get Intuitive Browsing Across All Dashboard Pages with the Navigation Widget](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_tua_dashboard_nav_widget.htm&type=5&language=en_US&release=262)
- [Reuse Widgets Across Dashboards and Workspaces](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.tua_create_dashboard_reuse.htm&type=5&language=en_US)
- [Format Multiple Dashboard Widgets at Once](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.tua_create_dashboard_bulk_styling.htm&type=5&language=en_US)
- [Restructure and Format Tableau Next Dashboard Layouts with Multi-Widget Selection](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.tua_create_dashboard_multi_widget.htm&type=5&language=en_US)
- [Refine Results with the Filter Widget](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.tua_create_dashboard_filter_widget.htm&type=5&language=en_US)
- [Enhance Tableau Next Dashboards with Redesigned Filter and Parameter Widgets](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_tua_dashboard_filter_parameter_style.htm&type=5&language=en_US&release=262)
- [Maintain Visual Consistency with Embedded Tableau Next Analytics in Dark Mode](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_tua_dashboard_dark_mode.htm&type=5&language=en_US&release=262)
- [Group Table Rows to Organize and Summarize Data](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_tua_visualization_group_tables.htm&type=5&language=en_US&release=262)
- [Show KPI Values in Radial Charts](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_tua_kpi_radials.htm&type=5&language=en_US&release=262)
- [Reveal Recurring Trends in Radial Line Charts](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_tua_visualization_radial_line.htm&type=5&language=en_US&release=262)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 12 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Tableau Next Consultant pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams