(You can also find the article on my website together with other articles and more interesting things)
This article will partly be based on a workbook that I created this weekend from the Superstore dataset, specifically made for this article.
The Dashboard can be found on Tableau Public Profile as well, here, if you want to download it and see how the containers are utilized in the dashboard.
The final look of the dashboard looks as below and later on I will dissect every part of this dashboard.

10 tips on how to create business dashboards utilizing containers in Tableau
This article will be based on 10 tips which I often utilize when creating business dashboards. Many of these will be aimed at how to work with containers.
These are not "holy truths", but they are things that I found works the best for me, after have tried out a lot of different things, and I feel there is good to share this.
The tips are as below:
- Do a quick sketch on how you want the dashboard to look
- Start with a Fixed Size Smaller dashboard
- Start with a Vertical/Horizontal Floating Container
- Color containers and begin with "Backend" containers to easier build up the dashboard
- Use the shift key to move around containers
- Drop containers in "The right place" when merging containers together
- Make use of, and learn how to read, the item hierarchy
- Use "Distribute Content Evenly" and "Fix Width"
- Make use of the "Blank object" for dividers between sections
- Change to "Range – Minimum size" as Size from Fixed Size
1. Do a quick sketch on how you want the dashboard to look and design if it should be horizontal/vertical

If you have already decided what you want and where you want it before you start working on the dashboard, it will be an easier process than to change it later.
Try to decide where you want to have the main areas of the dashboard, where you want to have the filters, how many visualizations you want to have and similar aspects.
Here you should also see if your design is more "Vertical" or "Horizontal". This dashboard that I will build have very specific "Rows" and is best built on a vertical theme.
2. Start with a Fixed Sized smaller dashboard

It is easier to set up the design with a smaller fixed size dashboard than with a larger ranged or automatic dashboard.
I usually start up a new dashboard with the dimensions *1000 px 800 px** and do the first designs on my laptop.
Later on, when I have got the container design in a good way, I change up to a bigger, ranged sized dashboard ready for production environment.
3. Start with a Vertical/Horizontal floating container, which you "Fix" later


I have always found it easier to work with a backend container as floating, which you "fix" later to the background when you have built up the design.
It seems easier to insert new containers inside and get them to line up in the right places when you work with a floating container in the first layer instead of a fixed one.
(Tips : Hold shift when you press the container as the picture above and you do not need to change to floating in the menu below)
4. Color/rename containers and begin with "Backend containers" to easier build up the dashboard

Below is an example on how I have began to built up the dashboard above. The top container is renamed as "Filter Container" and colored grey.
The main vertical container for the canvas is named "Canvas container", and the three Canvas containers are named and colored in different ways.
By using this structure it is very easy to find which container you want to work with and insert new containers and new sheets in the right container.
5. Use the shift key to move around containers and removed tiled containers


Most people probably know that you can hold down the shift key to move around containers, and merge them into other containers.
But if you also want to move a container out from the back (Without converting it to floating in the UI, you can do this if you remove the tiled container in the Item hierarchy.
6. Drop containers in the "right place" when merging containers together






If you have a hierarchy of multiple containers inside each other it can sometimes be difficult to drop a new container in the right position. There are some helpful tricks to do this correct.
a) If you see the dashed line in the top pictures this mean that the new container is put in the most outward container in the dashboard
b) If you have two items in the container beforehand you can put the new item in the middle and it will always be put in the most outward container on the dashboard
c) If you have a vertical container, the bottom part of the container is the most difficult part, put it somewhere else and move around the items afterwards.
d) if you have a horizontal container, the right most part of the container is the most difficult part, put it somewhere else and move around the items afterwards.
7. Make use, and learn how to read, the item Hierarchy (Table of Contents)

The Item Hierarchy is similar to a Table of Contents in a longer article, it makes it easier to see how different parts relate to each other, and get an overview of the overall dashboard design.
You can rename all parts in the Item Hierarchy as well as directly remove items, make them floating/fixed or distribute items evenly.
From the specific hierarchy above which is for the dashboard in this article we can read:
Level 1 -> Backend Container only
Level 2 -> Header + Filters Container ** at the top -> Canvas below Filters** container further down
Level 3 -> Filters Container inside "Headers + Filters" Container -> Three different containers inside "Canvas below Filters" container
I think the Item hierarchy is one of the best helps to build up a dashboard the right way.
8. Use "Distribute Content Evenly" and "Fix Width"

If you want control over how items automatically resizes when switching between different displays then it will help a lot if you learn to utilize "Distribute Content Evenly", "Fixed Width" and "Fixed Height" properly.
Some rules that I have is that I always put filters and text boxes in their own containers with fixed height (If on top), fixed Width (If on right/left side).
These are not the dashboards items that have to be resized when moving to a bigger display, instead the important charts in the dashboard will be resized appropriately when moving between different sizes.
If you utilize "Distribute Contents evenly" correctly you will never have any unnecessary blank space in the dashboard when moving between different sized displays which can occur otherwise.
9. Make use of the "Blank object" for dividers between sections


If you want some specific lines between different sections you can include the "Blank Object".
Set the background you want to have for the divider, then edit the height for how thick divider you want to have between the sections, I usually set 2 as the height for this.
10. Include padding to have a nicer visualization of the dashboard

Conclusion
There are many ways in how one can enhance a Tableau Dashboard, containers plays a big part in may of those.
In this article I have discussed 10 different ways to create better Tableau (Business) Dashboards.
Some of the most important is to utilize the Item Hierarchy, know how to use Floating vs Fixed Containers and know hot to "Distribute Content evenly" vs "Fixed Width/Fixed Height" of containers/dashboard items.
I hope that these tips give some help on the way for you who reads this article when working with Tableau Dashboards.
Thank you for reading
Thank you very much for reading my blog!
Drop a comment below about what you thought about the content, or want to have a discussion on how you utilize containers or build up dashboards.
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Have a great week everybody //Elias