Hierarchies in Tableau – A step by

step guide to create Tableau

hierarchy
BY DATAFLAIR TEAM · UPDATED · FEBRUARY 11, 2020
In this tutorial, we are going to learn how to create hierarchies in Tableau.
Hierarchies play a very important role in using the data fields in an organized
manner. So, let us learn in a stepwise manner how to create and use
hierarchies from your data set in Tableau.

What are Hierarchies in Tableau?

Before we start learning how to create hierarchies in Tableau, let us have a
better understanding of hierarchies. The term hierarchy is not specific to
Tableau and you might have heard and used it in many places before.

In the context of data, hierarchies are a logical arrangement of relevant unique

attributes in a data set. Hierarchies arrange data fields in a level, for instance,
a Geography hierarchy would have a region, country, state, city, area levels.
Or, a Time hierarchy has a year, month, week, day as its levels.

By creating hierarchies in Tableau, we set our data on different levels of detail

and organize it. Tableau can automatically create hierarchies by detecting
relevant fields or you can create custom hierarchies.

Before moving ahead, have a quick revision of reporting in Tableau.

Creating Hierarchies in Tableau
Follow the steps given below to create hierarchies in Tableau.

Step 1: Drag a Field in Tableau Hierarchy

To start with creating a hierarchy in your data set, select a field from the list of
dimensions and measures. Select and hold the field and drag it on to or on top
of another field. By doing this, we add a field at a sub-level in the hierarchy.

Another way of adding a field in an existing hierarchy is to right-click on a

field name, then select Hierarchy from the list. Then select Add to hierarchy
option and select the name of the hierarchy in which you wish to add the field.

Step 2: Name the Hierarchies in Tableau

As soon as you add a field on the top of another field, a window pops up where
you need to enter the name of the hierarchy. Enter a suitable name for the
hierarchy and click on OK.

Step 3: Add More Fields in Tableau Hierarchy

Once you enter a name, your hierarchy can be seen on the left Data panel as
shown in the screenshot below. We put the Sub-category field under
the Category field. That is, Category is on the first level of the hierarchy
and Sub-category is on the second level. Following step 1, you can add more
fields under a field in a hierarchy.
Step 4: Drill Down Hierarchy in Tableau
Now, you can use this hierarchy into visualization by putting it in
a Rows or Columns section. To drill down in a hierarchy, click on the plus +
sign given right next to a field name. As you can see in the screenshot below,
our field Category is on the top of the hierarchy. When we click on the + sign
near the field name, the field on a lower level in the hierarchy will be shown.

Step 5: Analyze Data in Tableau Hierarchy

As shown in the screenshot below, the field Sub-category and its contents are
also visible in the bar chart now. This is after drilling-down the hierarchy by
one level. To go back to the top or a preceding field in the hierarchy, click on
the minus – sign present near a field name. In this way, you can easily drill up
or down a hierarchy to see and analyze data at different levels of detail.

Step 6: Geo Hierarchy in Tableau

The screenshot below shows a geo hierarchy where hierarchy with the
name Geography is created. Under it, there are fields at sub-level such
as Region, Country, State, City, etc.

How to Remove a Hierarchy in Tableau?

To remove a hierarchy in Tableau all you need to do is right-click on the
hierarchy name (present in the Data pane) and select the option Remove
Hierarchy. This will remove all the fields from that hierarchy and its name will
no longer show in the Data pane.