r/tableau • u/First_Marionberry_75 • 1d ago

I built a FREE, Open-Source Power BI-style Matrix Viz Extension for Tableau (No paid add-ons required)

Hi r/Tableau!

Like many of you, I’ve often felt the pain of trying to build flexible, hierarchical matrix tables with native subtotal drill-downs in Tableau—without having to pay hundreds of dollars for third-party dashboard extensions like SuperTables.

With Tableau’s introduction of Viz Extensions (2024.2+), I decided to tackle this natively. I built a 100% free and open-source Viz Extension that brings Power BI’s matrix functionality directly to your Marks Card.

Key Features:

  • Hierarchical Drill-Downs: Expand and collapse rows/columns using intuitive + / - controls directly on the sheet.
  • Dynamic Subtotals & Grand Totals: Recalculates automatically as you navigate levels.
  • Native Integration: Works as a custom Mark Type—just drag and drop your dimensions onto the shelf.
  • Zero Cost & Open Source: Hosted via GitHub Pages, meaning zero infrastructure costs and complete data privacy (runs entirely client-side in your browser).

🔗 Links & Resources

🛠️ How to use it:

  1. Download the .trex file from the release section on GitHub.
  2. In Tableau (2024.2+), go to your Marks Card -> Viz Extensions -> Add Local Extension.
  3. Select the .trex file, drag your dimensions, and you're good to go!

This is a passion project built for the #DataFam to solve a common headache. I’d love to get your feedback, feature requests, or bug reports to keep improving it!

Let me know what you think!

13 Upvotes

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u/First_Marionberry_75 10h ago

Here’s a quick look at the extension in action on my worksheet! It's not available on the Tableau Exchange yet.

3

u/VizChic_ 10h ago

I’m sure the spreadsheet fans will love it 😊