Shape encoding in Tableau - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

Sample Data

Sales data by product category used to assign different shapes in Tableau visualization.

Cell	Value
A1	Category
B1	Sales
A2	Fruits
B2	150
A3	Vegetables
B3	100
A4	Dairy
B4	80
A5	Meat
B5	120

Formula Trace

IF [Category] = 'Fruits' THEN 'Circle' ELSEIF [Category] = 'Vegetables' THEN 'Square' ELSEIF [Category] = 'Dairy' THEN 'Triangle' ELSE 'Diamond' END

Step 1: [Category] = 'Fruits'

Step 2: IF True THEN 'Circle' ELSE ...

Step 3: [Category] = 'Vegetables'

Step 4: IF False THEN 'Circle' ELSEIF True THEN 'Square' ELSE ...

Step 5: [Category] = 'Dairy'

Step 6: IF False THEN 'Circle' ELSEIF False THEN 'Square' ELSEIF True THEN 'Triangle' ELSE 'Diamond'

Step 7: IF False THEN 'Circle' ELSEIF False THEN 'Square' ELSEIF False THEN 'Triangle' ELSE 'Diamond'

Cell Reference Map

   A         B
1 Category  Sales
2 Fruits    150
3 Vegetables 100
4 Dairy     80
5 Meat      120

Arrows:
Category (A2:A5) --> Shape encoding formula

The formula uses the Category column (A2 to A5) to decide which shape to assign.

Result

Category   Sales   Shape
Fruits     150     Circle
Vegetables 100     Square
Dairy      80      Triangle
Meat       120     Diamond

Each category is assigned a shape based on the formula: Fruits get Circle, Vegetables Square, Dairy Triangle, and Meat Diamond.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What shape is assigned to the category 'Vegetables'?

A Circle

B Square

C Triangle

D Diamond

Key Result

IF condition1 THEN shape1 ELSEIF condition2 THEN shape2 ELSEIF condition3 THEN shape3 ELSE shape4 END