How to Create a Hierarchy Filter in Tableau

Building a Tableau dashboard is much like telling a story with your data, but if users can't easily navigate the plot, they'll miss the conclusion. A clean, intuitive filtering experience is essential, especially when dealing with hierarchical data. This post will show you how to create cascading "hierarchy filters" that let users drill down from a broad category into more specific details seamlessly.

What Are Hierarchy Filters and Why Do You Need Them?

Imagine you have data organized in a natural top-down structure, like Region > State > City or Product Category > Sub-Category > Manufacturer. By default, when you add separate filters for each of these fields in Tableau, they operate independently. If a user filters for "Furniture" in the Category filter, the Sub-Category filter will still show all sub-categories, including ones like "Phones" and "Binders" that have nothing to do with furniture. This creates a confusing and clumsy user experience.

A hierarchy filter, also known as a dependent or cascading filter, solves this problem. Selecting an item in the first filter (the "parent") automatically limits the choices available in the second filter (the "child") to only those that are relevant. This guided navigation makes a huge difference in the usability of your dashboards.

Step-by-Step: Building a Hierarchy Filter in Tableau

We'll use Tableau's Sample - Superstore dataset to walk through creating a hierarchy filter for products. Our goal is to make the Sub-Category filter update based on a selection, and then the Manufacturer filter update based on the Sub-Category selection.

Step 1: Create a Data Hierarchy

First, it's a good practice (though not technically required for this method) to formally create a hierarchy in your Data Pane. This helps keep your fields organized.

• Find the Category field in the Data pane.
• Drag the Sub-Category field and drop it directly onto the Category field. Name the hierarchy something like "Products".
• Now drag Manufacturer and drop it underneath Sub-Category within the new hierarchy group.

Your hierarchy should now look like: Category > Sub-Category > Manufacturer.

Step 2: Build a Simple Visualization

Let's create a basic chart to see our filters in action. Drag your new Products hierarchy to the Rows shelf. You'll see Category appear. You can click the little + symbol on the Category pill to expand it and drill down to the Sub-Category and Manufacturer levels.

Then, drag Sales to the Columns shelf to create a simple bar chart.

Step 3: Add Your Filters to the View

Now we need to add the filters we want to become hierarchical. We'll add them one by one, from the top level down.

• Right-click the Category dimension in the Data pane and select Show Filter. The filter card will appear on the right side of your worksheet.
• Next, do the same for Sub-Category. Right-click Sub-Category and select Show Filter. You now have two distinct filters on your view.

Step 4: Set the Child Filter to "Only Relevant Values"

This is where the magic happens. By default, both filters are set to show all possible values. We need to tell the second filter to only show values that are relevant to the first filter's selection.

• Click the small downward arrow at the top right of the Sub-Category filter card. In the context menu, select Only Relevant Values.

That's it! Now, try it out. In the Category filter, deselect "(All)" and check the box next to "Furniture." You’ll instantly see the Sub-Category filter update to show only "Bookcases," "Chairs," "Furnishings," and "Tables." The irrelevant options have vanished.

Step 5: Extend the Hierarchy for Deeper Levels

You can repeat this process for every level of your hierarchy. Let’s add the Manufacturer filter.

1. Right-click the Manufacturer dimension in the Data pane and select Show Filter.
2. Click the dropdown arrow on the new Manufacturer filter card.
3. Select Only Relevant Values.

Now test the full cascade. If you select "Technology" for Category and then "Phones" for Sub-Category, the Manufacturer filter will update to show only phone brands like Apple, Samsung, and Nokia.

Applying Hierarchy Filters on a Dashboard

Building the filter on a worksheet is the first half. The real value comes when you use it on an interactive dashboard that might contain multiple charts and graphs.

Connecting Filters to Multiple Sheets

When you place your worksheet onto a new dashboard, its filters typically come with it. However, you might want that single set of filters to control other visualizations on the same dashboard.

For example, you might have one bar chart showing Sales by Manufacturer and a map showing Sales by State. You want your cascading product filters to apply to both.

To do this:

1. Place all aforementioned and related charts on your new dashboard.
2. In the Category filter card, click the dropdown menu and go to Apply to Worksheets > Selected Worksheets....
3. In the pop-up window, check the boxes for all the worksheets on the dashboard that you want this filter to affect (e.g., your bar chart and your map). Click OK.
4. Repeat this process for the Sub-Category and Manufacturer filters.

Now, when a user selects "Office Supplies," a bar chart showing Sales by Manufacturer will update in unison, creating a truly connected and interactive dashboard experience.

Tips and Best Practices

Arrange Filters Logically

Arrange your filter cards on the dashboard in the same order as your hierarchy (e.g., Category on top, Sub-Category below it). This visual cue helps guide the user through the drill-down process intuitively.

Consider Filter Types

Changing the filter format can improve usability. For a hierarchy, "Single Value (dropdown)" or "Multiple Values (dropdown)" often work best. They save screen space and feel more natural for a drill-down experience. You can change this by clicking the filter card’s dropdown and selecting a new format.

Handling the "(All)" Selection

When "(All)" is selected in a primary filter, a user will see every option in the secondary filter. To avoid overwhelming your secondary filter from the get-go, set a default selection, or uncheck "(All)" at publication. Or you can require a selection for your primary filters. This can be set up directly in the filter properties' menu.

Final Thoughts

Creating hierarchy filters with the "Only Relevant Values" option is one of those simple Tableau tricks that dramatically improves a dashboard's professionalism and usability. It transforms static, independent filters into a dynamic and guided analytical journey for your users, allowing them to explore data on their own terms without getting lost.

While features like this are powerful, they highlight the learning curve that comes with traditional BI tools. Every step - from configuring filter relationships to applying them across dashboards - requires specific clicks and knowledge of the tool itself. At Graphed, we remove these technical hurdles by letting you handle analytics with simple conversation. Instead of learning menus and settings, you can just ask to build an interactive dashboard by describing your data, freeing you up to focus on the insights rather than the process.