Bar Chart & Candlestick Chart, a successful and useful combination

Do you need a possibility to visualize parameters from different years and to compare different levels of sales between, let’s say, 2020 and 2021 and their evolution? A quick solution, but also creative and easy to execute is to make a combination between a Bar Chart and Candlestick Chart.

While the Tableau Bar Charts will show you the level of growth for each year, the Candlestick will be responsible for highlighting the difference between the two of them that may be a positive or negative evolution.

Let’s anticipate what benefits will you have after creating this combination of charts:

→  It will be easier to present to your colleagues and managers the sales’ evolution (or whatever parameter you choose) and discuss further initiatives.

→  You will better explain to a client that they should change something in the strategy or keep it on the same path.

→  You will be able to visualize the differences this way, instead of using only bar charts; so, just try and play with colors, values and dimensions.

→  It will be more comfortable knowing that you offered a new different perspective through this ad-hoc chart.

Let’s see how exactly can this be done>

Step 1: Connect to data

→ În Tableau Desktop, connect to Tableau: Sample Superstore

Step 2: Create View

→ Create a calculated field : Sales 2021

IF year([Order Date])=2021

THEN [Sales]

ELSE 0

END

→ Create a calculated field: Sales 2020

IF year([Order Date])=2020

THEN [Sales]

ELSE 0

END

→ Create a calculated field: Sales 2021 (copy)

IF year([Order Date])=2021

THEN [Sales]

ELSE 0

END

→ Create a Measure Values from Sales 2021 and Sales 2020 , select Bar

→ Drag Measure Names on Color

→ Drag Sales 2021 (copy) on Column and create a Dual Axis, select Gant Bar

→ Create a calculated field: Difference

SUM([Sales 2020])-SUM([Sales 2021])

→ Drag Difference on Size on Gant bar

By Eduard Arhire

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