Explore & Analyze Data

Create a Dual Axis Chart

Also called "combo charts;" useful to see how two measures compare against each other 1. Build simple line graph with measure in rows and dimension (some kind of date) in columns 2. Change columns to continuous 3. Add next measure to rows 4. Right click newly added measure and select "dual axis" (you could also just drag the new measure all the way to the right until you see a black dotted line and a green ruler) 5. Optional: edit marks for one or both of the measures to get a bar chart with a line through it, etc. This is what we call a combo chart You now have three marks cards: one for all, and one for each of your measures

Create Crosstab

Also called "data tables" 1. Drag measure to the view 2. Drag dimension to rows -- this right here generates a crosstab 3. You can add in more measures by dragging them and dropping them in the view where the other measure data is displayed 4. If you want borders, then right click any value on the cross tab and select format 5. To add totals, go to analysis, click totals, and add all subtotals. You can also add row and column grand totals by following basically the same process

Create a scatter plot

1. Consists of two measures 2. Add one to columns the other to rows 3. Analysis tab: uncheck aggregate measures 4. If you want to add a trend line, click to "Analytics" which is right next to "Data"

Create Parameter

1. Data pane menu 2. Create parameter 3. type in what you need This gives you a new field that you can use in a calculated field Add the calculated field to the view, and right click it to select "show parameter control" You can add parameters on filters, reference lines, etc.

Build a histogram

1. Decide what measure you want your distribution to be based on 2. Right click that measure, create, bins 3. Specify bin size 4. This creates a dimension 5. Add the measure version of the filed that you just binned to columns and the bin to rows 6. change measure aggregation to "count" 7. Change bin to continuous 8. Right click axis, edit axis, to specify the tick marks

Create a Map

1. Drag geocoded data to view (has a globe icon next to field name) 2. This will automatically add in the longitude and latitude measures in rows and columns for the data you entered into the view, and put the field you just dragged over on the detail marks card 3. Anything else that you want to do, like compare what states were most profitable relative to their sales, you'll do with marks cards 4. To edit the map itself, go up to the "Map" tab. You can change the background, add in topographical imagery, etc. Remember, that you can click the marks cards themselves to edit color, size of the displayed symbols, etc.

Create Set

1. Drop down menu for a dimension 2. Create 3. Set 4. General Tab lets you select specific dimensions to include in your set; condition tab creates sets on specific parameters; top is self explanatory 5. Edit set once done by right clicking it Can also select marks, hover mouse over once highlighted, and select sets icon this way

Dynamic Measure Selection

1. Open up parameter dialogue box 2. Select Integer 3. Choose "list" for allowable values 4. List 1,2,3,4... for each measure that you want people to be able to select from 5. In "display as" type the text that you want displayed for each value (so, the name of the measures you're entering) 6. Analysis, calculated field 7. CASE function, then drag and drop parameter next to case (no parentheses) 8. WHEN 1 THEN SUM (first measure here) WHEN 2 THEN SUM (second measure here)... END 9. Add calculated field to view 10. right click parameter, show parameter control 11. right click control to show single list option

Add reference line

1. Right click axis 2. select add reference line 3. Whatever your reference line needs to be (like average profit) you enter into the value drop down YOU CAN ONLY ADD IN REFERENCE LINES FOR MEASURES THAT ARE ALREADY IN THE VIEW/MARKS CARD

Parameters in a filter

1. open filter dialogue box 2. filter by field 3. drop down and select "create parameter" Then finish building the filter. When you are done, the filter and parameter are now created and you're good to go

Trend Line

Analytics pane Trend line

Add a context filter

Background: when you add in a filter, and then more filters on top of that things can get weird. So, the easy way to fix this is to add a context filter. Let's say that you want the top 10 products for each region, then you'd have to add in products to filters, select top 10. Then, add in region. But it can't stop there, you need region to act as a context filter so that all filters under it work properly. add to context means that whatever filter you make your context filter will resolve first. 1. drop down on region filter 2. click add to context

Parameters

Can be added into a calculation to replace constant values

Create a Group

Can create in dimensions pane or view Pane: 1. right click dimension 2. Create 3. Group 4. Select what you want in the group by CTRL + click 5. Group & Title View: 1. Drag and select marks or labels 2. right click and group 3. Now they're all in the same bar, line, etc.

Date Filter

Can filter by discrete date parts, or a continuous date range Literally just same process as a normal filter

Create Bar-in-Bar Chart

Compares two measures as overlapping bars 1. Drag measure to columns 2. dimension to rows 3. next measure, drag down to the columns axis when two green bars appear 4. Gives us side by side bars for our measures 5. drag "measure names" from either rows or columns and put it on color to combine bars 7. Analysis tab, stack marks, "off" 8. Control which bar is on top by changing the order in the measure values marks card 9. click and hold measure names on marks card 10. click and hold CTRL 11. drag measure names to size ^^ 10-11 give us a way to copy measure names and add it to different marks

Manual sort vs. Computed

Computed sorts organize data by applying rules, manual sorts are simple -- just move your headers around as you please

Hierarchy

Created from dimensions in the data pane 1. Select fields via CTRL + Click 2. Right click 3. Hierarchy 4. Create hierarchy You can also just drag one dimension on top of another

Geographic Data

Data that describes a physical location (longitude and latitude, country name, zip, etc.)

Measure name

Dimension that contains a name for each Measure in your data

Discrete vs. Continuous Dates

Discrete dates return a date part, while continuous dates return dates in chronological order on a kind of continuum. So, if you wanted to look at sales over a period of 8 months, then discrete would just give you every sale that happened in August (for instance), and the same for every other month

Build a Highlight Table

Encodes a measure on text and color Let's say we're working with a gradebook 1. Take the measure, average grade, and put it on color 2. CTRL + Click and hold to duplicate, and drop on text 3. make sure mark is set to square 4. Add in dimensions as you please If you want to center your color gradient around a particular number, just go to color, then advanced settings

Tableau order of operations

Extract filter Data source filter context filter sets, conditional, top N filters, dimension filter data blending include, exclude calculated level of detail expression measure filter totals table calc filters trend lines

What does the "detail" Marks card do?

Let's say that you have a scatter plot, but each point on the plot reads the same thing (the field names of whatever you put in columns and rows). Adding on a dimension to the details card will give each point a unique name

Stacked Bar Chart

Make a bar chart, and add a dimension to color

Computed Sort process

On the axis a sort icon will appear; you can just click this to change the order of data from descending to ascending, etc. Above the top dimension there will be another sort button, click this to sort alphabetically. At the top of your screen on the tool bar there are also sort buttons there next to the axis shift button. If you want to sort according to a field that isn't in the group, then click the drop in of a field that's in columns or rows, click sort, etc. COMPUTED SORTS ALSO UPDATE DEPENDING ON YOUR DATA UPDATES

Data Source Filter

On the data source page you can click "add" in the top right corner and pre-filter a field. So, you might want your profit field to only show positive values and none of the negatives.

Create a Bar Chart

Only requires a Measure

Create a Line Chart

Only requires a Measure

Quick Table Calculations

Processed locally in Tableau, so everything you do to the viz can effect the calculation 1. Build a table in the view -- say we want to see profit for each product category and sub category over a period of a few years. Put profit on text, product category and sub category on rows, and year on columns 2. Analysis, totals to show totals in the table 3. right click on profit, go to quick table calculations 4. Right click on profit again and select "compute using" to dictate how the calculation is put together across the table Delta symbol appears next to the field that you are calculating on

Bin

Range of values used to categorize data within a histogram. Defined by and inclusive of its lower limit; does not include the lower limit of the next bin.

Open calculation editor

Right click blank space in calculation editor, create calculated field

What a set does

Sets give you groupings based on criteria that you can use in a view or on a filter. Like if you did top ten selling products, and added it to the view, then you would see all of the products that are in the top ten and all of the products that are out of the top ten. But it's a bit more useful on filter.

Functions

Specify how the calculation is going to work. Could be aggregation, data type conversions, etc.

Sets and Filters

Tableau will always resolve the set first. So, if you wanted to see the top ten products by category, and you filter on chargers. Then it will first determine the to ten products, then filter out for chargers so your "in" group may have less than 10 products. To fix this, is to use a context filter. Now, the filter happens before the set.

Operators

Things like +, -, /, etc.

Create Combined Axis Chart

Useful to compare measures using the same chart 1. Just build a simple bar chart with a measure in rows and a dimension in columns 2. Now, instead of dragging your next measure to rows, drag it to the axis that is labeled after your first measure 3. You'll see two green rulers pop up, this is your indication that you're ready to go 4. Can add in a bunch of measures to the same axis Will automatically bring in Measure Names and Measure Values

Build a Bullet Graph

Useful to see how well a measure is moving towards a goal 1. Build a horizontal bar chart 2. Add whatever you want your standard to be to detail on the marks card 3. right click (probably x) axis and click "add reference line" 4. In values drop down select whatever measure you added to detail 5. probably going to select sum for aggregation type, click "per cell" at the top 6. For label, just select "none" 7. make sure the line is black, click "ok" Repeat process to add in a distribution area

Calculated Fields in General

Way to combine and alter data to make a new field. So, if you had GDP and Population, you could combine those to make GDP/Capita. These DO NOT edit the underlying fields that you use in the calculation, it's a whole new thing.

Basic Arithmetic

a little difficult here, but: SUM([Sales]/[Profit]) = tableau calculates the ratio for each product category we are looking at, then sums those ratios, which is super unhelpful. Instead: SUM([Sales])/SUM([Profit]) = true ratio

Date specific calculations

basically the same thing, but if you get stuck just use the drop down to see how Tableau lays out its calculation, and be careful of your aggregation type when you're working in the view

What a group does

basically, if you have like a table that just has a bunch of product names in it, for instance. You can group related products, so that when you build out your table you see all of those products grouped together.

Concatenate Strings

basically, just string 1 + string 2, but you really need to do this: string1 + " , " + string2 This way they are separated by a comma

Measure Value

measure that contains a numeric value for each measure in your data

Change axis values and information

right click axis, format

Show caption

right click empty gray space under marks cards area, click caption

What if you want to change data type?

so let's say that you have city, state, and zip string1 + ", " + string2 + zip is an ERROR so, we want zip to also function like a string in this calculation. Go over to the calculation drop down, select data type and find STR. now, select zip and click STR and Tableau automatically enters in the function and its parentheses

Parameter

workbook variable like a number, date, or string that can replace a constant variable in a calculation, filter, or reference line.