Tableau - Operators

Operators are special symbols that perform specific mathematical, logical or comparison operations on data. They are mainly used in calculated fields, formulas and expressions to manipulate values, combine conditions or compare results. By using operators, users can create more dynamic calculations and perform complex data analysis within Tableau.

Tableau provides 3 categories of operators:

1. Arithmetic Operators: Used for mathematical calculations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, modulus and power.
2. Relational Operators: Compare two values and return a Boolean result (True, False or Null).
3. Logical Operators: Combine or negate conditions, often used in filtering and conditional logic.

Steps to Use Operators

Step 1: Open Tableau and connect to a dataset.

Here we are going to use in-built Superstore sample dataset.

Step 2: Go to the Data tab and select Create Calculated Field

Step 3: Write the formula which we want to apply.

Step 4: Click OK and then a new field appears in the Data Pane.

Step 5: Drag the field into the worksheet and the required data will be fetched.

Various Operators

1. Arithmetic Operators

Used for mathematical calculations on numeric fields.

• * (Multiplication): [Sales] * [Quantity]
• / (Division): [Profit] / [Sales]
• % (Modulus): 25 % 2 = 1
• ^ (Power): 5 ^ 2 = 25

Example Use Cases:

• Calculate profit margin: [Profit] / [Sales]
• Compute revenue: [Quantity] * [Unit Price]

2. Relational Operators

Used for comparing two values and it return results as True, False or Null.

• = or ==: Equal to
• != , <>, ^=: Not equal to
• >: Greater than
• <: Less than
• >=: Greater than or equal to
• <=: Less than or equal to

Example use Cases:

• [Sales] > 1000: Returns True if sales exceed 1000.
• IF [Profit] <= 0 THEN "Loss" ELSE "Profit" END

3. Logical Operators

Used to combine or negate conditions.

• AND: Returns True if both conditions are True.
• OR: Returns True if at least one condition is True.
• NOT: Reverses the condition.

Truth Table:

• TRUE AND FALSE = FALSE
• TRUE OR FALSE = TRUE
• NOT TRUE = FALSE

Examples:

• IF [Sales] > 500 AND [Profit] > 100 THEN "Profitable" END
• IF [Region] = "East" OR [Region] = "West" THEN "Selected Region" END
• IF NOT [Category] = "Furniture" THEN "Other Category" END