Scatter plots in Tableau - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

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

📋 Request: Your manager wants to understand the relationship between advertising spend and sales revenue across different stores to identify if higher advertising leads to higher sales.

📊 Data: You have monthly data for 10 stores including Store ID, Advertising Spend (in $), and Sales Revenue (in $).

🎯 Deliverable: Create a scatter plot in Tableau showing Advertising Spend on the X-axis and Sales Revenue on the Y-axis, with each point representing a store. Add store labels and a trend line to show the correlation.

Sample Data

Store ID	Advertising Spend ($)	Sales Revenue ($)
Store 1	5000	45000
Store 2	7000	62000
Store 3	3000	28000
Store 4	8000	70000
Store 5	2000	22000
Store 6	6000	58000
Store 7	4000	39000
Store 8	10000	90000
Store 9	3500	33000
Store 10	4500	42000

1

Step 1: Open Tableau and connect to the data source containing the store data.

Connect to the Excel or CSV file with columns: Store ID, Advertising Spend, Sales Revenue.

Expected Result

Data is loaded and visible in Tableau's Data pane.

2

Step 2: Create a new worksheet for the scatter plot.

Click on 'New Worksheet' icon at the bottom.

Expected Result

A blank worksheet is ready for visualization.

3

Step 3: Drag 'Advertising Spend' to Columns shelf and 'Sales Revenue' to Rows shelf.

Columns: Advertising Spend; Rows: Sales Revenue.

Expected Result

Scatter plot axes are set with Advertising Spend on X-axis and Sales Revenue on Y-axis.

4

Step 4: Drag 'Store ID' to Detail on the Marks card to show each store as a separate point.

Marks card > Detail: Store ID.

Expected Result

Each point on the scatter plot represents a different store.

5

Step 5: Add store labels to each point for easy identification.

Marks card > Label: drag Store ID and enable 'Show mark labels'.

Expected Result

Store IDs appear next to each point on the scatter plot.

6

Step 6: Add a trend line to visualize the correlation between advertising spend and sales revenue.

From the Analytics pane, drag 'Trend Line' onto the scatter plot and select 'Linear'.

Expected Result

A linear trend line appears showing the relationship between advertising spend and sales revenue.

7

Step 7: Format the scatter plot for clarity and accessibility.

Ensure axis titles are clear, increase font size for labels, and check color contrast for points and labels.

Expected Result

Scatter plot is easy to read with clear labels and good color contrast.

Final Result

Scatter Plot: Advertising Spend vs Sales Revenue

Y-axis (Sales Revenue $)
|
|        * Store 8 (10000, 90000)
|       * Store 4 (8000, 70000)
|      * Store 2 (7000, 62000)
|     * Store 6 (6000, 58000)
|    * Store 1 (5000, 45000)
|   * Store 10 (4500, 42000)
|  * Store 7 (4000, 39000)
| * Store 9 (3500, 33000)
|* Store 3 (3000, 28000)
|* Store 5 (2000, 22000)
+------------------------------------> X-axis (Advertising Spend $)

✓There is a clear positive relationship between advertising spend and sales revenue.

✓Stores that spend more on advertising tend to have higher sales revenue.

✓Store 8 has the highest advertising spend and sales revenue.

✓Store 5 has the lowest advertising spend and sales revenue.

Bonus Challenge

Add a filter to the scatter plot to allow the manager to view data for specific months or quarters if the data had a time dimension.

Show Hint

Use Tableau's filter shelf to add a date field and enable the filter control on the dashboard.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of a scatter plot in Tableau?

easy

A. To show the relationship between two numeric variables

B. To display the total sales over time

C. To list all categories in a table format

D. To create a pie chart of proportions

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand scatter plot basics and compare options

   A scatter plot displays points representing two numeric values on X and Y axes. Only 'To show the relationship between two numeric variables' describes this core purpose.

2. Final Answer:

   To show the relationship between two numeric variables -> Option A

3. Quick Check:

   Scatter plot = relationship between two numbers [OK]

Hint: Scatter plots always compare two numeric values [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing scatter plots with line charts
• Thinking scatter plots show totals or categories only
• Assuming scatter plots are for single variable data

2. Which of the following is the correct way to create a scatter plot in Tableau?

easy

A. Drag two dimensions to the Color shelf

B. Drag a dimension to Columns and a measure to Rows

C. Drag one numeric field to Columns and another numeric field to Rows

D. Drag a measure to Filters and a dimension to Tooltip

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall scatter plot setup and evaluate options

   Scatter plots require two numeric fields, one on Columns and one on Rows. Only 'Drag one numeric field to Columns and another numeric field to Rows' creates a scatter plot.

2. Final Answer:

   Drag one numeric field to Columns and another numeric field to Rows -> Option C

3. Quick Check:

   Scatter plot = numeric on Columns and Rows [OK]

Hint: Scatter plots need two numeric fields on axes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using dimensions instead of numeric fields on axes
• Placing fields only on Color or Tooltip shelves
• Trying to create scatter plots with filters only

3. Given a scatter plot with Sales on Columns and Profit on Rows, what does a point far to the right but low on the Y-axis represent?

medium

A. Low sales but high profit

B. Low sales and low profit

C. High profit and high sales

D. High sales but low profit

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand axes and interpret point position

   Columns (X) = Sales (far right = high); Rows (Y) = Profit (low = low). Thus, high sales but low profit.

2. Final Answer:

   High sales but low profit -> Option D

3. Quick Check:

   X=Sales high, Y=Profit low = High sales, low profit [OK]

Hint: Right = high X value, low Y = low Y value [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Mixing up X and Y axis meanings
• Assuming high sales always means high profit
• Ignoring axis labels when interpreting points

4. You created a scatter plot but all points appear stacked in one corner. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. One or both fields are dimensions instead of measures

B. Both axes use the same numeric field

C. Color shelf is empty

D. Filters are applied incorrectly

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify requirements and analyze stacking cause

   Scatter plots need numeric measures on axes. Dimensions cause points to stack at same coordinates.

2. Final Answer:

   One or both fields are dimensions instead of measures -> Option A

3. Quick Check:

   Dimensions on axes cause stacked points [OK]

Hint: Axes must have numeric measures, not dimensions [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming color shelf affects point spread
• Not checking field data types on axes
• Blaming filters without verifying axes

5. You want to analyze customer segments by plotting Annual Income vs Spending Score and color points by Customer Age Group. How should you set up your scatter plot in Tableau?

hard

A. Place Customer Age Group on Filters, Annual Income on Tooltip, Spending Score on Rows

B. Place Annual Income on Columns, Spending Score on Rows, and Customer Age Group on Color

C. Place Spending Score on Columns, Customer Age Group on Rows, and Annual Income on Detail

D. Place Customer Age Group on Columns, Annual Income on Rows, and Spending Score on Color

Solution

1. Step 1: Assign fields correctly for scatter plot with coloring

   Numerics Annual Income (Columns) and Spending Score (Rows) for axes; categorical Customer Age Group on Color for segments.

2. Final Answer:

   Place Annual Income on Columns, Spending Score on Rows, and Customer Age Group on Color -> Option B

3. Quick Check:

   Numeric on axes + category on Color [OK]

Hint: Numeric fields on axes, categories on Color for groups [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Putting categorical fields on axes instead of Color
• Using Filters instead of Color for grouping
• Mixing up which numeric fields go on Columns or Rows