In data visualization, it is very important to present information in a way that is easy to understand. Businesses and analysts often need to quickly check how a particular metric is performing compared to a target. For this purpose, a Gauge Chart is widely used.
A Tableau Gauge Chart is a visual representation that shows a single value against a defined range. It looks similar to a car speedometer, with a needle pointing to the current value.
This type of chart is commonly used in dashboards to track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as sales performance, revenue targets, or customer satisfaction scores.
The Sales team in our organization was analyzing the sales performance of all product categories.
They need to visualize the data on how much each product category contributes to the total sales profit.
For this data visualization, I decided to create a Gauge chart that highlights the percentage of each category in total sales.
Using this, it was easy to compare the performance of all categories and display their part-to-whole ratio.
In this blog, I will explain what a Tableau Gauge chart is and how we can use it to visualize the data in gauge format.
What is a Tableau Gauge Chart?
A Gauge Chart in Tableau is a type of data visualization that displays a single metric within a range. It helps users understand how a value is performing compared to a target or goal.
For example:
- Sales achieved vs sales target
- Website traffic vs expected traffic
- Profit percentage vs maximum capacity
The chart is usually displayed in a semicircular shape with a needle pointing to the current value. Different colors (such as red, yellow, and green) are used to indicate performance levels.
Unlike other charts, a gauge chart focuses only on one key value at a time. This makes it very useful for dashboards that require quick insights.
In Tableau, we don’t have a built-in Gauge chart like a pie or donut chart; to achieve this, we need to customize a pie or donut chart using multiple calculated fields.
Why Use a Gauge Chart in Tableau?
Gauge charts are mainly used to show progress or performance. They are helpful when you want to quickly understand whether a value is good, average, or poor.
Here are some common reasons to use a gauge chart:
- To track performance against a target
- To display KPIs in dashboards
- To provide quick visual feedback
- To highlight critical metrics
A gauge chart allows users to quickly see where the value lies within a defined range without having to read detailed numbers.
Create a Gauge Chart in Tableau
To create the gauge, we will use the scenario I explained above. In this, we will have three different gauge charts displaying the share percentage of each product category in total sales.
In this example, we will use the Superstore data from Tableau. After connecting the data source, follow the steps below to create the Gauge chart.
- To create a gauge, we first need to create a Donut chart. To do this, double-click on the Rows shelf and enter 0 to create a dummy calculated field.
- Repeat the same process and create another dummy field on the Rows.
- After this, right-click on the second axis and select Dual Axis.
- Change the Marks type to Pie. Now, both pie charts will be overlapped. Here, change the second pie chart’s color to white to match the background color.
- Click Size in the second chat, then reduce the size so the first pie chart is visible.
- This will convert the overlapping pie charts into a donut chart.
- Now, we need to create the calculated fields required to distribute the donut chart slices based on the profit percentage.
- To create a calculated field, click on the Analysis tab and select Create Calculated Field.
- After this, create the following calculated fields.
- Profit Percent – This formula field calculates the percentage of the total profit for each category.
SUM({INCLUDE[Category]:SUM([Profit])})/SUM({(SUM([Profit]))})- Bottom Half – To create a gauge chart, we need to hide the donut chart’s bottom. The gauge chart will require the upper half of the donut chart to show a range from 0 to 100.
Min(1)- Colored < 50% – This formula calculates the area to be filled. If the profit is less than or equal to 50%, then half of the gauge chart will be colored.
IF [Profit Percent]< 0.5 THEN [Profit Percent]ELSE 0.5 END- Grey < 50% – This formula value will subtract the percent value from 50% to differentiate the portion of the first quadrant in the gauge chart.
IF [Profit Percent]<0.5
THEN 0.5-[Profit Percent]
END- Colored > 50% – This formula will provide the portion to be colored, with a profit percentage greater than 50%.
For example, to show 65%, the first 50% will be filled using the formula Colored < 50%, and the remaining 15% will be filled using this formula field.
IF [Profit Percent]>0.5 Then [Profit Percent]-0.5
END- Grey > 50% – This formula field will provide the color for the remaining portion of the gauge chart. For example, if the profit percentage is 65%, then the remaining 35% (grey color) will be filled by this.
IF [Profit Percent]>0.5 THEN 1-[Profit Percent] ELSE 0.5 END- Create calculative fields, Pointer 1 and Pointer 2. These field values will be displayed as needles in the gauge chart.
//Pointer1
IF [Profit Percent]<=0.5 THEN .005 END//Pointer2
IF [Profit Percent]>0.5 THEN .005 ENDCheck out: Divergent Stacked Bar Chart in Tableau
- After creating the calculative fields, drag the Measure Names to the Filters. Here, select all the created calculative fields, except for the Profit percentage field.
- Also, drag the Measure Names to the Color card in the All Marks section.
- To show the slices in the chart, add the Measure Values to the Angle card in the All Marks section.
- Arrange the Measure Values in the order as shown in the image below.
- Edit the Measure Values’ colors as follows.
- Select Colored>50% and Colored<50% as green color.
- Select Grey>50% and Grey<50% as the grey color.
- Select Pointer 1 and Pointer 2 as black.
- Select the Bottom Half as White to match the background.
- Create another calculative field, Dummy, and enter the value as ‘Dummy’. This field will provide a different color palette to measure names.
Check out: Stacked Bar Chart in Tableau
- Drag the ‘Dummy‘ field to the Color card of the inner pie chart and change the detail icon to the Color icon.
- Now, you will notice that the measure names and dummy have created the temporary combined field to color the inner pie and to create an arc for the gauge chart. Right-click on the Measure Names Dummy and select Edit Colors.
- Change the color for the temporary fields. Here, keep Pointer 1 and Pointer 2 black, and the rest white.
- Add the Category to the Columns shelf and also to the Label card in All Marks. After this, drag the calculative field Profit Percent to the Label card.
- To show the gauge chart slice values as percentages, click the Profit percent label and select Format. Then click on the Numbers dropdown and select Percentage.
With this, the gauge chart is complete, displaying all product categories and their share of total sales profit.
This way, we can create a Gauge chart in Tableau by customizing the donut chart as we have done in the example above.
Gauge Chart vs Other Charts
| Chart Type | Use Case |
|---|---|
| Gauge Chart | Single KPI tracking |
| Bar Chart | Comparison |
| Line Chart | Trends over time |
| Pie Chart | Proportions |
Conclusion
A Tableau Gauge Chart is a powerful visualization tool for tracking performance and displaying key metrics in a simple, effective way. It is especially useful for dashboards that require quick insights.
However, since Tableau does not provide a built-in gauge chart, you need to create one using calculated fields and customization. While it is visually appealing, it should be used carefully and only when suitable for the data.
By understanding its use cases, advantages, and limitations, you can use gauge charts effectively in your Tableau dashboards.
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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.
