I was analyzing customer purchase behavior for our online store using Tableau. I had a dataset that included the total amount each customer spent in a single transaction. I wanted to understand how frequently different spending amounts occurred, for example, how many customers typically spent $500–$1000, $1000–$1500, and so on.
To visualize this, I created a Histogram in Tableau using the “Sales Amount” field. This helped me group customer transactions into bins (ranges) and identify the most common transaction amounts.
In this tutorial, we will learn what a histogram is in Tableau and how to create a histogram using a real-time scenario.
What is a Histogram in Tableau?
In Tableau, a histogram is used to display a graphical representation of the distribution of a numerical dataset. It groups data into “bins” (intervals) and displays the frequency of data points related to each bin using bars.
Check out: Side By Side Bar Chart in Tableau
Create a Histogram in Tableau
In the example below, we will create a histogram to group customer transactions into bins (ranges) and identify the most common transaction amounts.
Connect the Tableau desktop with the data source and follow the steps below to create a histogram in Tableau.
- First, we need to create a bin using a measure, and for this scenario, we will use the Sales field to create a bin.
In the data tab, click on the SUM(Sales) dropdown and select Create > Bins.
- In the Edit bins window, enter the name of the bin. After this, select the bin size. For example, if the bin size is 500, then it will show sales between 1000-1500, then the next bin will show between 1500-2000, and so on.
Check out: Sankey Chart in Tableau
- Add the Sales bin field to the Columns and SUM(Sales) to the Rows.
- With this, a bar chart will be displayed, and on the X-axis, you will see the data that we have divided using the bins. Each bin will show the sales with a range of 0-500, 500-1000, and so on.
To arrange the bars in a histogram format, click on the sort button. In the histogram chart, there are no gaps between the bars. To remove the gap, go to the Size card and increase the bar size.
Now, the graph will be visible as a histogram chart.
This way, we can create a histogram in Tableau by creating a bin size and customizing a bar chart.
Check out: Bar in Bar Chart in Tableau
Create a Histogram using Built-in Chart in Tableau
There is another quick option in Tableau to create a histogram. In the “Show Me“, we can access the built-in Histogram chart.
In this method, we don’t need to create a bin size for the fields. As we select the measure field and click on the Histogram in the “Show me” tab, it will create a bin for the selected field and display the histogram on the Tableau sheet.
For example, we have to create a histogram using the measure field “Quantity“. For this, select the field and in the “Show Me” tab, click on the Histogram chart.
Now, in the columns, a new field named Quantity(bin) will be created, which will add the selected field Quantity(count).
This way, we can create a histogram chart in Tableau using the built-in histogram.
I hope that with the help of the above examples, you understand how to create histograms in Tableau, both manually and using the built-in option.
While creating a histogram, prefer the manual method when you want full control over bin size, naming, and formatting. It’s helpful when the default bins don’t meet your specific business requirements or you want to apply more customization.
If you want to create a histogram with the default bin sizes, then you can use the built-in histogram.
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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.
