How to Add Symbols in Tableau

Adding symbols or icons to a Tableau dashboard is a simple way to make your data more intuitive and visually engaging. Instead of just showing numbers, you can use arrows, checkmarks, or custom brand icons to add context at a glance. This article will show you exactly how to add symbols in Tableau using a few different methods, from built-in shape palettes to custom calculated fields.

Why Use Symbols in Tableau?

Before we jump into the "how," let's quickly cover the "why." Numbers and charts are the foundation of any dashboard, but symbols add a layer of communication that raw data can't always match. They help you:

• Improve Readability: A colored circle or an arrow indicating a positive or negative trend is often faster to process than reading a number and checking its value.
• Add Context: Symbols can convey meaning instantly. For example, a person icon next to a customer count or a dollar sign next to revenue clarifies the metric without needing extra text legends.
• Save Space: A small icon often takes up less screen real estate than a full text label, helping you design cleaner, less cluttered dashboards.
• Enhance Engagement: Dashboards that are well-designed and easy to understand are simply more effective. Custom symbols can make your work look more professional and polished, encouraging your team to interact with the data more frequently.

Method 1: Using Custom Shapes

The most common and flexible way to add symbols to your views is by using Tableau’s “Shapes” mark type. This allows you to map data values to either default shape palettes or your own custom-designed icons.

Step 1: Change the Mark Type to "Shape"

First, drag the dimension you want to visualize onto your sheet. In the Marks card, click the dropdown menu (it usually defaults to "Automatic") and select Shape. Tableau will assign a default shape to each member of your dimension.

For this example, let's say we want to assign a unique icon for each Category in the Superstore dataset (Furniture, Office Supplies, Technology).

Drag the Category dimension onto the Shape card.

Step 2: Assign Shapes from a Default Palette

Now that the Category dimension is controlling the shapes, you can assign them.

1. Click on the Shape card to open the "Edit Shape" dialog box.
2. On the right, you’ll see the "Select Shape Palette" dropdown. You can browse through Tableau's built-in options like Bug Bounties, Weather, or KPI symbols.
3. To assign a shape, first select a data item on the left (e.g., "Furniture"), then click the desired shape on the right.
4. Repeat this process for all your data items ("Office Supplies," "Technology").
5. Once you're done, click Apply and then OK.

Step 3: Create and Use Your Own Custom Shapes

The real power comes from using your own icons. This is perfect for branding your dashboards or using symbols specific to your industry.

Finding Your Tableau Repository

First, you need to find the "My Tableau Repository" folder on your computer. This folder is automatically created when you install Tableau.

• On Windows: C:\Users\[Your Username]\Documents\My Tableau Repository
• On Mac: /Users/[Your Username]/Documents/My Tableau Repository

Inside this repository, navigate to the Shapes folder.

Adding Your Icons

1. Inside the Shapes folder, create a new folder. The name you give this folder will be the name of your shape palette in Tableau. Let's call it "My Custom Icons."
2. Find the icons you want to use. You can download icons from sites like Flaticon or The Noun Project, or create your own. For the best results, use PNG files with transparent backgrounds.
3. Save your image files into the new "My Custom Icons" folder you just created.

Using Your Custom Shapes in Tableau

Now, head back to your Tableau workbook.

1. Open the "Edit Shape" dialog box again (by clicking on the Shape card).
2. Click the Reload Shapes button. This tells Tableau to scan the repository folder for any new shapes you've added.
3. Now, open the "Select Shape Palette" dropdown. You should see your newly created palette, "My Custom Icons."
4. Select it, and your custom icons will appear. Assign them to your data items just as you did before.

Method 2: Using Unicode Characters in a Calculated Field

If you only need simple symbols like arrows, circles, or stars, using Unicode characters is a light and efficient method. You don't need to manage image files, and the symbols are treated like text, which makes them easy to format.

Step 1: Find a Unicode Symbol

First, find the symbol you want to use and copy it to your clipboard. You can find them easily online (search a site like "Copy Paste Character") or use your computer's built-in character map tool.

Common symbols used for KPIs include:

• Up Arrow: ▲
• Down Arrow: ▼
• Circle: ●
• Square: ■
• Checkmark: ✓
• Cross: X

Step 2: Create a Calculated Field

Let's create a simple KPI indicator for Profit. If profit is positive, we'll show an up arrow. If it's negative, a down arrow. If it's zero, a circle.

1. Right-click on a blank area in the Data pane and select Create Calculated Field.
2. Name it something like "Profit Indicator."
3. Enter a formula that uses logic to return different Unicode characters. Simply paste the symbols you copied directly into the formula:

IF SUM([Profit]) > 0 THEN '▲' ELSEIF SUM([Profit]) < 0 THEN '▼' ELSE '●' END

Step 3: Add the Symbol to Your View

Now, just drag this new "Profit Indicator" calculated field to the Label or Text mark.

To give it color, drag the original SUM(Profit) measure onto the Color card. Edit the colors to map positive values to green and negative values to red. The result is a simple, color-coded KPI symbol that updates automatically.

Method 3: Combining Symbols and Numbers in Labels

What if you want to show the symbol and the actual number together in one label? You can easily do this by modifying our Unicode calculated field to include the metric as well.

Step 1: Modify the Calculated Field

Let's edit our "Profit Indicator" calculation. We'll modify it to be a text string combining the symbol with the profit value.

Create a field (let’s call it "Detailed Label") and enter the following formula. The STR() function converts a number to text, so that we can join it with the string symbol character.

IF SUM([Profit]) > 0 THEN '▲ ' + '$' + STR(ROUND(SUM([Profit]), 0))
ELSEIF SUM([Profit]) < 0 THEN '▼ ' + '$' + STR(ROUND(SUM([Profit]), 0))
ELSE '● ' + '$' + STR(ROUND(SUM([Profit]), 0))
END

Notice the ' ' after the symbol adds a space for better formatting, and ROUND() cleans up the number to avoid excessive decimal places.

Step 2: Add it to Your Label

Drag this new calculated field onto your Label mark. You'll now have a single, clean label that includes both the directional symbol and the formatted value.

Emphasis: Since this entire label is a single string, you can't color the symbol and the number differently. Both will take on the same color based on whatever field you place on the Color mark.

Final Thoughts

Using symbols in Tableau is a fundamental skill that elevates your dashboards from simple charts to compelling data stories. They add essential context, increase scannability, and create a far better user experience - all with just a few clicks or a simple calculated field.

While mastering visualization tools is rewarding, we know that the time spent on manual chart building is time not spent on strategy. At Graphed, we automate the difficult part. Instead of wrangling with calculated fields or designing custom palettes, you can simply ask for the chart you need in plain English - like "show me sales by category with custom icons" - and our AI builds it instantly, connecting directly to your live data.