Innovative Tableau

Chapter 11. Chart Types Introduction: Going Beyond Show Me

The partners for which Playfair Data work often react to our deliverables with, “You made that in Tableau?!” This is the biggest compliment we can receive because it means we’ve elevated what they thought was possible in the software. When it comes to chart types, this is typically achieved with attention to detail to Tableau’s formatting options, utilizing a dual axis to provide additional formatting or context, pulling in additional design elements from outside of Tableau (which we discuss in Chapter 98), and/or using innovative techniques stakeholders did not know were possible.

This section shares tricks for putting your own spin on traditional chart types, how to’s for creating real-world applications, and even tutorials on creating chart types developed by me and our team, personally.

Going Beyond Show Me with the Authoring Interface Canvas and Chart Type Categories

Out of the box, Tableau comes with 24 chart types that you can immediately create just by clicking the Show Me button in the upper-right corner of the Authoring interface and making a selection. If you have the correct combination of dimensions and measures, you can literally lay the foundation for 24 chart types by clicking two buttons. But Tableau is capable of much, much more.

In fact, as soon as you realize that every chart in Tableau is simply dots plotted across two axes, there is no limit to what you can “draw” on the Authoring ...