3/18/2016
Tableau Suggestions – Quantity 2
It is Tableau Tip month and primarily based on the curiosity and site visitors on my weblog put up from January for my Tableau Suggestions here, I made a decision to create a second installment. So here is one other group of 10 fast Tableau Suggestions.
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#10 – Drag recordsdata to the Tableau desktop icon for fast import.
This easy and fast method to get knowledge into Tableau. Simply drag an information file onto the Tableau icon and Tableau will open the file. Drop a Microsoft Excel file or textual content file on the icon and Tableau will deliver up the usual knowledge import window.
#9 – Copy and Paste knowledge into Tableau.
Copy knowledge into your clipboard and paste it in Tableau. It will work from the opening display screen or when you find yourself already in an current Tableau workbook. Management-C to repeat and Management-V to stick is a brilliant quick method to get knowledge into Tableau. It’s also possible to click on « Knowledge » after which « Paste Knowledge » should you choose.
#8 – Transfer X-Axis to the highest of chart.
There’s an choice below the « Evaluation » tab, click on « Desk Format » after which « Superior » and verify the field « Present innermost stage at backside of view when there’s a vertical axis ». It will transfer probably the most detailed dimension stage on the y-axis to the highest.
#7 – Transfer X-Axis to the highest of chart – different methodology.
Perhaps you do not wish to change each chart to have the X-axis on the prime of the chart, however you wish to transfer it for particular charts. Copy your dimension from the X-axis and place it subsequent to the dimension on Columns. Now you possibly can unselect « Present Header » for one dimension with out affecting the view of the opposite.
#6 – Transfer Y-Axis to the correct facet of chart.
Perhaps you wish to create an Economist-style line chart in Tableau the place the Y-axis is on the correct facet of the chart. To do that, create a replica discipline of your measure. Then place that discipline subsequent to your present measure. Make it a twin axis and synchronize the axis. Double click on on the first Y-axis, delete the textual content from the Title field. Then click on on the « Tick Marks » tab and alter each choices to « None ». The axis on the left facet might be clean. The one subject is the additional whitespace that’s created on the correct facet of the chart. You cannot resize this with out resizing each side of the chart’s axis. Nonetheless, this is likely to be helpful for a distinct design look.
#5 – Creating single letter month with dates utilizing blue capsules.
I actually attempt to keep away from rotating and truncating textual content, particularly on the x-axis labels. Do not be afraid to shorten the months to a single letter. If it is a blue tablet then excellent click on on the axis and choose « format ». You will note an choice below « Dates » for « First Letter ». It is a nice house saver and provides a clear design.
#4 – Creating single letter month and two letter 12 months with dates utilizing inexperienced capsules.
This is similar tip as #5, however in case you are utilizing your dates as a inexperienced tablet then you will note that the choices for date formatting are very totally different and you do not have an choice for the primary letter for month. To not fear. Click on on « Customized » on your date choices and enter MMMMM. That is the customized format notation for the primary letter of month. You should use different related formatting to shorten dates as effectively. For instance, you should utilize ‘yy with the one quote in entrance of the 2 letter 12 months and the labels will seem as ’15 for 2015. It’s also possible to use M for a single quantity month (January = 1) and MM for two-digit month (January = 01).
#3 – Making a customized legend with shapes.
The default shade legend in Tableau makes use of small squares. This may be limiting in your design and even complicated in case you are utilizing different shapes in your chart. For instance, in case you are utilizing a dot plot. The colour legend will present squares, however each different form within the visualization is a dot. In instances like this, create a brand new worksheet with the dimension you need within the legend and use customized shapes to create your individual legend. Then drop that sheet into your dashboard instead of the traditional shade legend. Additional advantage, below Font, click on « Match Mark Coloration » and you too can change the colours of the textual content to match the shapes!
#2 – Add a skinny line to your dashboard utilizing a floating textual content field.
Making a easy line on the dashboard canvas may be irritating. Bringing in pictures is one choice, however here is a fast tip utilizing a floating tile textual content field. On this dashboard, I created some white house utilizing a vertical container. Create a floating textual content field and hit the house bar to place in a single empty house. Proper click on on the textual content field and choose « Format ». Choose the specified shading shade; this might be your line shade. Then resize the field as wanted to offer the specified line width. You possibly can click on on the Dashboard sizing to deliver top of the field all the way in which to 1 for the thinnest line attainable in addition to place the X/Y coordinates to get it precisely the place you want it. It is all the time finest to make use of floating tiles final in your design, in any other case should you make adjustments to the dashboard you’ll continually be shifting your floating objects round.
#1 – Open new variations of Tableau workbooks in older variations of Tableau.
This is not foolproof, but it surely’s been tremendous helpful, so I made a decision this could be the #1 tip of the second quantity of fast suggestions. Contemplate this, somebody created a Tableau workbook utilizing the newest model of Tableau, for instance Tableau 9.2, after which they despatched it to you. Nevertheless, your organization is on a earlier model of Tableau, for instance 9.0, perhaps as a result of your organization hasn’t upgraded the Tableau Server simply but. What do you do? Sadly, the individual saving the workbook cannot return in and easily « down save » to a earlier model of Tableau and if you open it you get an error message that appears like this.
This is a fast tip that may prevent a ton of time and problem. Open the workbook file, particularly the uncompressed TWB file, in a textual content editor. Change the « Ver= » within the XML code to no matter model you want. For instance, change Ver=9.2 to be Ver=9.0. Bear in mind that this would possibly not work in each case as a result of the construction of the XML has modified from older variations to newer variations. Nevertheless, this has labored for me in lots of instances with purchasers in addition to my college students on the College of Cincinnati .
I hope you discover this info useful. In case you have any questions be at liberty to e-mail me at Jeff@DataPlusScience.com
Jeffrey A. Shaffer
Comply with on Twitter @HighVizAbility
