# How to use Parameter actions in Tableau Desktop 2019.2 and newer

> This is content from just-tim, the data-and-analytics channel by Tim Ngwena (formerly 'Tableau Tim'). Tim has 12+ years of hands-on BI experience and covers Tableau most of all, plus Power BI, Looker, Hex, SQL and data modelling, the analytics industry, and the craft of doing the job — always tool-agnostic and honest about the trade-offs.

- **Author:** Tim Ngwena (just-tim, https://just-tim.com/about)
- **Published:** 2020-01-10
- **Format:** Video · 12 min watch · transcript available
- **Topics:** Data visualisation
- **Tools:** Tableau (calculated fields, dashboards, filters, parameters)
- **Canonical:** https://just-tim.com/posts/how-to-use-parameter-actions-in-tableau-desktop-2019-2-and-newer
- **Watch:** https://www.youtu.be/HwigCJzpk_Y

I walk through parameter actions, introduced in Tableau Desktop 2019.2, starting with a refresher on what parameters are and how they work. I then build a scatter plot of product profitability and sales, using parameter actions to drive dynamic reference lines from a user's selection, and add conditional colouring on top.

## Key takeaways

- Parameters are dynamic values mapped to data types (float, integer, string, boolean, date) that apply the same value to every row when used in a calculation
- Setting a parameter's value to zero lets a reference line hide along an axis until a selection feeds it a real value
- Parameter actions live under worksheet actions (or dashboard actions) and can change a target parameter using an aggregated metric such as average profit
- A selection updates the parameter and the value persists after deselecting, letting you compare a subset against the full data set
- You can layer a calculated field that colours marks based on whether they fall above or below the parameter value for dynamic visual feedback

## Chapters

- 0:17 What parameters are
- 2:37 Building a scatter plot
- 3:37 The old reference line approach
- 4:32 Creating hidden parameters
- 6:25 Setting up parameter actions
- 8:51 Comparing selections to the full data
- 9:32 Adding dynamic conditional colour
- 10:49 Community examples

Watch the full video, read the transcript and use chapter deep-links on the page: https://just-tim.com/posts/how-to-use-parameter-actions-in-tableau-desktop-2019-2-and-newer

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just-tim — Data and analytics, with a point of view. · https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7HYxRWmaNlJux-X7rNLZyw · https://twitter.com/TableauTim · https://www.linkedin.com/in/timngwena