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Tableaubi_tool~5 mins

Scatter plots in Tableau - Step-by-Step Guide

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Introduction
Scatter plots help you see the relationship between two numbers by showing dots on a chart. Each dot represents one record, making it easy to spot patterns or groups in your data.
When you want to compare sales and profit for each product to see if higher sales mean higher profit.
When you need to find out if there is a connection between advertising spend and customer visits.
When you want to spot clusters of customers based on age and income.
When you want to identify outliers, like a product with very high sales but low profit.
When you want to explore how two measures change together over time or categories.
Steps
Step 1: Open your Tableau workbook
- Tableau Desktop start screen or existing workbook
Your data source and worksheet are ready for use
Step 2: Drag the first measure (e.g., Sales) to Columns
- Data pane → Measures → drag to Columns shelf
The horizontal axis shows the values of the first measure
Step 3: Drag the second measure (e.g., Profit) to Rows
- Data pane → Measures → drag to Rows shelf
The vertical axis shows the values of the second measure
Step 4: Drag a dimension (e.g., Product Category) to Detail on the Marks card
- Marks card → Detail
Each dot represents a record, showing its Sales and Profit
Step 5: Change the Marks type to Circle
- Marks card → drop-down menu for mark type → select Circle
Dots appear on the chart representing data points
Step 6: Optionally, drag a dimension to Color on the Marks card
- Marks card → Color
Dots are colored by the chosen dimension, making groups easier to see
Step 7: Adjust axis titles and add tooltips if needed
- Axes → right-click → Edit Axis; Marks card → Tooltip
Chart is clearer and interactive for users
Before vs After
Before
Worksheet shows no chart or only a blank grid
After
Scatter plot displays dots representing Sales vs. Profit for each record, with colors showing categories
Settings Reference
Mark Type
📍 Marks card → drop-down menu
Choose how data points are shown on the chart
Default: Automatic
Color
📍 Marks card → Color
Assign colors to data points to show categories or values
Default: Single color
Detail
📍 Marks card → Detail
Define what each dot represents by adding more detail
Default: None
Tooltip
📍 Marks card → Tooltip
Show extra information when hovering over dots
Default: Automatic fields
Common Mistakes
Dragging dimensions to Rows or Columns instead of measures
Scatter plots need two numeric measures on axes to show relationships
Always drag numeric measures to Rows and Columns shelves for scatter plots
Not changing the mark type to Circle
Default mark type may not clearly show individual data points
Set mark type to Circle for clear dots representing data points
Overloading the plot with too many dimensions on Detail
Too many details can clutter the plot and make it hard to read
Add only necessary dimensions to Detail to keep the plot clear
Summary
Scatter plots show the relationship between two numeric measures using dots.
Drag measures to Columns and Rows, then set mark type to Circle for best results.
Use color and detail to add meaning but keep the plot clear and easy to read.