Highlight tables in Tableau - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

👤 Your Role: You are a sales analyst at a retail company.

📋 Request: Your manager wants a clear visual report to quickly identify which product categories perform best and worst across different regions using color highlights.

📊 Data: You have monthly sales data including Region, Product Category, and Sales Amount.

🎯 Deliverable: Create a highlight table in Tableau showing Regions as rows, Product Categories as columns, and Sales Amount as the values. Use color shading to highlight high and low sales.

Sample Data

Region	Product Category	Sales Amount
North	Electronics	12000
North	Furniture	8000
North	Clothing	6000
South	Electronics	15000
South	Furniture	7000
South	Clothing	9000
East	Electronics	11000
East	Furniture	9500
East	Clothing	4000
West	Electronics	13000
West	Furniture	8500
West	Clothing	7000

1

Step 1: Connect your sales data to Tableau and open a new worksheet.

No formula needed.

Expected Result

Data is loaded and ready for analysis.

2

Step 2: Drag 'Region' to Rows shelf.

Rows = Region

Expected Result

Rows show each region: North, South, East, West.

3

Step 3: Drag 'Product Category' to Columns shelf.

Columns = Product Category

Expected Result

Columns show Electronics, Furniture, Clothing.

4

Step 4: Drag 'Sales Amount' to Text on Marks card.

Marks > Text = SUM(Sales Amount)

Expected Result

Sales amounts appear in each cell for region and product category.

5

Step 5: Change Marks type to 'Square' to create a highlight table.

Marks > Type = Square

Expected Result

Cells become colored squares representing sales.

6

Step 6: Drag 'Sales Amount' again to Color on Marks card.

Marks > Color = SUM(Sales Amount)

Expected Result

Cells are shaded with colors showing sales intensity.

7

Step 7: Edit color legend to use a sequential color palette from light (low sales) to dark (high sales).

Color legend set to 'Orange' or 'Blue' sequential palette.

Expected Result

High sales cells are darker, low sales cells are lighter.

8

Step 8: Add labels by ensuring 'Show Mark Labels' is enabled.

Marks > Label > Show Mark Labels checked.

Expected Result

Sales numbers appear on each colored cell.

9

Step 9: Format the table for readability: adjust font size, align text center, and add borders if needed.

Format > Font size 10-12pt, Alignment center.

Expected Result

Highlight table is clear and easy to read.

Final Result

Highlight Table (Sales Amount)

Region  | Electronics | Furniture | Clothing
--------------------------------------------
North   | ███████12000 | ████8000  | ██6000
South   | █████████15000| ███7000  | ████9000
East    | ██████11000  | █████9500 | ██4000
West    | ███████13000 | ████8500 | ███7000

(Darker blocks mean higher sales)

✓South region has the highest sales in Electronics with 15,000.

✓East region has the lowest sales in Clothing with 4,000.

✓Furniture sales are relatively consistent across regions.

✓Highlight table colors make it easy to spot strong and weak sales areas.

Bonus Challenge

Add a filter to the highlight table to show sales for a selected month or quarter.

Show Hint

Use the date field to create a filter on the worksheet and allow users to select the time period.