[TABLEAU] Measure Names And Measure Values Explained

Measure Names and Measure Values Explained

What are the Measure Names and Measure Values fields?

When you connect to a data source Tableau automatically creates a field that contains all of the measure names and measure values. For example, below is a simple data source that contains three measures. From this data source, Tableau would create the Measure Names and Measure values fields shown on the right.

Why would you use these fields?

A common use of the Measure Names and Measure Values fields is to create a details table that shows all of the measure values for some categories. For example, the text table below shows financial measures for each product type. When you use the Measure Names and Measure Values fields, the Measure Values card automatically opens. You can use this card to quickly add and remove measures from the view.

Drag measures to or from the Measure Values card to add them to or remove them from the view.

Another common use for these fields is when you want to blend measures on a single axis. For example, let's say you were looking at a line chart showing sales over time. But then you ask, "How are the actual sales compared to the Budget?" When you drag the Budget Sales measure to the Columns shelf, you add another axis.

What you really want to do is add another line to the same chart. That's where the Measure Names and Measure Values fields come in handy. Instead of dragging the Budget Sales measure to the Columns shelf, drag it to the existing Sales axis in the view. You'll see an icon showing two axes side by side to let you know that you are about to blend two measures into a single axis.

When you blend two measures the Measure Values field automatically replaces the measure on the Columns shelf and the Measure Names field is placed on the Color shelf. Now the view has two lines --one for the actual Sales (orange) and one for the Budget Sales (blue). We can see sales has exceeded expectations in both years.

Measure Names and Measure Values fields can be used for so much more than just blending measures and text tables. For example, you can use Measure Names on the text shelf to label and annotate marks or create a quick filter on Measure Names to quickly show and hide data in the view. Now that you've seen an example of how to use the Measure Names and Measure Values fields, start experimenting and see how these fields can help you answer questions of your own data.