How to Create a Histogram in Tableau: A Comprehensive Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction:

Histograms are a powerful visualization tool that allow you to understand the distribution of data by displaying it in a graph format. Tableau is a popular data visualization tool that provides a user-friendly interface to create and customize histograms. In this guide, we will provide you with a comprehensive, step-by-step tutorial on creating a histogram in Tableau, including adjusting the bin size, customizing the axis range, and changing the appearance of the chart. We will also provide some use cases for when histograms can be particularly useful in data analysis.

 

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Step 1: Connect to Data and Create a New Worksheet

The first step in creating a histogram in Tableau is to connect to your data source and create a new worksheet. In Tableau, you can connect to a variety of data sources, including Excel, CSV, and databases like SQL Server or Oracle. Once you have connected to your data source, create a new worksheet by clicking on the "New Worksheet" button located at the bottom of the screen.

 

Step 2: Drag and Drop the Measure to the Rows or Columns Shelf

In the new worksheet, you can drag and drop the measure that you want to create a histogram for onto either the Rows or Columns shelf. In this example, we will use the "Sales" measure from the Superstore dataset.

 

Step 3: Convert the Measure to a Histogram

Once you have added the measure to the Rows or Columns shelf, you can convert it to a histogram by right-clicking on the axis and selecting "Convert to Histogram" from the drop-down menu. This will automatically create a histogram with default settings.

 

Step 4: Adjust the Bin Size

The bin size determines the width of each bar in the histogram. By default, Tableau chooses a bin size based on the range of the data, but you can adjust this manually to better suit your needs. To adjust the bin size, right-click on the axis and select "Edit Axis" from the drop-down menu. In the Axis dialog box, change the bin size by adjusting the "Size of bins" slider.

 

Step 5: Customize the Axis Range

In some cases, it may be useful to adjust the range of the axis to better focus on a particular part of the distribution. To do this, right-click on the axis and select "Edit Axis" from the drop-down menu. In the Axis dialog box, adjust the range of the axis by modifying the "Fixed" option under the "Range" section.

 

Step 6: Customize the Appearance of the Chart

Tableau provides various formatting options to customize the appearance of the histogram, including adjusting the colours, labels, and font sizes. To access the formatting options, select the "Format" tab in the top navigation menu. From there, you can make any changes necessary to better suit your visualization needs.

 

Use Cases:

Histograms are a useful tool in a variety of data analysis scenarios, such as:

 Identifying peak selling periods by analysing the distribution of sales data

Understanding customer demographics by analysing the distribution of customer age data

Evaluating student grades by analysing the distribution of grades in an education dataset

Tableau Resources:

Tableau provides detailed documentation and resources to help users create effective visualizations. For additional information on creating a histogram in Tableau, refer to the official Tableau documentation on histograms.

 

Conclusion:

In this guide, we've covered the basics of creating and customizing histograms in Tableau. By following these steps, you can create powerful visualizations that help to communicate the distribution of your data. And if you're interested in learning more about Tableau and other data visualization techniques, be sure to check out JBI Training's Tableau training courses for individuals, companies, and organizations. With our expert instructors and hands-on learning approach, you'll be able to master the skills

 

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At JBI Training, we are committed to providing high-quality Tableau training that is accessible and affordable for everyone. Contact us today to learn more about our courses and how we can help you take your Tableau skills to the next level.

 

Official Tableau documentation on histograms:

Creating a Histogram: https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/buildexamples_histogram.htm

Editing Axes: https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/formatting_editaxes.htm

Customizing the Appearance of Charts: https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/formatting.htm