How to create Slope Chart in Tableau Software

Slope Chart Tableau Software btProvider

What we want to visualize, observe or analyze are the most common questions we ask ourselves when we are dealing with a set of data. Data provides the answer to absolutely any question related with the evolution of an organization and highlights the results obtained over a period of time. We believe that data is the most reliable source when discussing the progress of a company or any situation in the world.

There are many ways in which data can be analyzed. The most popular charts used when it comes to building analysis are bar charts, line charts or pie charts. Sometimes we need representations or analyzes that highlight the company’s evolution over time in terms of profit or sales. Also, there are situations in which we want to analyze the ascending, descending or continuous changes, which occurred over a determined period, in relation to an interest group.

Slope Chart in Tableau Software – When we use them?

Slope chart in Tableau Software are a simple way to analyze two or more values in a given period of time. When analyzing data generated over a period, slope chart is the most convenient solution for representing the evolution of one or more dimensions that begins at point A and ends at point B.

Tableau Software’s slope chart are often used to improve the accuracy of data analysis. The visualization obtained with this chart focuses on the evolution of the values resulted in the first and in the last point. Thus, the user will observe only the situation and the value of a dimension at the beginning of the period and the value from the end of it.

Slope chart provide information on how a dimension changed between two time points. Therefore, slope chart provides a clean and easy-to-understand information about changes over time, dimensions ranking, and their size.

Next, we will show you how to build a data analysis using slope chart in Tableau Software and we will observe what was the evolution of sales and their trend.

Step 1: Create the Slope Graph

→ In Tableau Desktop, connect to the Superstore source Superstore provided by Tableau.

Step 2: Create the navigation button

→ Create a new parameter named Selected Sub-Category, parameter that will have Data Type “String”, Allowable Values “List” and select Add values from Sub-Category field.

→ Create a calculated field named Selected with formula: [Sub-Category]=[Selected Sub-Category].

→ Create a new calculated field named Label with formula: IF [Selected] THEN [Sales] END.

→ Drag Order Date on Columns and select first and last year, then filter those values with “Keep Only”.

→ Drag Sales on Rows twice.

→ Right-click on second Sales from Rows and select Dual Axis.

→ Click one of the axis and select Synchronize Axis.

→ In Marks area, select the first Sales and choose the visualization type “Shape”. Make the same for the second one, but this time select “Line”.

→ In Marks area for all, drag Sub-Category field on Details and Selected field on Color.

→ Go to Shape representation from Marks area and bring on Shape and Size Selected field, and on Label bring the Label field.

→ In Dimensions area right-click on Selected field and select Default Properties -> Sort -> Sort By “Manual” and bring “True” value on the first position.

→ In the right part of Tableau window we can see the legends. We will modify each of them. Click on the arrow of the size legend and select Edit sizes -> Reversed. For color legend select light grey color for “False” and any other color on “True”. On shape legend choose an empty circle for “False” and a filled one for “True”.

→ In the Marks area right-click on Label field and choose Format. Make sure you are on Pane tab and for Default -> Numbers select “Number (Custom)” with Display Units “Thousands (K)” and Prefix “$”.

By Mara Cîșlariu

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