Dashboard sizing options in Tableau - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

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

📋 Request: Your manager wants a sales performance dashboard that looks good on both desktop monitors and tablets without scrolling.

📊 Data: You have monthly sales data by region and product category for the past year.

🎯 Deliverable: Create a Tableau dashboard with appropriate sizing options to fit desktop and tablet screens, showing total sales by region and category.

Sample Data

Month	Region	Category	Sales
Jan	North	Electronics	12000
Jan	South	Furniture	8000
Feb	East	Electronics	15000
Feb	West	Furniture	7000
Mar	North	Furniture	9000
Mar	South	Electronics	11000
Apr	East	Furniture	6000
Apr	West	Electronics	13000
May	North	Electronics	14000
May	South	Furniture	7500
Jun	East	Electronics	16000
Jun	West	Furniture	6800

1

Step 1: Connect the sales data to Tableau and create two worksheets: one showing total sales by Region, another showing total sales by Category.

Drag 'Region' to Rows, 'SUM(Sales)' to Columns for first worksheet; Drag 'Category' to Rows, 'SUM(Sales)' to Columns for second worksheet.

Expected Result

Two bar charts showing total sales by Region and by Category.

2

Step 2: Create a new dashboard and add the two worksheets to it.

Open Dashboard tab, drag both worksheets onto the dashboard canvas.

Expected Result

Dashboard displays both sales charts side by side.

3

Step 3: Set the dashboard size to 'Fixed size' with width 1000 pixels and height 600 pixels for desktop viewing.

In Dashboard pane, under Size, select 'Fixed size', enter Width=1000, Height=600.

Expected Result

Dashboard fits well on desktop monitors without scrolling.

4

Step 4: Create a duplicate of the dashboard and set its size to 'Range' with minimum width 700 pixels, maximum width 900 pixels, and fixed height 600 pixels for tablet viewing.

Duplicate dashboard, under Size select 'Range', set Min Width=700, Max Width=900, Height=600.

Expected Result

Dashboard adapts to tablet screen widths without horizontal scrolling.

5

Step 5: Test both dashboards by previewing them in Tableau's device preview mode for Desktop and Tablet.

Click 'Device Preview', select Desktop and Tablet to see how dashboards render.

Expected Result

Dashboards display correctly on both device types with no scroll bars.

Final Result

-----------------------------------------
|          Sales Performance Dashboard   |
|---------------------------------------|
| Region Sales   | Category Sales        |
|  North  35000  | Electronics 81000     |
|  South  26500  | Furniture 44300       |
|  East   37000  |                       |
|  West   26800  |                       |
----------------------------------------- 
(Size: Desktop 1000x600 or Tablet 700-900x600)

✓East region has the highest total sales.

✓Electronics category outsells Furniture overall.

✓Dashboard sizing ensures good viewing on desktop and tablets without scrolling.

Bonus Challenge

Add a device-specific filter that shows only top 3 regions on tablets to simplify the view.

Show Hint

Use Tableau's device layouts and apply a filter action or calculated field to limit regions when viewed on tablets.