Tableau Desktop Fundamental Tutorial 2 : Creating Basic Visualization

A. Getting Started In Tableau Desktop

1. Data Window Components

The Data window contain lists of fields (dimensions and measures), and other items such as calculations, parameters, and sets used to create view.

2. View Components

The view is the workspace for creating visualization. Drag items from the data window to the view to create visualization.

B. Elements of a Visualization

When you connect to data, Tableau categorizes your data fields as Dimensions (discrete categories of data) and Measures (numeric data values). When you drag a dimension or measure into a view, the Tableau visualization transforms you data into Marks, which are the visual form your data takes. Marks cane bars, lines, dots, shapes, or numbers and text.

1. Create a Visualization

Two ways to create a basic visualization:

NOTE : This course concentrates on building your own.

2. Change Colors, Size, or Mark Types

Use the marks card to change the attributes of marks in your view.

a) Select the mark you want to change in the view.
b) Do one of the following:

C. Practice: Exploring Tableau and the Data

Download this Exploring_tableau_Starter.twbx and create a view according to the following specification:

• Shows Sales in a bar chart by Department and Category.
• Shows Profit using color. 

1. Direction Details

• Create the view by dragging the following elements from the Data windows to specified location:

2.  Solution

• Download the packaged workbook name Exploring_tableau_Starter.twbx
• In the Data window, drag the Sales field from Measures to Columns.
• In the Data window, drag the Department field from Dimension to Rows.
• In the Data window, drag the Category field from Dimensions to Rows, placing it to the right of Department field.
• In the Data window, drag Profit from Measures to Color on the Marks card.