How to Add Target Line in Tableau

Adding a target line to your Tableau chart is a powerful way to provide immediate context for your data. This simple addition transforms a visualization from a historical record into a performance report. This guide will walk you through four methods to add target lines, from a simple static line to dynamic and category-specific goals.

First, Why Add a Target Line at All?

Imagine looking at a bar chart of your monthly sales. The bars go up and down, but are those numbers good or bad? Without context, a chart is just a collection of facts. A target line, also known as a reference line or goal line, instantly answers the most important question: "Are we on track?"

It helps stakeholders immediately see:

• Which periods met or exceeded the goal.
• Which periods fell short of the target.
• The overall trend of performance against expectations.

It's the simplest way to move from reporting data to analyzing performance.

Method 1: The Quick & Easy Way with a Constant Reference Line

This is the fastest method and perfect for when you have a single, unchanging target for the entire view. If your monthly sales target is always $50,000, this is the way to go.

Step 1: Build Your Basic Chart

First, you need a chart to add the target line to. Let's create a simple bar chart showing the sum of sales by month.

1. Drag your date dimension (e.g., Order Date) to the Columns shelf. Right-click on it and choose "Month (May 2015)" for a monthly view.
2. Drag your measure (e.g., Sales) to the Rows shelf. Tableau will likely default to SUM(Sales).

You should now have a basic bar chart showing sales performance over time.

Step 2: Add the Reference Line

Now, let's add the target.

1. Navigate to the Analytics pane (it’s next to the Data pane on the left sidebar).
2. Under the "Summarize" section, click and drag Reference Line onto your chart.
3. A set of options will appear on the chart itself. Don't drop it just yet! You can choose to apply the line to the entire Table, a specific Pane, or an individual Cell. For a single target across all months, drop it on Table.

Step 3: Configure the Reference Line

Once you drop the reference line, a pop-up configuration box will appear. This is where you set the target value.

• Scope: This should already be set to "Entire Table" from the previous step.
• Value: This is the key part. By default, it might be on SUM(Sales) and show the average. Click the dropdown and select Create a New Parameter... or just change it to Constant.
• If you choose Constant, a value box will appear. Type your target there - for example, 50000.
• Label: You can decide what the line's label displays. Choosing "Value" shows "$50,000." Choosing "Custom" allows you to type something like "Monthly Target: <Value>,".
• Formatting: You can change the line's color, weight, and style (solid, dashed, etc.). A dashed red line is often a good visual choice for a target.

Click OK, and your target line will appear on the chart, giving you an instant visual of which months hit the goal.

Method 2: Making It Interactive with a User-Controlled Parameter

Sometimes, you want to perform what-if analysis. "What if our target was $60,000 instead of $50,000?" Using a parameter lets you or your dashboard viewers change the target on the fly without editing the report.

Step 1: Create a Parameter

Instead of a fixed value, we'll create a variable that the user can control.

1. In the Data pane (not the Analytics pane), find a blank space, right-click, and select Create Parameter....
2. Give it a descriptive name, like "Sales Target Input."
3. Set the Data type to Float or Integer.
4. Set the Current value to your default target, like 50000.
5. For a better user experience, choose Range for a slider. Set a minimum (e.g., 20000), a maximum (e.g., 100000), and a step size (e.g., 5000).
6. Click OK.

Step 2: Link the Parameter to the Reference Line

Now, we connect your new parameter to the chart.

1. Right-click on your existing reference line and choose Edit. (Or if you haven't added one yet, drag a new one onto the chart as in Method 1).
2. In the configuration box, go to the Value dropdown.
3. Instead of using "Constant," simply select your new parameter: Sales Target Input. Notice the value below is grayed out, as it's now controlled by the parameter.
4. Click OK.

Step 3: Show the Parameter Control

The final step is to make the control visible for the user.

• In the Data pane, find your parameter under the "Parameters" section at the bottom.
• Right-click on it and select Show Parameter.

A slider or text box will now appear on the right side of your view, allowing anyone to drag the target line up and down directly on the dashboard. This is fantastic for goal-setting meetings and interactive analysis.

Method 3: Different Targets for Different Categories Using a Calculated Field

What if your sales target changes by region or product category? A single horizontal line won't work. For this, a calculated field is the perfect tool.

Step 1: Create the Calculated Field with Your Logic

Let's assume our targets are different for each of our main product categories: Technology, Office Supplies, and Furniture.

1. In the Data pane, right-click a blank space and select Create Calculated Field....
2. Name it "Category Sales Target."
3. Enter the logic using a CASE statement. This is often cleaner than a series of IF-THEN statements.

CASE [Category]
WHEN "Technology" THEN 30000
WHEN "Office Supplies" THEN 15000
WHEN "Furniture" THEN 22000
ELSE 0
END

This code tells Tableau to assign a specific target value depending on the category of each record. Click OK.

Step 2: Add the Calculation to Your Chart

For Tableau to use this field in a reference line, it needs to be part of the visualization's context.

• Build a chart showing SUM(Sales) by Category.
• Drag your new calculated field, "Category Sales Target", onto the Detail section of the Marks card. It will probably show up as AGG(Category Sales Target). Don't worry, it won't change your chart's appearance, but it makes this value available for analysis.

Step 3: Add a Reference Line Based on the Field

Now, when we add the reference line, Tableau will see our custom calculation.

1. Drag a Reference Line from the Analytics pane onto the chart. This time, drop it on Cell. Dropping on Cell ensures that each bar (each category) gets its own reference line.
2. In the configuration box, for Value, select your calculated field: AGG(Category Sales Target). You can choose any aggregation (Min, Max, Avg), since the value is the same for every record within the category, they will all return the same result.
3. Select what you'd like the Label to show (e.g., Value).
4. Click OK.

You’ll now see a separate, correct target line drawn across each category's bar on your chart.

Method 4: The Ultimate in Customization with a Dual-Axis Chart

Reference lines are great, but they're always just... lines. What if you wanted your target to be a series of dots or triangles for a different visual effect? For total control, you can create a dual-axis chart.

Step 1: Create Your Primary Measure

As before, start with your primary chart. For this example, let's put MONTH(Order Date) on Columns and SUM(Sales) on Rows. Set the Marks type to Bar.

Step 2: Create and Add Your Target Measure

Let's set a fixed target for 50,000.

1. Drag your measure (Sales) to the Rows shelf again, placing it next to the existing SUM(Sales) pill.
2. Go into that new pill on the shelf, erase SUM(Sales) and instead type the number 50000. It will appear as AVG(50000). This trick makes it an aggregate measure without needing a calculated field.
3. You now have two sets of marks on your chart, one for sales bars and one for your target. Let’s change the target’s mark type. Go to the Marks card. You'll see two tabs at the top: SUM(Sales) and AVG(50000). Click on the AVG(50000) tab.
4. Change its mark type from Automatic to Line or Shape.

Step 3: Create and Synchronize the Dual Axis

Now, let's merge them.

1. On the Rows shelf, right-click the second pill (AVG(50000)) and select Dual Axis. The two visuals will overlay.
2. This next step is critical! Your axes probably don't line up, making the chart misleading. Right-click on one of the Y-axes and select Synchronize Axis.

There you go! You now have a bar chart with a perfectly aligned line representing your target. Because it's a completely separate Mark, you have full control over its color, size, shape, and labels, independent of your actual sales bars.

Final Thoughts

You’ve now learned four essential methods for adding target lines to your charts in Tableau. From the basic constant reference line for quick insights to dynamic parameters and flexible calculations, each method empowers you to tell a clearer story with your data by providing much-needed visual context.

Setting up charts and parameters in a tool like Tableau requires time spent clicking through menus and managing calculations. We wanted to make this process more direct, so we built Graphed to handle reporting using natural language. Instead of building charts manually, you can simply ask, “Show my monthly sales against a $50,000 target,” and get a real-time visualization instantly. It connects directly to your data sources, letting you focus on the insights instead of the setup.