Histograms, maps, and other chart types in Tableau

Beyond the charts we’ve looked at so far, Tableau has a range of other options, including a number of map types.

Creating histograms

To create a histogram in Tableau:

1. Open a new sheet.

2. Double-click Discount, or drag it into the Columns shelf (Tableau will display this as a bar chart by default).

3. Use the Show Me pane and select the ‘histogram’ option.

Click to enlarge

The result should look something like this.

Click to enlarge

Now, let’s change the size of the bins.

1. Right-click the new Discount (bin) dimension.

2. Select Edit.

3. Change the bins to 0.1.

Click to enlarge

The histogram shows you that most discounts are between 0 and 10%. Hover over each bar to see tooltips with more information. If you hover over the 80–90% bar, you should see just over 300 instances where a discount was given in this range. To check that this is correct, right-click the bar and select View Data.

Click to enlarge

Click the Full Data tab to see all the rows in this section.

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Mapping in Tableau

Tableau has map options that integrate natively with geospatial data. These options include:

• choropleth maps

• proportional symbol maps

• point distribution maps

• flow maps

• origin-destination spider maps

• heatmaps.

To find out more about map types in Tableau, check out the link below. You could also complete the exercise that appears at the bottom of the video panel.

Watch: (Optional)Spatial data on Tableau [1]

Other chart types in Tableau

For more information about charts, and specific instructions for each of the charts we’ve looked at – and more – visit the following links.

Read: (Optional)Choose the right chart type for your data [2]

Read: (Optional)Build common chart types in data views [3]

Share your thoughts

Now that you’ve explored some of the chart types in Tableau, are there any you’d be keen to try? Would one (or more) of them be useful in your current role?

Share your thoughts about Tableau’s chart types in the Comments section below.

References

_{1. Spatial data on Tableau [Internet]. Tableau. Available from: https://www.tableau.com/learn/tutorials/on-demand/getting-started-mapping?}

_{2. Choose the right chart type for your data [Internet]. Tableau. Available from: https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/what_chart_example.htm}

_{3. Build common chart types in data views [Internet]. Tableau. Available from: https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/dataview_examples.htm}