How to embed extended documentation in the Tableau dashboard

Tableau tooltips are a good way to add contextual information to the dashboard, but sometimes you need to embed a detailed documentation. For example, when there are a lot of metrics with complex formulas in the dashboard. In this case you need to write a comprehensive document explaining what metrics mean and how to calculate them.

It is also sometimes necessary to describe in general how to use the dashboard: which filter you need to enable, or what information you should pay attention to.

Of course, you can try to add this information to the tooltip, but I’m willing to bet that it won’t look good because tooltips are not suitable for large texts. There is another way to add docs in the dashboard — by imitation of the drop-down menu at the top of the page. Look at the gif below.

What’s the point

The idea is to pin a Blank panel at the top of the page to imitate standart drop down menu as in any desktop application. The Show/hide buttons will be placed on the Blank panel. It will be a kind of menu sections.

You can create Show/hide buttons for some dashboard elements. In our case, we need a Textbox or a Sheet. These elements will be content documentation.

So, the Textbox or the sheet will appear in a certain place when you click on the Button and disappear when you click again.

Differences between a Textbox and a Sheet

As I said you can choose a Textbox or a separate Sheet to host the documentation, but there are a few little issues. Unfortunately you can’t get a scrolling bar for Textboxes. Therefore, you’ll have to stretch the Textbox to the size of the documentation. It’s a wrong way because you’re running the risk that the Textbox blocks the entire dashboard. A separate sheet has a scrolling bar, but it takes more time to create it.

As a result, if you have large documentation, use a separate Sheet. If you want to put only about two paragraphs, use a Textbox.

Create a sheet and add the docs

It’s not necessary to explain how to add a Textbox in the dashboard, so let’s talk about separate Sheets.

1. Create and open a New worksheet.
2. Create a new string Calculated field. For this open context menu in the Data section on the right side of the page and choose Create / Calculated field. Let’s name it Doc and put two quotes in. This converts the field to string type.

New string calculated field

1. Drug the new Calculated field on the Text area.
2. Click on the Text area and add text of documentation.
3. If you need, change background color open context menu and chose Format Sheet.

Add sheet to the dashboard and create show/hide button

Allright, we have already created documentation placement. Now we’ll add it to the dashboard and teach it how to disappear and appear.

1. Drug the new Worksheet on your dashboard.
2. Enable the Floating option and disable the Title
3. Open the sheet context menu and choose Add show / hide button

Setting up the button

Now we need to customize the Button. For that, open the Show/hide button context menu and choose Edit button.

1. Choose the Text button in the Button style section. You can also choose an image if you want.
2. Pay attention to the Button Appearance section where you can customize the Button in different item states.

Put elements together

1. Pin the Blank object to the top of the page and form it like a menu bar. Change color if you want.
2. Disable floating option at the Button and pin it near menu bar.
3. Fit Button to the text size.
4. Place the Sheet with documentation under the Button.

Additional tips

• Use the up and down arrows (˄˅) in the Button name. This shows the user that he or she is dealing with a drop-down menu.
• Use the same colors in Button, Blank panel and Sheet.
• Format your text. Tableau provides a wide range of customization options for it.
• Break the tabs by topic. It’s not good to put all the documentation on one tab with endless scrolling.