When working on Tableau reports, I wanted to change the field names and table names that are not appropriate for report columns. For example, columns were named like Cust_ID or Prod_Qty. These names were meaningful to the database but hard to understand for end users.
In Tableau, we can easily rename these fields and tables to customize report headers according to the requirement.
In this Tableau tutorial, I will explain the methods through which we can rename the Columns in Tableau. Along with this, I will also explain how we can reset the edited names to the default names.
Rename Columns in Tableau
In Tableau, there are two ways in which we can rename the table field columns:
- Rename Columns in Tableau from Data Source Page
- Rename Columns in Tableau from Worksheet Page
- Rename Columns Locally in Tableau
- Reset Column Names in Tableau
Rename Columns in Tableau From Data Source Page
In Tableau, when we rename the field columns directly from the data source, it will reflect across all worksheets.
In this example, we will use the Tableau Superstore dataset. Now, connect the Tableau with the Superstore data set and follow the method below to rename columns.
In the Tableau, navigate to the Data Source tab, and in the table, click on the dropdown of the field column and select Rename.
Here, enter the new name for the table column and press “Enter“.
Another way to rename the field column in the Tableau data source page is to edit the header name by clicking.
For this, double-click on the column header name, and then we can enter a new name for the column header. After this, press “Enter” or click anywhere on the table.
This way, we can rename the field column names in Tableau from the data source using the above two methods.
Rename Columns in Tableau From Worksheet Page
In this approach, we will rename the field column names in Tableau from the worksheets.
Now, open the Tableau worksheet and in the Data pane, double-click on the field column you need to rename. Now, we can enter the new name for the field column.
It will reflect the changes to the field names on the table and chart on the worksheet.
Another way to rename the fields is to click on the field dropdown in the Data pane and select Rename from the context. After this, enter the new name for the field.
This way, we can rename the field columns in Tableau worksheets by following the above two methods.
Rename Columns Locally in Tableau
In this method, we can update the column name locally to a single table or chart view. Here, we can rename the discrete and continuous fields from the Axis or Rows and Columns.
For example, I have a bar chart that displays Sales for Categories. Now, to rename the continuous measure (green color) Sales, then right-click on the axis and select Edit axis.
In the edit axis window, select Title as Custom, then enter the custom name for the field. In this example, I have renamed Sales to Product Sales.
Now, in the axis, we can see the custom name of the continuous field as Product Sales.
If you want to rename a discrete field (blue color), then the method is different than renaming the continuous field.
To rename the discrete field, such as Category, click on the field name in the Rows or Columns. Then, enter the new name with two forward slashes and press ‘Shift+Enter‘ to apply changes.
Now, we can see the applied changes in the chart as well.
This way, we can rename the discrete and continuous fields in Tableau by following the above methods.
Reset Column Names in Tableau
When we rename a column name in Tableau, we might need to reset it to the default name. In Tableau, we can reset the field column names to the default from the data source and from the worksheet.
To reset the field columns from the data source, navigate to the data source tab and click on the field column dropdown in the table and select Reset Name.
With this, the field name will be reset to the default name.
To reset the field column name from the worksheet, go to the Data pane -> click on the field name -> press the reset icon ‘
‘.
This way, we can reset the field column names in Tableau from the worksheet and the data source.
Conclusion
In this Tableau tutorial, we have learned how to rename columns in Tableau using different methods, such as from the Data Source page, the Worksheet page, and locally within charts.
Along with this, we also learned how to rename both discrete and continuous fields and how to reset them back to their default names in Tableau worksheets. By using these methods, you can rename the field column names globally and locally in the Tableau sheets.
You may also like to read:
- Concatenate Fields in Tableau
- IF Statement in Tableau
- CASE Statement in Tableau
- Repeat Row Labels in Tableau
I am Bijay Kumar, the founder of SalesforceFAQs.com. Having over 10 years of experience working in salesforce technologies for clients across the world (Canada, Australia, United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, etc.). I am a certified salesforce administrator and expert with experience in developing salesforce applications and projects. My goal is to make it easy for people to learn and use salesforce technologies by providing simple and easy-to-understand solutions. Check out the complete profile on About us.
