Dual-axis maps in Tableau - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

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

📋 Request: Your manager wants a map that shows both store locations and sales volume by region on the same visual to better understand geographic sales performance.

📊 Data: You have data with store names, their latitude and longitude coordinates, sales volume, and region names.

🎯 Deliverable: Create a dual-axis map in Tableau that overlays store locations as points and sales volume by region as filled map areas.

Sample Data

Store Name	Latitude	Longitude	Sales Volume	Region
Store A	40.7128	-74.0060	120000	East
Store B	34.0522	-118.2437	95000	West
Store C	41.8781	-87.6298	110000	Central
Store D	29.7604	-95.3698	85000	South
Store E	39.9526	-75.1652	105000	East
Store F	33.4484	-112.0740	90000	West
Store G	39.7392	-104.9903	80000	Central
Store H	32.7767	-96.7970	75000	South

1

Step 1: Connect your data source in Tableau and load the sample data.

Use the provided data with Store Name, Latitude, Longitude, Sales Volume, and Region columns.

Expected Result

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

2

Step 2: Create the first map layer showing store locations as points.

Drag Longitude to Columns and Latitude to Rows. Change the mark type to 'Circle'. Drag Store Name to Detail and Sales Volume to Size.

Expected Result

Map shows points for each store sized by sales volume.

3

Step 3: Create the second map layer showing sales volume by region as filled areas.

Duplicate the Longitude and Latitude fields on Columns and Rows to create a second map. Change the mark type to 'Map'. Drag Region to Color and SUM(Sales Volume) to Color.

Expected Result

Map shows regions filled with color intensity representing total sales volume.

4

Step 4: Combine the two maps using dual-axis to overlay points on filled regions.

Right-click the second Longitude axis and select 'Dual Axis'. Synchronize axes by right-clicking one axis and selecting 'Synchronize Axis'.

Expected Result

Single map view with store points over colored regions.

5

Step 5: Format the map for clarity and accessibility.

Adjust point sizes for visibility, choose contrasting colors for regions and points, add map title and legend, and ensure colorblind-friendly palette.

Expected Result

Clear, accessible dual-axis map showing store locations and regional sales volume.

Final Result

-------------------------------------------------
|                 Dual-Axis Map                  |
|                                               |
|  [Colored regions by sales volume]             |
|   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +       |
|  +  o Store points sized by sales volume  +    |
|   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +       |
|                                               |
| Legend:                                       |
|  ■ Region color intensity = Sales Volume      |
|  ● Point size = Store Sales Volume             |
-------------------------------------------------

✓East region has the highest total sales volume.

✓Store A has the largest sales volume among individual stores.

✓Stores are well distributed geographically across regions.

✓Dual-axis map helps visualize both regional trends and individual store performance simultaneously.

Bonus Challenge

Add a filter to the dashboard to allow users to select specific regions and see the map update dynamically.

Show Hint

Use Tableau's filter action on the Region field and apply it to both map layers to keep the dual-axis map synchronized.