As a sales analyst, I was working on analyzing the monthly regional sales performance for the current year. I had to visualize the data in such a way that I could see the sales in the region month by month.
Along with this, I also wanted to add one more data metric in the Tableau visualization, which was the ranking of sales in the specific region for each month throughout the year.
For this data visualization, I created a Bump Chart in Tableau. In this chart, using the data points, I was able to visualize the sales rank of each region over the months in the year.
In this tutorial, I will explain the Tableau Bump Chart and how to create one to visualize the data in Tableau.
What is a Tableau Bump Chart?
In Tableau, the Bump Chart is used to display the changes in rank of different categories over time. The bump chart in Tableau is a combination of a line chart and a circle chart.
The circles in the Tableau bump chart display the ranks of the category, for example, the sales rank of a region for a specific month. The lines in the bump chart connect the circles (points) for each category across the timeline (months, quarters, or years), showing how the rank changes over time.
Create a Tableau Bump Chart
To create the bump chart, we will use the Tableau Superstore dataset. Connect the data source with Tableau and follow the steps below to create a Bump Chart in Tableau.
- In the superstore dataset, we have data from current and previous years. To get the data for the current year, drag the Order date to the Filters and select the current year check box.
- To compare the sales over the current year months, I will add the Order Date to the Rows. By default, the order date is in year format. To change this, click on the dropdown and select Month.
- To show sales for the month, add the Sales(SUM) to the Columns. After this, distribute the sales by region. For this, add Region to the Color card in the Marks section.
- Next, click on Sales in the rows again and select Quick Table Calculation > Rank.
- To rank the sales according to Region, click on Sales in rows and select Compute Using > Region.
- Now, the line chart will show the monthly sales for each region. To add data points for months on the region sales, press “Ctrl” and duplicate the Sales by dragging it in Rows.
With this, we can see two axes of the charts, Sales and Sales(2).
- Change the Marks type for Sales(2) to Circle. Then, click on the Sales(2) axes in Rows and select Dual axis.
As we select the Dual Axis, the circle chart will overlap with the line chart to display the Tableau bump chart. On the circles, we can hover to see the details like Region, Month, and Rank.
- To view the sales of each month, add the Sales to the Tooltip card in the Marks section.
In the final output, we can see that the Bump Chart shows how each region’s sales rank changes month by month in the current year.
Here, lines connect points (circles) representing monthly ranks, by comparing sales performance, and also showing shifts in ranking across regions.
This way, we can create a Tableau Bump chart to track the ranking of the category over a period of time, for measures such as sales and profit.
Conclusion
In this Tableau tutorial, we have learned what a Bump Chart is in Tableau and how to create one to visualize the ranking of categories that change over time.
By following the above examples, you can easily create a Tableau Bump Chart. In this chart, you will be able to not only view performance trends like sales but also spot ranking shifts that cannot be done in regular Tableau bar or line charts.
You may also like to read:
- Lollipop Chart in Tableau
- Pareto Chart in Tableau
- Butterfly Chart in Tableau
- Radial Bar Chart in Tableau
I am Bijay Kumar, the founder of SalesforceFAQs.com. Having over 10 years of experience working in salesforce technologies for clients across the world (Canada, Australia, United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, etc.). I am a certified salesforce administrator and expert with experience in developing salesforce applications and projects. My goal is to make it easy for people to learn and use salesforce technologies by providing simple and easy-to-understand solutions. Check out the complete profile on About us.
