Tableau

Types of Charts in Tableau

 Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Learn about different types of charts in Tableau and their uses

Discover the three main categories of charts​

Discuss waterfall charts, histograms, and bridge charts

Explore the advantages of using charts for data visualization

 Business Scenario

ABC is a software company that deals with a large amount of data every day. The
progress and other insights are presented to the stakeholders weekly.

The company is struggling to present the data effectively. Hence, they have
decided to use Tableau. For this, they have to learn the basics of data
visualization charts, the different charts available, and some examples of
effective data visualizations.

They will also explore how plot a chart and what are the advantages of these
charts.
Types of Charts
Discussion: Types of Charts in Tableau

Duration: 10 minutes

• Enumerate the various types of charts that can be created in Tableau

• Elaborate on the importance of utilizing a heat map in Tableau

 Types of Charts

A chart or a graph is a pictorial representation of data.

A chart can represent data in a way that is easy to analyze and comprehend.
 Types of Charts

Charts can be classified into three types:

Effective charts

Basic charts Other charts

Basic Charts
 Basic Charts

Commonly used basic charts are:

Bar chart Stacked bar

Pie chart
chart

Line chart Tables Treemaps

 Basic Charts

Choose the chart type based on the answers to the following questions:

What is the relationship

between the values in the What is the type of data?
dataset?

Whom will the data

How big is the data?
be presented to?
Bar Chart
 Bar Chart

A bar chart is used to compare categories.

It depicts the relationship between a numerical and a categorical variable.

 Bar Chart

Bar charts use horizontal, vertical, and clustered bars to show numerical comparison.

The bars are placed on a common baseline to see the differences in the lengths.
 Horizontal Bar Chart

A horizontal bar chart depicts the numerical variable on the x-axis and the categorical
variable on the y-axis.

Y-axis

Categorical
variable

Numerical X-axis
variable

Width of the bar represents the category’s numerical value

 Vertical Bar Chart

Choose vertical bars to visualize multiple categories with different data in each category.

Y-axis

Numerical
variable

X-axis

Size of the bar represents the category’s numerical value.

 Vertical Bar Chart

A vertical bar chart is effective when:

Bars are sorted in either ascending or

descending order.

The categories per graph are not more than

six.
 Clustered Bar Chart

Clustered bar graphs are used to represent multiple series of data in a single graph.

Bar charts are the most effective visuals to

represent data.

Clustered bar graphs are vertical or horizontal.

Stacked Bar Chart
 Stacked Bar Chart

A stacked bar graph is used to summarize and compare groups of data.

Expenses by month
$1,200

$1,000

$800
Utilities It is used to segment the same bar into
Rent parts to compare two or more categories
$500
Food
of data points.
$400 Gasoline

$200

$0

Stacked bar graphs can be further classified into two types: simple stacked bar graphs and
100% stacked bar graph.
 Stacked Bar Chart

In a simple stacked bar graph, each value for the segment is placed after the previous one.

In a 100% stacked bar graph, the cumulative For a simple stacked bar graph, the total value of
of each stacked bar is equal to 100%. the bar is the sum of all the individual segments.

A 100% stacked bar graph represents the relative percentage of multiple data segments.
 Stacked Bar Chart

A stacked bar graph is effective when there are not more than four to five categories or
segments in each bar.

Vertical Horizontal
 Vertical Stacked Bar Chart

It is used to represent different categories in a concise manner.

This graph is suitable when the number of

categories is small.

As the y-axis here represents the values of each category, the size of the bar represents the
category’s numerical value.
 Horizontal Stacked Bar Chart

It is a flipped version of a vertically stacked bar graph.

The x-axis represents the values or categories being

compared, while the y-axis represents the individual data
items or groups.

The width of the bar represents the categories and the

segment’s numerical value.

It can be used to visualize survey data where responses are summarized and are more
effective than a vertical stacked bar graph.
Pie Chart
 Pie Chart

A pie chart is used to illustrate the proportional distribution of data.

Each slice in the pie chart represents a numerical proportion, and the sum of all the
slices is 100%.
 Pie Chart: Advantages and Disadvantages

A pie chart is effective if used with a small number of categories and more
disadvantages are given below:

• Pie charts can be misleading and are often not

recommended.
• It is difficult to comprehend data when the size of two
parts is almost equal.
• The human brain is unable to translate angles as
effectively as lengths or sizes.
• The efficacy and readability of the chart are reduced
with the use of legends.
Line Chart
 Line Chart

A line chart is a type of chart that uses lines to connect data points to show how values
change over time.

Quantitative
values

Time periods or
intervals

Time periods or intervals are shown on the x-axis, and the quantitative values are
shown on the y-axis.
 Line Chart

The charts are drawn by first plotting the points on the X-Y plane and then joining
those points using a connecting line.

A line graph is used to:

Visualize trends and changes

Plot time series data

Tables
 Tables

Tables represent data in the form of rows and columns.

 Tables: Advantages and Disadvantages

The advantages of representing data in a tabular format are:

Not limited to
Easy to read
specific data type

Flexible Easy to build

The major drawback of using tables is the longer processing time, particularly when dealing with
multiple columns and rows, which makes them difficult to read.
 Tables

Use table when:

There are many types of

data.

The main visual is

Data needs to be read
supplemented with tables

Tables are not preferred choices to show trends, patterns, or anomalies in data.
Maps
 Maps

Maps are used to represent data that has geographic or location-wise attributes
or values.
 Types of Maps

The most common types of maps are:

Bubble maps Choropleth maps Flow maps

 Bubble Maps

Bubbles or circles are used to represent attributes of a geographical region.

• The size of the bubble is proportional to the

numeric value of the data.
• Bubble maps are ineffective when large bubbles
overlap the smaller bubbles in the map.
• Make the bubbles transparent to avoid this
problem.

Maps are good for comparing proportions across different geographic locations.
 Choropleth Maps

Choropleth maps are thematic; regions are colored, shaded, or patterned based on the data.

The data variable uses color progression to represent values on the map.
 Disadvantages of Choropleth Maps

The disadvantages of a choropleth map are:

Difficulty in reading and comparing the values with many regions

The possibility of bias due to regional sizes

Effective Charts
 Effective Charts

Commonly used effective charts are:

Bar chart

Scatter plot

Stacked
bar chart

Treemap

Line chart
 Bar Chart

Bar charts are one of the most basic but effective chart types for visualization.

200

175

150

125

100

75

50

25

0
1 2 3 4 5
 Tips to Design Effective Bar Chart

Tip 1: Use a zero baseline

Helps to draw
proper insights
from data

0
 Tips to Design Effective Bar Chart

Example: The chart below has a non-zero baseline:

Since the baseline starts at 112, it appears as if there is a lot of variation.

 Tips to Design Effective Bar Chart

The correct version of the graph would be as shown below, with not much variation.

Very Very
Likely Unsure Unlikely
likely unlikely
Tips to Design Effective Bar Chart

Tip 2: Label inside the bars

Tips to Design Effective Bar Chart

Tip 3: Ensure proper gap between the bars

 Tips to Design Effective Bar Chart

Tip 4: Always order the bars either in ascending or descending order.

 Stacked Bar Graph

Tips and tricks used for bar graphs can be applied to stacked bar graphs too to make
them effective.

Additional tips to make stacked bar charts effective:

Reduce the number of categories by summarizing responses

Use 100% stacked bar charts

 Line Chart

Line charts are used to display information as a series of data.

The following are scenarios where line graphs are recommended:

To compare a large amount of data

To show changes or trends over time

To include important context and annotation

To highlight anomalies in data

To display forecast data for time series

Tips to Design Effective Line Chart

Name the axes

Use trendlines and thresholds with caution

Include legends when the data series is

more than one

Start with zero

Do not clutter
 Treemap

A treemap shows hierarchical data as a set of nested rectangles.

Each group or category is a rectangle, whose area is proportional to the value of

the data point.
 Treemap

Different colors are used to show different rectangles to identify different categories.

Furniture

Phones Bookcases
• The total area of the parent category will be
Technology equal to the sum of all the subcategories.
Tables Furnishings

• Treemap is space-efficient
• Treemap shows multiple levels of hierarchy.
Art Supplies
Office Supplies
Copiers Machines Appliances
Paper Fasteners

Accessories Storage Binders Envelopes Labels

 Treemap

To design an efficient treemap:

Choose the right

Include labels
measurements for the size

Use space efficiently Include explanatory legends

 Scatter Plot

A scatter plot shows the correlation between two data series in a dataset.

One data series is shown on the x-axis, and the other is shown on the y-axis.
 Scatter Plot

It is used to understand data comparing peers or members of a team.

7
The strength of a correlation is seen through how packed
6 the points are in a scatter plot.

Points that are far outside the general cluster of points are
4
known as outliers.
3

3 4 5 6 7

The correlation between the data must not be understood as causation.

 Tips to Design an Efficient Scatter Plot

To design a scatter plot:

Use the size and color of the dots to

include additional variables

Always start with a zero-

Use trend lines
baseline value
Other Charts
 Other Charts

Some other charts used in Tableau are:

Slope graph Waterfall chart Histogram Heatmap

Box-and-whisker Violin plot Bubble chart

plot
 Other Charts

Some other charts used in Tableau are:

Maps and
Donut chart Lollipop chart
scatter plot

Area chart Bridge chart Radar chart

Slope Graph
 Slope Graph

A slope graph is like a line graph that represents a steep rise, fall, or constant behavior
of an entity.

It helps to compare two categorical variables between two time periods, two categories, and so on.
 Slope Graph

A slope graph is called so as it shows two values in the form of either increasing, decreasing,
or constant slopes.

• It helps in comparing with other graphs when the change is big and
the slope is steep.
• It conveys if the first value is higher than, lower than, or equal to the
second value.
• It helps to observe the patterns between two graphs and discover
the graphs that are similar in a time period with increased values,
decreased values, and constant values.
 Slope Graph

Slope graphs can be used for continuous data or categorical data.

For continuous data, the graph shows how values have

changed over time.

For categorical data, the graph shows how values across categories have changed.
 Sample Slope Graphs

The graph shown below is an original representation of diabetes rates at regional medical
centers in an area.
 Sample Slope Graphs

Simplified as a slope graph, it helps to identify similar medical centers among all
regional centers.
 Sample Slope Graphs

The bar graph below is used to show the categories:

It compares audience ratings in a year, across all ages and in the age group 18–34.
 Sample Slope Graphs

The same can be shown more effectively using a slope graph, as seen below:

Slope graphs help in finding patterns or making comparisons that are not possible in bar charts.
Waterfall Chart
 Waterfall Chart

It will assist human resources in demonstrating attrition over two time periods.

In financial services, it will show credits and debits and gains

and losses between two time periods.

It will help to keep a tally of active subscriptions, accounts, and revenue.

 Waterfall Chart

The two points between which changes occur are called the beginning value and
the ending value.

Waterfall charts simplify the understanding of complex changes in data.

Source: https://freakalytics.com/wp-content/uploads/Standard_Waterfall_Chart_Tableau_Freakalytics1.png
 Waterfall Chart

Bar charts The baseline

is zero.

The baseline is
zero only at the
start and end.
Waterfall
charts
The bars are seen
floating in space.
 Sample Waterfall Chart

Their impact varies for different target audiences and data values.

Colors can help explain the changes in a waterfall

chart better.

Start and end points

Positive changes

Negative changes
 Disadvantages of Waterfall Chart

It is difficult for end-users to understand changes in waterfall charts.

A high starting point or base value and small changes in the charts make them more difficult
to understand.
Histogram
 Histogram

A histogram plots the frequency distribution of a variable.

0.4

0.3

probability
0.2

0.1

0.0
-3 -2 -1 -0 1 2 3 4
Data

Unlike a bar chart that plots two variables, a histogram plots only one variable.
 Histogram

The varying heights of the bins represent the frequency of the range.

Histograms help to quickly visualize the category into which most of the data falls.
 Histogram

Some examples of where histograms can be used to analyze data are:

Number of customers by company size

Frequency of a product defect Students’ performance in an exam

Heatmap
 Heatmap

Heatmaps are used to represent data using color-coded systems.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

22% 27% 23% 28% 22% 28% 21% 26% 21% 5%

23% 22% 26% 22% 26% 26% 18% 19% 6% 10%

21% 22% 20% 19% 18% 22% 23% 7% 8% 13%

27% 21% 20% 23% 18% 20% 5% 11% 12% 8%

20% 18% 19% 27% 19% 6% 13% 10% 13% 11%

23% 28% 19% 21% 7% 11% 12% 11% 12% 8%

20% 23% 22% 5% 8% 12% 9% 13% 10% 11%

22% 18% 6% 13% 11% 9% 11% 8% 9% 13%

27% 7% 8% 12% 9% 12% 10% 9% 12% 10%

They arrange comparisons of hundreds of categories of a dataset, and still make understanding easy.
 Heatmap

The color of each cell in the heatmap represents the value of the data, and
the size of the cell represents the magnitude of the value.

Color density matrix represents the magnitude of values (or

concentration of information).
 Heatmap

Heatmaps can be used to simultaneously visualize two different measures, where one measure can be
assigned to color, and another to size of the cell.

Sample scenarios where heatmaps can be used are:

Stock index (helps to Actual spending vs. budget

identify prevailing trends in
the market)

Performance spectrum
Sales quota assessment
(great/good/poor)
Box-and-Whisker Plot
 Box-and-Whisker Plot

Box-and-whisker plots (or boxplots) are commonly used to show data distributions.

Box-and-whisker plots consist of two parts:

Box

Contains three quartiles (median + 1st and 3rd

quartiles)

Whiskers

• Represent data within 1.5 times the interquartile

range
• Show the data’s minimum and maximum points
 Box-and-Whisker Plot

Boxplots visually represent data skewness and the presence of outliers.

 Box-and-Whisker Plot

The following are some scenarios where boxplots can be used:

Examining data from Finding discounts across

duplicate machines different segments and
manufacturing the same regions
products

Analyzing data before and Comparing scores between

after a process change sites
Bubble Chart
 Bubble Chart

Bubble charts visualize data using circles or bubbles of varying sizes and colors.

• Visualization of large data volumes is possible with

bubble charts.
• Bubble charts are used to visualize sales or profit
across different product sub-categories and the
performance per game for different teams or
players.

This chart displays the relationship between three or more dimensions, the additional dimensions
being visualized as sizes and colors of bubbles.
Donut Chart
 Donut Chart

A donut chart resembles a pie chart with part of the center cut out.

• It displays categories or attributes as arcs.

• It remedies this by focusing on arc lengths (as
against areas).
• It allows more than one data series to be added
as rings.

Donut charts are space efficient as the blank space inside can be used to display
important information.
 Donut Chart

Donut charts can be used to visualize the following:

Website page visits by

category

Sales or profit across various

Sales across different
product categories or
retail channels
subcategories
Lollipop Chart
 Lollipop Chart

A lollipop chart is a composite chart consisting of bars and circles.

A lollipop chart has a circle at the end that highlights the data value.
 Lollipop Chart

A lollipop chart allows the use of more visual elements to convey information.

Color can represent a category or

magnitude, and size can emphasize
the degree.

2
The bar’s length measures Circles can be replaced with
the magnitude.
1 3 icons of specific categories.
 Lollipop Chart

A lollipop chart is useful for visualizing sales across different product sub-categories or brands.
Maps and Scatter Plots
 Maps and Scatter Plots

Map charts are simple and compelling and are used in Tableau for geographical analysis.

Data elements used for map charts:

Custom geocoding Postal codes

Country names State abbreviations

 Maps and Scatter Plots

Map charts are a powerful tool for visualizing data that has a geographical component.

A map chart is designed to visualize:

Country-level sales: Revenue from across the country

State-level headcount: Total active employees of an

organization across different states

Number of car accidents by zip code

 Maps and Scatter Plots

Scatter plots are used to get a sense of trends and detect outliers that allow more
insights into data.

• They display distinct data points on a single

chart.
• They can be enhanced with trend lines or
cluster analysis.
• They show the relationship between two
variables.

They help determine whether the two variables are independent of each other, or whether one variable
allows predicting the behavior of the other.
 Maps and Scatter Plots

Scatter plots can be used to visualize:

The likelihood of men and women

developing a certain disease at different age
groups

The shipping costs of different product

categories to different regions
 Maps and Scatter Plots

Both map charts and scatter plots are used in Tableau to visualize data.

Map charts Scatter plots

Visualize Compare two sets of
geographical data data or variables
Area Chart
 Area Chart

An area chart is a type of chart that shows how one or more quantities change over time.

35

30

25 An area chart can be used to visualize:

20

15

10 • Profits made by a grocery store chain

5 • Yearly sales of a product
0 • Company revenue by year
01-08-2002
01-06-2003
01-04-2004
01-02-2005
01-12-2005
01-10-2006
01-08-2007
01-06-2008
01-04-2009
01-02-2010
01-12-2010
01-10-2011
01-08-2012
01-06-2013
01-04-2014
01-02-2015
01-12-2015
01-10-2016
01-08-2017
01-06-2018
01-04-2019
01-02-2020
01-12-2020
2020 2021

The area between the line and the axis is usually filled with color.
Radar Chart
 Radar Chart

Radar charts are also known as spider or polygon charts. They are used to compare multiple
quantitative variables.

• They help to find out whether the variables are high

or low scoring.
• They are used to show a variable’s performance.
• The multivariate data is displayed in the form of a
2D chart.

It is useful to evaluate which variables have similar values or to detect any outliers in each
variable.
 Radar Chart

Quantitative variables are represented on axes starting from the same point, that
is, the center.

• All the axes of a radar chart are radially arranged.

• They are equidistant from each other, and the same
scale is maintained between all axes.
 Radar Chart

The value of every variable is plotted along its individual axis. Variables are connected to
form a polygon.

Sales 2020-21
2020 2021
01-05-2020
35 Radar charts are mostly used in competitive analysis
representing different parameters like:
30
25
20
15
01-09-2021 10 01-06-2020

5 • Price
0
• After-sales service
• Durability
• Advertisements
01-07-2021 01-06-2021
Advantages of Charts
 Advantages of Charts

Tableau, being a Business Intelligence (BI) tool, comes with a range of

graphical analysis features.

Charts condense and display all the data or information in an easy-to-understand format.

A line graph is a great way to show trends over a period of time.

A table also represents the numbers, but a line chart is much more accessible at a
quick glance.
 Advantages of Charts

Charts help summarize large volumes of data in a crisp and easy manner.

• Charts make data more presentable and help to draw

inferences by just having a quick glance at the chart.
• They facilitate better data comparison.
• A variety of charts and graphs are created with
interactive hover, click, and filtering capabilities.
Advantages of Charts

• They can be presented together to communicate complex

data or tell a story.
• Click on the Show Me button and see how many measures
or dimensions are needed to generate the chart.
• Charts offer a powerful and accessible way of representing
data.
Discussion: Types of Charts in Tableau

Duration: 10 minutes

• Enumerate the various types of charts that can be created in Tableau

Answer: Tableau offers a wide range of charts for data visualization,
including bar charts, line charts, scatter plots, area charts, pie charts,
treemaps, heatmaps, maps (geographic visualizations), and more.

• Elaborate on the importance of utilizing a heat map in Tableau

Answer: A heat map in Tableau is a visual representation that uses
colors to show how data is distributed or concentrated across different
categories or dimensions. It helps to easily identify areas where the
data is more intense or less intense.
 Key Takeaways

A chart is a pictorial representation of tabular numerical

that is easy to analyze.

Charts are broadly classified into basic, effective, and others.

Charts are advantageous in many ways.

Radar charts are also known as spider or polygon charts. They are
used to compare multiple quantitative variables.

A lollipop chart is useful for visualizing sales across different

product sub-categories or brands.
Knowledge Check
Knowledge
Check
Which of the following is a pictorial representation of data?
1

A. Pictograph

B. Tableau

C. Chart

D. None of the above

 Knowledge
Check
Which of the following is a pictorial representation of data?
1

A. Pictograph

B. Tableau

C. Chart

D. None of the above

The correct answer is C

A chart or a graph is a pictorial representation of data.

Knowledge
Check
Which of the following is used to represent multiple series of data in a single graph?
2

A. Radar chart

B. Violin plot

C. Scatter plot

D. Clustered bar graph

 Knowledge
Check
Which of the following is used to represent multiple series of data in a single graph?
2

A. Radar chart

B. Violin plot

C. Scatter plot

D. Clustered bar graph

The correct answer is D

A clustered bar graph is used to represent multiple series of data in a single graph.
Knowledge
Check
When is a stacked bar graph effective?
3

A. When there are more than four to five categories

B. When there are not more than four to five categories

C. Both A and B

D. None of the above

 Knowledge
Check
When is a stacked bar graph effective?
3

A. When there are more than four to five categories

B. When there are not more than four to five categories

C. Both A and B

D. None of the above

The correct answer is B

A stacked bar graph is effective when there are not more than four to five categories or segments in
each bar.
Thank You