Why choosing the right chart type matters in Tableau - Formula Trace Breakdown

Sample Data

Monthly sales data for a small business over four months.

Cell	Value
A1	Month
B1	Sales
A2	Jan
B2	1000
A3	Feb
B3	1500
A4	Mar
B4	1200
A5	Apr
B5	1700

Formula Trace

SUM([Sales])

Step 1: SUM([Sales])

Cell Reference Map

     A       B
  +-------+-------+
1 | Month | Sales |
  +-------+-------+
2 | Jan   | 1000  |
  +-------+-------+
3 | Feb   | 1500  |
  +-------+-------+
4 | Mar   | 1200  |
  +-------+-------+
5 | Apr   | 1700  |
  +-------+-------+

[Sales] column cells B2 to B5 are referenced in the SUM formula.

The formula SUM([Sales]) uses the sales values from cells B2 to B5.

Result

     A       B       C
  +-------+-------+---------+
1 | Month | Sales | Total   |
  +-------+-------+---------+
2 | Jan   | 1000  |         |
  +-------+-------+---------+
3 | Feb   | 1500  |         |
  +-------+-------+---------+
4 | Mar   | 1200  |         |
  +-------+-------+---------+
5 | Apr   | 1700  | 5400    |
  +-------+-------+---------+

Cell C5 shows the total sales calculated by the formula.

The total sales of 5400 is displayed in cell C5, summing all monthly sales.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

Why is it important to choose the right chart type for this sales data?

A Because any chart will show the same information equally well.

B Because the right chart shows trends clearly over time.

C Because charts are only for decoration.

D Because charts hide the data details.

Key Result

SUM aggregates all values in a column to produce a total.