This post, and the associated workbook, volition show you five ways of adding images to your Tableau dashboards:

  1. As a shape on a worksheet
  2. Equally a shape in a Viz-in-Tooltip
  3. In a dashboard web object using a URL Activeness
  4. Equally a background image in the view
  5. As dashboard paradigm objects

A built example of each of these methods can be establish in the associated workbook, which you tin interact with and download from Tableau Public here. Looking through the workbook is the best way to sympathize each method used in detail. The below mail service will give a loftier-level overview of the steps involved in each method.

Adding Custom Shapes to Tableau

The offset two methods make use of custom shapes, so let'south first await at how y'all add these to Tableau:

  1. Observe or create ideally small-scale/low resolution images that you want to use in your dashboard
  2. Copy the images from your calculator and paste them into a sub-folder within the Shapes folder of your Tableau repository

For these examples, I created a new folder called Christmas equally the images are of that theme. This allows me to easily find them within Tableau. If you've customised the location of your repository, the path will be dissimilar, otherwise it will exist the default which is shown in the image beneath:

These images are now available every bit shapes in Tableau desktop along with all the other shapes (note, you'll need to click the Reload Shapes button for your new folder and images to announced if Tableau is already open):

Data Source

I'm using ii uncomplicated data sources, each with 3 rows, which I'll use to assign shapes to and for various dashboard deportment:

1. As a Shape on a Worksheet

This method uses the following steps (run across the workbook for more details):

  1. Create a parameter with 3 values. I'm using: Bauble 1, Bauble ii, Bauble 3
  2. Add the parameter to the view on the Shape shelf
  3. Assign the relevant custom prototype to each value of the parameter (you can simply assign one at a time to the current parameter value, so alter the parameter value then assign the next shape).
  4. Create a second view with the Picture field on rows and use this with a parameter action to change the value of the parameter
  5. When the parameter changes, the images changes

2. As a Shape in a Viz-in-Tooltip

The steps used for the method:

  1. To create the Viz-in-Tooltip worksheet, start put the Picture field on rows
  2. Fix the marking type to Shape
  3. Add the Picture field to the Shape shelf and assign the relevant custom image to each flick
  4. Now all three images will testify in the view.
  5. Create a view similar to the previous instance with 3 marks in the view using the Circle mark type
  6. Open the tooltip editor and insert the Viz-in-Tooltip canvas just created
  7. At present, when y'all hover over one of the circles, a filter is automatically applied so only one paradigm shows in the Viz-in-Tooltip:

3. In a Spider web Object using a URL Activeness

Steps used for this method:

  1. Upload your images to a hosting service such as imgur.com
  2. Copy the URLs for the hosted images and put them into your data source as a URL field
  3. Create the aforementioned view as before with iii circles
  4. Add the URL field to the Detail shelf
  5. Add this view to a dashboard
  6. Add together a Web Object to the dashboard (exit the URL blank)
  7. Create a URL dashboard action and pass the URL field to the Web Object

When you hover over each circle, the URL for the Web Object updates and a new epitome is loaded.

From a operation perspective, I've found this method works very well and images load apace.

4. As a Background Epitome in the View

This method is less well know but can work really well in sure situations. One business utilise case is for visualising information on summit of a floor plan images, which you tin change to testify different floors of a building for example.

Update: for a walkthrough of how to visualise information on floor plans using background images and filters, see this web log mail service.

For this example, we'll stay with the Christmas theme and will be using a parameter calculation instead of a filter:

  1. As before, create a elementary view with iii circles using the Pic field (I'chiliad using the second information prepare with three tree images this time). This volition be used to pass the Movie value to a parameter using a parameter action.
  2. Create a 2nd view with X on Columns and Y on Rows – these values are used to position the background image
  3. Create a parameter based on the Motion-picture show field so information technology has three values
  4. Create a calculation chosen Background that equals the value of the parameter and place this on the Detail shelf
  5. Go to Map > Background Images and select the data source used in the view (Trees in the case)

6. Click Add together Image… and browse to the image yous want to use and assign the values 0 and i to the fields X and Y as shown below.

7. Click the Options tab and so click Add… to add a status:

8. In the popup dialog select the Groundwork calculated field that was added to the view earlier:

9. When you select the field, you will then be prompted to select a value that is present in that field. The groundwork image will then only prove when the field has this value. Because this field is taking the value of the parameter, merely ane value will be shown – the current parameter value (White Tree in this case):

10. Click OK on the dialogs to get back to the view. So fix the X and Y axes to go from 0 to 1. This will ensure the epitome fills the view.
11. Change the parameter value, so follow the aforementioned steps above to add the other two images, with the relevant conditions. Y'all'll then have three Background Images, each with a different status:

Now when you lot hover over the three circles, the parameter value is updated, this changes the value in the calculation and that determines which background image is shown:

v. As dashboard image objects

The last method is the easiest of all and simply involves dragging Image objects into the dashboard from the side panel:

When your drag one of these to the dashboard, a popup window appears for you lot to browse to the image file to show in the image object:

You can then resize the image object and add borders as needed, just like other dashboard objects. In the example below I have one large image object with three smaller image objects floating on top:

Decision

Again, I'd recommend exploring the associated workbook for this mail service to expect through all the dashboard deportment involved and other settings. Each method has its benefits depending on the situation and the desired effect.

The main advice I would offer is to make sure your images are small in size to ensure a quick load time. I've plant the URL action method with a Web Object is very quick, though it's not suitable for all use cases. Equally an case of where I've used this method, below is a section of a visualisation of a travel map I made recently, where you can hover over a betoken on the map and prove a photograph of that location:

Thanks for reading!
Marc