Exploring and Analyzing Data37% of the exam

Quick table calculations, bins and histograms

Apply a quick table calculation to a measure in the view (Running Total, Rank, Percent of Total, Year over Year Growth and the rest), recognize the delta symbol, adjust it with Edit Table Calculation, and build histograms from bins: Create > Bins, Size of bins, Show Me and continuous bins.

Official exam objective
Apply analytics to a worksheet: Add a manual or a computed sort; Add a reference line; Use a quick table calculation; Use bins and histograms; Create a calculated field (for example, string, date, simple arithmetic); Explain when to use a parameter; Display totals on a worksheet.

~7 min read · 5 practice questions ·

What the exam expects

  • Apply a quick table calculation to a measure in the view and pick the type that matches a requirement, such as growth over the previous year or a rank.
  • Recognize an applied table calculation by its delta symbol and change it with Edit Table Calculation (type, aggregation, Compute Using).
  • Copy a measure with Ctrl-drag so the original encoding stays and the copy carries the table calculation.
  • Create bins from a measure, change the Size of bins, and build a histogram with Show Me or by hand.
  • Turn a discrete bin into a continuous axis.

Key terms:

  • Table calculation: a transformation applied to the values in a visualization, computed on the local data in the view.
  • Quick table calculation: a common table calculation applied in one click with the most typical settings.
  • Bin: an equal-sized container for a range of values, stored as a new dimension created from a measure.
  • Histogram: a chart that groups a continuous measure's values into bins and shows the shape of the distribution.

Key facts

Quick table calculation scope
Detail
Only on measures in the view
Applied indicator
Detail
A delta symbol appears on the field
Edit Table Calculation
Detail
Type, aggregation, how to compute
What a table calculation uses
Detail
Local data in the view; filtered-out data is ignored
Rank default order
Detail
Descending: most to least
Ctrl-drag
Detail
Copies a field without removing it from the original location
Create bins
Detail
Data pane: right-click a measure, Create > Bins
Bins from a measure
Detail
A new dimension; can be converted to continuous
Size of bins fallback
Detail
Defaults to 10 when Tableau can't optimize quickly
Change bin size
Detail
Right-click the bin in the Data pane, Edit
Show Me histogram
Detail
Available with a single measure and no dimensions
Sources for this section (5)
  • Why doesn't a table calculation account for rows removed by a filter?
  • When is the histogram offered in Show Me?
  • What value labels each bin?
  • What does Ctrl do while you drag a field to another shelf?

The questions are free to read. Answers with their sources and self-grading are included with the pack.

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