How to Apply Parameter to All Sheets in Tableau

Creating an interactive dashboard in Tableau is a great feeling, but that interactivity quickly falls apart if dropdowns and selectors only work on one chart at a time. To build a truly cohesive experience for your users, you need your controls, like parameters, to influence the entire dashboard simultaneously. This guide will walk you through exactly how to apply a single parameter to all sheets in a Tableau workbook, creating a seamless and powerful analytical view.

First, What's a Parameter (and Why Isn't It Just a Filter)?

Before we jump into the "how," let's quickly clarify what a parameter is. While it feels similar to a filter, they serve different functions. A Filter directly includes or excludes data from your initial dataset based on the dimensions or measures you've dragged into your view.

A Parameter, on the other hand, is a user-defined placeholder or a variable. Think of it as a custom input that you (or your viewer) can control. On its own, a parameter does nothing. Its power comes from being integrated into a calculated field, a reference line, or a custom Top N filter. This flexibility is what allows it to do things a standard filter can't, like swapping out the measure being displayed (e.g., from Sales to Profit) or controlling data across entirely different data sources.

In our case, we'll use a parameter to tell our charts which data point to highlight or focus on, and we'll make sure that instruction is heard by every sheet on our dashboard.

Creating a Global Parameter: Step-by-Step Guide

Let's use a common business scenario: you have a dashboard showing sales, profit by sub-category, and a map view, and you want to let a user select a single Region to view across all charts at once.

Step 1: Create Your Parameter

First, you need to create the parameter that will act as your master control.

1. In the Data pane (usually on the left side), click the small dropdown arrow at the top and select Create Parameter...
2. Give your parameter a descriptive name, like "Select Region".
3. Set the Data type to String, since our regions are text.
4. For Allowable values, choose List.
5. Under "List of values," click Add from Field and pick your Region dimension. Tableau will automatically populate the list with all your regions (e.g., Central, East, South, West).
6. Click OK.

You've now created the parameter! You'll see it appear in the Parameters section at the bottom of the Data pane. If you right-click on it and select "Show Parameter," a dropdown control will appear on your worksheet. However, changing it won't do anything yet because it's not connected to your data.

Step 2: Connect the Parameter to Your First Worksheet

This is the most critical step. We need to create a bridge between the parameter's selected value and the data in our view. The best way to do this is with a calculated field that results in a simple True or False.

1. Right-click in a blank space in the Data pane and select Create Calculated Field...
2. Name your calculation something logical, like "Region Filter Logic".
3. In the formula box, type the following:

[Region] = [Select Region]

This formula checks every row in your data. It looks at the value in the [Region] column and compares it to the currently selected value in our [Select Region] parameter. It will return "True" if they match and "False" if they don't.

1. Click OK.

Now, let's use this logic to filter your first worksheet (e.g., your "Sales over Time" line chart).

1. Find your new calculated field, "Region Filter Logic," in the Data pane.
2. Drag and drop it onto the Filters card.
3. A box will pop up asking which values to include. Check the box for True and click OK.

Your chart will now update based on what's selected in your "Select Region" parameter. If you select "East" from the dropdown, only the data where the calculated field returns "True" (i.e., where the region is East) will be shown. You've successfully linked your first sheet!

Step 3: Apply the Logic to All Other Worksheets

Here's the beautifully simple part. You don't need to rebuild anything. You just need to tell your other worksheets to use the same logic.

Navigate to your next worksheet (e.g., "Profit by Sub-Category").

1. Find the "Region Filter Logic" calculated field in your Data pane.
2. Drag it to the Filters card for this second sheet.
3. Again, a filter box will appear. Check True and click OK.

That's it! Repeat this exact process for every other worksheet you want this parameter to control - your map, your tables, everything. For each sheet, you are simply adding the same calculated field to its filter shelf and setting it to "True".

Step 4: Build Your Dashboard

Now that all your individual worksheets are controlled by the same parameter and logic, it's time to bring them together.

1. Create a new Dashboard.
2. Drag each of your configured worksheets onto the dashboard canvas.
3. When you drag the first sheet, Tableau will likely automatically add its filter and parameter controls to the right side of the dashboard. If not, click on any sheet on the dashboard, click the small dropdown arrow (^), and go to Parameters > Select Region. This makes sure the dropdown control for your parameter is visible on the dashboard.

Now, test it out. Use the single "Select Region" dropdown on your dashboard. You should see every single chart - the line chart, the bar chart, and the map - update instantly and in unison. You've successfully applied one parameter to all sheets!

Pro Tips for Advanced Parameter Control

You can take this concept to the next level with a few simple adjustments to your calculated field.

Adding an "All" Option

What if your user wants to see the total view of all regions? You can easily add an "All" option to your parameter.

1. First, update the parameter: Right-click on your "Select Region" parameter and choose Edit. In the "List of values," manually add a new value called "All" and move it to the top of the list.
2. Next, update the calculated field: Right-click your "Region Filter Logic" field and select Edit. Modify the formula to:

[Select Region] = "All" OR [Region] = [Select Region]

This new logic is brilliant. The first part checks if the parameter is set to "All." If it is, the calculation returns "True" for every single row, showing all your data. If it's not set to "All," it proceeds to the original logic after the OR, only showing data for the selected region. You don't need to change any of the filters on your worksheets, just edit the central calculated field.

Dynamically Swapping Measures

Want to let users switch between viewing Sales, Profit, and Quantity? Parameters are perfect for this.

1. Create a new string parameter called "Select Measure" and add "Sales," "Profit," and "Quantity" to its list.
2. Create a new calculated field called "Dynamic Measure" with this formula:

CASE [Select Measure]
WHEN "Sales" THEN [Sales]
WHEN "Profit" THEN [Profit]
WHEN "Quantity" THEN [Quantity]
END

1. Instead of dragging SUM(Sales) onto your Rows shelf, drag your new "Dynamic Measure" onto the Rows shelf.
2. Now, when a user selects a value from the "Select Measure" parameter, the axis and the data points on your chart will completely change. Apply this same "Dynamic Measure" field across all relevant charts for a fully swap-able dashboard.

Final Thoughts

Mastering parameters in Tableau is about understanding that the parameter itself is just a switch, the real work happens in the calculated field that connects that switch to your data. By creating a single logical calculation and applying it as a filter across multiple worksheets, you can build unified, powerful dashboards that give your users exactly the control they need to find answers for themselves.

While powerful, setting up this kind of interactivity in traditional BI tools often involves a multi-step process of configuring parameters, writing calculations, and applying filters in just the right way. We created Graphed because we believe getting insights shouldn't require you to become an expert in building complex visualizations. Instead of manual setup, you can simply ask in natural language, "Create a dashboard showing sales over time and profit by sub-category for my Shopify store" and get a real-time, interactive dashboard in seconds, with filters and controls often built for you automatically.