What Does It Mean in Tableau?

Seeing an asterisk (*) in your Tableau visualization can be frustrating, especially when you're expecting clear, clean data. This symbol isn't an error, but it's Tableau’s way of signaling a specific kind of ambiguity in your data. This guide will walk you through what that asterisk means, the common situations where it appears, and several practical ways to fix it.

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What Exactly Does the Asterisk in Tableau Mean?

The asterisk (*) in Tableau indicates that there are multiple possible values for a field at the current level of detail in your visualization, but the view is set up to display only a single value. In short, Tableau is telling you, "You asked me to show one thing here, but I found many. Since I can't pick just one for you, I'm showing you this asterisk instead."

Think of it like asking a group of people, "What's the name of your child?" If each person in the group only has one child, you'll get a series of clear answers. But if you ask a couple with three children, they can't give you a single name as an answer. Their "answer" is really "Anna, Ben, and Chloe." Tableau is in the same position, when faced with multiple valid values, it displays an asterisk to represent that entire group of values.

This primarily happens when you use the ATTR() (Attribute) aggregation in a calculation or when it's automatically used by Tableau, for instance, in a worksheet title or tooltip.

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Understanding the ATTR() Function

The ATTR() function is at the heart of most asterisk issues. It's a special aggregation that works like this:

ATTR([Dimension])

Behind the scenes, it follows this logic: "If the minimum value for this dimension is the same as the maximum value for this dimension, then show that value. Otherwise, show an asterisk (*)." Essentially, it checks if all values for that dimension are identical within the partition. If they are, that single, unique value is safe to display. If they are not identical, it means multiple values exist, triggering the asterisk.

Common Scenarios Where You'll See an Asterisk

You'll typically run into the asterisk issue in a few recurring situations. Understanding where it comes from is the first step to fixing it.

Scenario 1: Using ATTR() in a Calculated Field

This is the most direct cause. You might use ATTR() in a calculation when you know a field should only have one value for a given context and you want to use it alongside an aggregated measure.

Example: Let's say you have sales data and want to show the total sales per region. Your view might have Region on Rows and SUM(Sales) on Text. So far, so good.

Now, you want to add the name of the Sales Manager responsible for each region. You know there is only one manager per region. Creating a calculated field like ATTR([Sales Manager]) and adding it to the view seems logical. However, if there happens to be a data entry error and one region has two managers listed in the source data, ATTR([Sales Manager]) will show an asterisk for that region.

Scenario 2: Data Blending

Data blending is another common area for asterisks. When you blend two data sources in Tableau, you connect them via a linking field. The data from the secondary source is aggregated at the level of the linking field(s).

If there's a one-to-many relationship from the primary to the secondary source on the linking field, you'll get an asterisk. For example:

• Primary Source: Sales transactions (one row per sale). Contains Store ID.
• Secondary Source: Store information (contains Store ID and Store Manager).

If you link them on Store ID and the secondary source contains two different manager names for the same Store ID, Tableau won't know which manager name to display for that store's sales. As a result, when you pull Store Manager into the view, you'll see an asterisk.

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Scenario 3: In Tooltips, Titles, and Labels

This one catches people by surprise. You might have a perfectly clean chart, but when you hover over a mark, the tooltip shows an asterisk for a certain field.

Example: You create a bar chart showing SUM(Sales) by Product Category. When you hover over the "Technology" category bar, you want the tooltip to list the individual Product Sub-Category. By default, your tooltip text might say:

Category: <Product Category> Sub-Category: <Product Sub-Category> Total Sales: <SUM(Sales)>

Because the bar for "Technology" represents an aggregate of several sub-categories (Phones, Accessories, Copiers, etc.), there isn’t a single value for Product Sub-Category. Tableau's default behavior here is to effectively use ATTR(Product Sub-Category), which results in an asterisk. The chart's level of detail is "Category," but the tooltip is asking for detail from "Sub-Category," creating a mismatch.

How to Get Rid of the Asterisk

Fixing the asterisk is all about resolving the ambiguity. You need to either tell Tableau how to handle the multiple values or change your visualization's structure to account for them.

Fix 1: Add the Dimension to the Level of Detail

The most common and effective solution is to make your visualization more granular. The asterisk is there because your view is too high-level for the dimension you're trying to see. By adding that dimension into the view, you give each value its own mark.

• For Visuals: If you're seeing an asterisk for Sub-Category, drag the Sub-Category dimension onto the Rows or Columns shelf. This will break the view down, and each sub-category will now have its own row or column, resolving the asterisk.
• For Tooltips: This is a simple but powerful trick. If the asterisk only appears in a tooltip, you don't need to change your chart's structure. Just drag the dimension that's causing the problem (e.g., Product Sub-Category) onto the Tooltip button in the Marks card. This adds it to the query's level of detail without breaking your visual into smaller bars or lines. Now when you hover, Tableau will list all the individual values instead of showing an asterisk.

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Fix 2: Change Your Aggregation Method

If adding more detail isn’t what you want visually, reconsider why you're using ATTR(). What question are you really trying to answer?

Let's say you're looking at sales for the "Technology" category and seeing an asterisk for Product Sub-Category. Instead of ATTR([Product Sub-Category]), perhaps another aggregation would serve your purpose better:

• To see the first sub-category alphabetically: MIN([Product Sub-Category]) (will return Accessories).
• To see the last one alphabetically: MAX([Product Sub-Category]) (will return Phones).
• To count how many sub-categories there are: COUNTD([Product Sub-Category]) (will return a numeric value).

Choosing the right aggregation helps your question find an answer, whether that's "How many sub-categories are in Tech?" instead of "What's the sub-category in tech?"

Fix 3: Edit the Blend for Data Blending Issues

For any data blending issues, you need to resolve the ambiguity in your sources.

• Check Your Linking Fields: Make sure the dimension you are linking on truly consists of distinct values in both the primary and secondary data sources.
• Check for Duplicate Values: If there are multiple manager names for the same Store ID, this data issue might be cleaned up in the source data first.
• Consider Joins Instead of a Blend: If your data structure allows for it and it holds up in a practical, performant manner, consider a join instead of a blend. Joins are done at the row level before Tableau ever aggregates the data and can prevent issues with asterisks by keeping the data more consistent.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, the asterisk in Tableau is not an error but a useful indicator that there's an inconsistency in the granularity of your visualization. It's telling you that the level of detail of your chart is too high-level for the dimension you're trying to show. You can solve this mismatch and guide Tableau more specifically with accurate instructions, ensuring your visualizations are clear and insightful.

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