Proper function is a new feature introduced in Tableau 2023.1. Checkout all the new features in Tableau 2023.1.

What is Proper function

Proper function converts a string to a proper casing by capitalizing the inital letter of each word, while lower casing all the other words.

For example, if we change the string “what is proper function” in proper case the output will be “What Is Proper Function”.

Steps to implement Proper function in Tableau

In this example, we will convert the following Product names into proper case.

Follow the below steps to implement Proper function:

1. Launch Tableau desktop and connect to Sample – Superstore.xls. Use the Orders table. Learn how to connect to an excel datasource in Tableau.

2. Navigate to the Analysis menu and select Create Calculated Field. Name the field Proper Product Names. Type the following calculation:

       PROPER ([Product Name])

3. Create a visualization to check the old and new Product names. From the data pane, place Product Name on Rows. If a warning pops up, select Add all members. Place the calculation Proper Product Names on Rows.

4. There are numerous Product Names, which can be filtered to display the ones shown in the above figure 1.1. To create a filter, right-click on Product Name and select Show Filter.

The resulting table will show the difference when Proper function is used.

Proper function will also be useful when the text contains all caps and needs to be changed to proper case.

To learn more about Tableau and other features in Tableau 2023.1, checkout my new book Dashboarding with Tableau.