Tableau Desktop Chart Types

Bar in bar charts

...

Box Plots

...

Bullet graphs

...

Cross Tabs

...

Data Highlighter

...

Gantt Bar Charts

...

Histograms

...

Motion Charts

...

Paretos

...

Small Multiples

...

Spark Lines

...

Pie Chart

A chart type which shows the part of a total. Use the pie mark type and then put a measure on the angle marks card. Use a dimension to create the slices. Percent of Total Table calc can show in percentages.

Scatter Plots

A graph of plotted points comparing two measures. Useful for answering questions about the relationship between variables. Is there a correlation between sales and profits? Is there deviation or outliers. Low sales but high profits? https://onlinehelp.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/help.html#buildexamples_scatter.html https://www.theinformationlab.co.uk/2011/09/23/blue-things-and-green-things/ A scatter plot is typically a view which has two axis, one vertical and one horizontal. Using what we know about green and blue fields, we know that a view requiring two axis must have a green pill on both rows and columns. The only thing left to decide is which fields we are interested in - Sales and Profit for example. Placing an additional discrete (blue) field on Level of Detail will add marks to the view, adding the field to color or size will add marks encoded by color or size whereas the detail shelf will cause all the marks to be identical.

Tree maps

Like a pie chart, a tree map is a way to show part of a total. Measure on size. Dimension on color.

Heat maps

Marks are represented as colors. As the marks "heat up" due to higher values or higher density of records, the color intensifies. Similar to a highlight table but we are encoding by both size and color. Add the measure to size or have a different measure on size and color, play with color options and the border to improve the view.

Combined Axis Charts

More than one measure on the same axis. Useful for viewing multiple measures on the same scale. Create a stacked chart by removing measure names from rows or columns.

Dual-Axis Combination Chart

Shows related information while saving real estate by combining views. Combination chart comes from using two different mark types.

Dual Axis Charts

Used for showing how two different measures compare to each other by using two distinct axes combined with a single dimension axis. Could be: Two measures with different units. Two measures with the same units but displays on different scales. Two measures with the same measurement units. Two measures with different mark types.

Highlight Table

Used to compare categorical data using color. Build a Cross-tab using one or more dimension(s) on rows and columns. Use the square as the mark type and then a measure on color. Best used to: Quickly identify highs and lows (or other points of interest in your data) As a means of enhancing a crosstab As a Tactic for helping smooth the Excel transition.