Tableau Time Saver | Change the default aggregation of a measure.

by Brandon Fitz-Gerald

Tableau’s default method of aggregation for a measure is Sum. However, Sum will not always be the most appropriate method of aggregation to use.

So how do you do it?|

Using Tableau Superstore and Profit as an example:

Figure 1: Default Aggregation – Sum of Profit

It’s fairly straightforward to change the method of aggregation once the measure has been added to the view, it would be quicker and easier if the default aggregation method could be changed.

  1. Right-click on the measure you want to change the aggregation for
  2. Select Default Properties
  3. In the new menu, pick Aggregation
  4. Select the new default aggregation for the measure.
Figure 2: Change the Default Aggregation of Profit

Now, when Profit is added to the view, it will default to the Average of Profit instead of the Sum.

Figure 3: New Default Aggregation – Average Profit.

I hope you found this useful and that it saves you time. (I think it’s most useful if you have to use a non-default aggregation in multiple places!)