Data visualization user interface with summary popup that includes interactive objects

A method displays a first data visualization according to user placement of data fields in shelves of a user interface. Each shelf specifies a property of the data visualization and the data visualization includes visual data marks corresponding to data values for data fields in a dataset. A user selects a subset of the visual data marks. A popup summary is displayed that includes data value distributions for several data fields. In the popup summary, a second user input is detected corresponding to a first data field whose data value distribution is displayed in the popup summary. In response, the method displays a moveable icon corresponding to the first data field. The method detects a third user input to place the interactive moveable icon in a shelf in the user interface. In response, a second data visualization is displayed according to placement of data fields, including the first data field.