What is Create Set in Tableau?

Creating subsets of your data is fundamental to targeted analysis in Tableau, and Sets are one of the most powerful tools for the job. A Set allows you to define a custom group of members from one of your dimensions, like "Top 100 Customers" or "Products Launched in Q4," that you can use over and over. This guide will walk you through what Tableau Sets are, how to create them, and several practical ways you can use them to find deeper insights in your data.

What Exactly is a Tableau Set?

Think of a Tableau Set as a custom field you create that groups members of a dimension into two categories: those inside the set (IN) and those outside the set (OUT). It's a binary container. For example, if you create a set based on your "Product Name" dimension, a specific product is either IN the set or OUT of it - there's no in-between.

Unlike a standard group, which is static, a Set can be either fixed (static) or dynamic. This ability to update based on rules or changing data is what makes Sets so flexible and powerful for repeatable analysis.

Why Should You Use Sets in Tableau?

Working with data often involves asking questions about specific cohorts. You might wonder how your top-performing marketing campaigns compare to the rest, or if sales from a specific product line behave differently in certain regions. Sets are the perfect tool for framing these kinds of questions.

• For Targeted Comparisons: The primary use of a Set is to compare the "IN" group against the "OUT" group. How do your "Top 20% Customers by Sales" compare to the "Other 80% Customers" in terms of profitability or average order value? A Set makes this comparison simple.
• To Simplify Filtering: Instead of applying a series of complex filters every time you build a new worksheet, you can build them once into a single Set. Then, you can drag that Set to your Filters shelf in one easy step.
• To Fuel Advanced Calculations: You can reference Sets directly within calculated fields, allowing for sophisticated logic. For example, you can write a formula to calculate the average sales for members inside your Set versus those outside.
• For User Interactivity: When combined with Dashboard Actions, Sets become interactive. You can create a dashboard where a viewer clicks on a region in a map, and that selection dynamically updates a Set to show the top-performing stores within that specific region.

How to Create a Set in Tableau: A Step-by-Step Guide

Creating a Set starts with choosing a dimension. In the Data pane on the left, right-click any dimension and select Create > Set. For this walkthrough, we’ll use the Sample - Superstore data and create a Set from the Customer Name dimension.

When you right-click on Customer Name and create a set, you’ll see a dialog box with three tabs: General, Condition, and Top. These tabs represent the different methods you can use to define which members go into your set.

Fixed Sets vs. Dynamic Sets

Before diving into the tabs, it's essential to understand the distinction between the two types of Sets you can create:

• A Fixed Set (or Manual Set) is created when you manually select members from a list. It's static. If you choose five specific customers for a Set, it will always contain only those five customers, no matter how the underlying data changes. You create them using the General tab.
• A Dynamic Set is created using rules, such as a Top N filter or a condition. It updates automatically as your data refreshes. A "Top 10 Customers by Sales" Set will always show the current top ten, even if that list changes day by day. You use the Condition and Top tabs to create these.

Creating a Set: Exploring the Different Methods

Once you open the "Create Set" dialog box, you have a few ways to choose members for your set.

1. The General Tab (For Fixed Sets)

Here you’ll see a list of all members in your selected dimension (in this case, all customer names). You can manually check the boxes next to the ones you want to include. This is useful for creating a control group or selecting a specific cluster of items you already know you want to analyze together, such as "Focus Group Participants" or "Pilot Program Stores." Since this list is static, it won't update automatically.

2. The Condition Tab (For Dynamic Sets)

This is where things get interesting. Instead of choosing members by name, you define a rule they must meet. You have two options here:

• By field: The most common option. You create a rule based on another field in your data. For example, we could create a "High-Value Customers" set by selecting Sales, choosing Sum as the aggregation, and setting the condition to > 10000. Any customer whose total sales exceed $10,000 will be included in the set.
• By formula: This allows you to write a custom calculation that returns true or false. For example, a formula like SUM([Sales]) > 5000 AND SUM([Profit]) > 500 would create a Set of customers who are both high-revenue and high-profit.

Because these sets are based on rules, they will automatically update if the data changes. Some customers might fall out of the set, and new ones might enter.

3. The Top Tab (For Dynamic Sets)

This is a specialized and very popular type of condition-based Set. It allows you to define a "Top N" or "Bottom N" group based on a measure. This is perfect for analyses focusing on top performers, under-performers, or outliers.

To create a "Top 10 Customers by Sales" set:

1. Click the Top tab.
2. Select By field:
3. Leave the dropdown on Top, enter 10 in the text box.
4. From the next dropdown, choose Sales as the measure and Sum as the aggregation.
5. Click OK.

Tableau will now create a new field in your Data pane called "Top 10 Customers by Sales Set." Like any conditional Set, this is dynamic and will always reflect the current top 10 customers based on summed sales.

3 Practical Ways to Use Tableau Sets

Once you’ve created a Set, it appears at the bottom of the Data pane. Now you can use it in your visualizations.

1. Simple IN/OUT Highlighting

The easiest way to use a Set is to analyze the "IN" group against the "OUT" group. Let's say you created a dynamic "Top 50 Customers by Profit" Set.

• Create a bar chart showing Sum of Sales by Sub-Category.
• Drag your "Top 50 Customers by Profit" Set from the Data pane onto the Color tile in the Marks card.

Instantly, Tableau colors the bars based on the portion of sales from customers inside the set versus those outside. This is a fast and effective way to see how much your top profit generators contribute to sales across different product categories.

For better labeling, you can right-click the Set in the legend and select "Edit Aliases" to change "In" and "Out" to more descriptive names, like "Top Profit Customers" and "All Other Customers."

2. Combining Sets for Deeper Segmentation

Things get even more powerful when you combine multiple Sets. Imagine you've created two different sets:

• Set 1: Top Customers by Sales (Top 50)
• Set 2: Top Customers by Profit (Top 50)

You can combine these to find unique segments. Hold Ctrl (or Command on Mac), select both sets in the Data pane, right-click, and choose Create Combined Set...

You’ll get a few options:

• All members in both sets (Union): This creates a set of customers who are in the Top 50 by Sales OR the Top 50 by Profit.
• Shared members in both sets (Intersection): This creates a set of customers who are in the Top 50 by Sales AND the Top 50 by Profit – your all-star customers.
• Set1 except shared members (Difference): This finds customers who are in the Top 50 by Sales but NOT in the Top 50 by Profit. Perhaps these customers are driving revenue but costing you money.

Combining sets allows you to create highly specific customer segments for targeted marketing campaigns, loyalty programs, or further analysis.

3. Using Sets in Calculated Fields

Referring to a set within a calculated field unlocks another level of flexibility. A Set behaves like a boolean (True/False) value in a calculation.

If you have your "Top 50 Customers by Profit" Set, you could create a calculated field named "Customer Tier" with this formula:

IF [Top 50 Customers by Profit Set]
THEN "Platinum"
ELSE "Gold"
END

When you drag this new "Customer Tier" dimension into a view, every customer will be categorized as either "Platinum" or "Gold." This is much clearer than the default "IN/OUT."

You can also use them for conditional aggregations. Let's calculate the total sales that come just from our top profit customers:

IF [Top 50 Customers by Profit Set] THEN [Sales] END

Dragging this new calculation to your view will give you a measure that only includes sales data from the members inside your Set, making it easy to calculate their share of total revenue without complex table calculations.

Final Thoughts

Tableau Sets are a versatile tool that bridges the gap between simple filtering and complex calculations. They provide a clear and powerful way to isolate specific cohorts in your data, compare "IN" vs "OUT" groups, and create advanced customer segments on the fly. Mastering dynamic, conditional, and combined sets will elevate your analyses from just describing what happened to truly investigating why it happened.

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