Enhance a table series using bar and plot features

This (#skillpill ) blog article is dedicated to those who want to enhance their tables using bar and plot features. The bar charts are ideal for comparing data between categories, whilst scatter plots are useful for visualising relationships between numerical variables.

Use the Superstore data store offered by Tableau and start playing with calculated fields, formulas and marks, following step by step the process in the #skillpill video or the text in this blog. If you have your customized data source make sure that you follow the instructions and choose the appropriate columns, rows and categories.

Happy data vizualising!

Step 1: Connect to data

→ In Tableau Desktop, connect to Superstore sample data provided by Tableau.

Step 2: Create the visualization

→  Create a new worksheet named Detail (bar). On Columns create a calculated field with the formula MIN(0.0) and multiply it four times.

→  Drag the field Sub-Category on Rows.

→  From the Marks Area select All and for the visualization type choose Gantt Bar.

→  For the first Gantt Bar drag the Sales on Size and on Text.

→  Create a calculated field names Sales * 2 with the formula:

-SUM([Sales])*2

→  Drag the field Sales * 2 on Detail.

→  For the second Gantt Bar drag the field Profit on text and choose the opacity color to be 0%.

→  For the third Gantt Bar drag the field Profit Ratio on text and choose the opacity color to be 0%.

→  For the fourth Gantt Bar create a calculated field named Customers with the formula:

COUNTD(Customer Name)

→  Drag the field Customer Name on text and choose the opacity color to be 0%.

→  Create another worksheet named Area Charts.

→  Drag the Order Date on Columns and choose it to be Discrete Month.

→ Drag the Sub–Category on Rows, right-click on it and uncheck Show Header.

→ Create a calculated field named Lookup Sales with the formula:

ZN(LOOKUP(SUM([Sales]),0))

→  Drag the calculated field on Rows. From the Marks choose the visualization type to be Area.

→  Create another worksheet named Header. On Columns create a calculated field with the formula MIN(0.0) and multiply it four times and then change the visualization type for all to be Gantt Bar and the opacity colour to be 0%.

→  On the first axis type on text value ’Revenue’, on the second axis type value ’Margin’, then ’Margin %’, then ’Total Customers’.

→  Create a dashboard. Drag a horizontal container and here drag the worksheets Detail (bar) and Header. Then, drag a vertical container and here drag the worksheets Detail (bar) and Area Charts.

→  Now, from the format worksheets remove the lines that are not needed.

If you like video tutorials, we recorded for you the entire process as you can see in the #skillpill video below, created by our colleague Adelina Popescu, Data Analyst.

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