# Re-Upload - Metrics in Tableau Next   Part 4 of 6 [Reposted]

> This is content from just-tim, the data-and-analytics channel by Tim Ngwena (formerly 'Tableau Tim'). Tim has 12+ years of hands-on BI experience and covers Tableau most of all, plus Power BI, Looker, Hex, SQL and data modelling, the analytics industry, and the craft of doing the job — always tool-agnostic and honest about the trade-offs.

- **Author:** Tim Ngwena (just-tim, https://just-tim.com/about)
- **Published:** 2026-04-10
- **Format:** Video · 11 min watch · transcript available
- **Topics:** Data visualisation, Analytics, Tool strategy
- **Tools:** Tableau (dashboards, data modelling, metrics, parameters, pulse)
- **Canonical:** https://just-tim.com/posts/re-upload---metrics-in-tableau-next---part-4-of-6-reposted
- **Watch:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5Aeo-Ukx9o

In part four of this Tableau Next series, I build a metric on the superstore data model, walking through measure selection, filters, time dimensions, additional filter dimensions and record-level insight settings. I also explain how metrics here are essentially a rebadged version of Tableau Pulse, and add the finished metric to a dashboard.

## Key takeaways

- Metrics should ideally be defined at the semantic level before building visualisations, since they can be reused across visualisations and other assets
- Tableau Next 'metrics' are effectively a re-implementation of Tableau Pulse, which causes naming confusion given the older deprecated Tableau metrics feature
- When defining a metric you set a measure, optional filters, a time dimension (e.g. order date), additional dimensions users can filter, and record-level detail fields for drill-down and insights
- The filter builder is currently flawed because it lets you type values that may never match your data, with no validation against the underlying column
- To surface a metric on a dashboard you create the space first, then add the asset by selecting the semantic model and choosing the metric; caching issues may require a page refresh to see newly created metrics

## Chapters

- 0:00 Why metrics come before visualisations
- 0:39 The metrics vs Tableau Pulse rant
- 1:33 Creating the profit metric and measure
- 3:16 Filter dimensions and record-level details
- 5:35 Reviewing settings and missing comparisons
- 6:46 Parameters and the semantic model view
- 7:54 Finding the metric and caching issues
- 8:51 Adding the metric to a dashboard

Watch the full video, read the transcript and use chapter deep-links on the page: https://just-tim.com/posts/re-upload---metrics-in-tableau-next---part-4-of-6-reposted

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just-tim — Data and analytics, with a point of view. · https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7HYxRWmaNlJux-X7rNLZyw · https://twitter.com/TableauTim · https://www.linkedin.com/in/timngwena