Plain-English definitions of the core terms for Tableau Desktop Specialist study. Simplified for learning; Tableau documentation is authoritative.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Dimension | A field that slices the data (often blue, discrete), such as Region or Category. |
| Measure | A numeric field that is aggregated (often green, continuous), such as Sales. |
| Discrete | A field shown as distinct headers; the pill is blue. |
| Continuous | A field shown along an axis; the pill is green. |
| Aggregation | Rolling values up with SUM, AVG, COUNT and similar functions. |
| Marks card | The panel that controls colour, size, label, detail, shape and tooltip. |
| Show Me | A helper that suggests chart types for the fields you have selected. |
| Rows / Columns shelves | Where fields are placed to define the structure of the view. |
| Filters shelf | Where fields are placed to limit what the view shows. |
| Pages shelf | Splits a view into a sequence you can step through by a field. |
| Join | Combining tables at the row level on a shared key. |
| Union | Stacking rows from tables that share the same columns. |
| Data blending | Linking two separate data sources on a shared field. |
| Live connection | Queries the source data directly each time. |
| Extract | A saved snapshot (.hyper) of the data for faster, offline use. |
| Calculated field | A new field defined by a formula. |
| Table calculation | A calculation across the values already in the view (e.g. % of total). |
| Level of Detail (LOD) | An expression (FIXED / INCLUDE / EXCLUDE) that sets the granularity of a calculation. |
| Parameter | A user-controllable value that can feed calculations, filters or reference lines. |
| Group | Combining selected members of a field into one category. |
| Set | A custom subset of data, which can be dynamic and used in calculations. |
| Dashboard | A single view that combines multiple sheets, filters and actions. |
| Story | An ordered sequence of sheets or dashboards that tells a narrative. |
| Tooltip | The pop-up detail shown when hovering over a mark. |
| Tableau Public | The free version of Tableau Desktop that publishes to the public web. |