One way to display labels based on the values of fields is to drag a measure to Label on the Marks card. However, you might find that you do not want to label every mark; rather, only the outliers, or only the data within your region. Using calculated fields, you can create conditional data labels based on a custom field that includes only the values of interest.
This article shows how to create a conditional label that appears on a mark only when a region’s sales for a day are greater than $100,000.
Set up the initial view
Complete the following steps to set up the view for the conditional labels.
- Open a new workbook and connect to the Superstore sample.
- From the Measures pane, drag Sales to the Rows shelf.
- From the Dimensions pane, drag Order Date to the Columns shelf, and then drag Region to Columns.
- On the Order Date drop-down menu, select Day.
- Hold down the Ctrl key and drag SUM(Sales) from Rows to Label on the Marks card.
The view should look something like this:
Create a conditional calculation
These steps continue from the view you created in the previous section, to build a conditional formula that describes which marks in the view to label.
Step 1
Select Analysis > Create Calculated Field.
Step 2
In the Calculated Field dialog box, complete the following steps.
- For Name, type Outliers.
- In the Formula box, build the following formula:
IF SUM([Sales])> 100000 THEN
SUM([Sales])
ELSE null END
- Confirm that the status message indicates that the formula is valid, and then click OK.
Step 3
From the Measures pane, drag Outliers to Label on the Marks card, replacing Sales.
Step 4
If necessary, format the numbers as currency.
The view now includes labels only where sales are greater than $100,000.
Learn more
To learn more, search for context filters in the Tableau Desktop Help.