How to analyze the trend of a KPI using the Slope Area Chart in Tableau Software – Skill Pill Video

Slope Area Chart in Tableau Software

Viewing and exploring data are among the most important tasks that company’s representatives should consider. We will not discuss here how important it is to analyze and understand data. At the end of each year, quarter or even month, companies analyze and make decisions based on the results obtained recently.

At the beginning of each year each company must develop their strategy based on data. We believe that data tell the truth about the results obtained in relation to the set objectives. But data analysis and visualization can be a complex activity when we want it. However, in Tableau Software there are countless methods by which we can analyze and display our results in a simple and easy to understand way.

Slope Area Charts

Slope Area charts are an excellent way to represent the evolution of a key performance indicator over a period. In another article we discussed about Slope Chart by mentioning that these are most often used to analyze the evolution of two dimensions from the beginning to the end of a period. In contrast, Slope Area charts display a background that emphasizes the volume of the analyzed size. These graphs have a much greater impact from a visual point of view and draw attention to the movements of the indicators over time.

Slope Area graphs are used to compare the value of a measure between two dimensions. For example, we can analyze sales or profit over the years. We can also compare the profit of a certain category of products over a period.

The visualizations built with a Slope Area chart have a clean and easy to understand design. These are built from two types of graphs. The first one represents the background and displays the fluctuation of sales or the analyzed measure. The second one is a Slope Chart and displays the upward or downward trend from point A to point B.

Below we have built a view to analyze the sales trend over a period using the Slope Area chart.

Step 1: Connect to data

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

Step 2: Create the visualization

→ Create a calculated field named Min and Max Dates Sales with the formula:
IF WINDOW_MAX(MIN([Order Date]))=MIN([Order Date])
OR WINDOW_MIN(MIN([Order Date]))=MIN([Order Date])
then SUM([Sales]) END

→ Drag the Order date on Column and view it as Year and Month. For month select Continuous.

→ Drag the Sales on Rows and next to it drag the Min and Max Dates Sales calculated field.

→ From the Min and Max Dates Sales axis select Dual Axis and then select Synchronize Axis.

→ Drag the calculated field on Path from the Marks Area.

→ Right click on the Min and Max Dates Sales from the Rows and from the Marks Area and select from the Compute Using -> Pane (across).

→ Select from the Marks Area for the calculated field the line visualization type.

→ Select from the Marks Area for the Sales the Area visualization type.

→ Select on Label and the Show Marks Label.

→ Slope charts are often lauded for their clean design. We can see that for all the years the trend has remained the same

By Adelina Popescu

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