Filled maps (choropleth) in Tableau - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

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

📋 Request: Your manager wants to see how sales vary across different states in the USA to identify strong and weak markets.

📊 Data: You have monthly sales data by state, including State name and Sales amount.

🎯 Deliverable: Create a filled map (choropleth) in Tableau showing total sales by state with color intensity representing sales volume.

Sample Data

State	Month	Sales
California	January	120000
Texas	January	95000
New York	January	87000
Florida	January	65000
California	February	130000
Texas	February	98000
New York	February	90000
Florida	February	70000
Illinois	January	55000
Illinois	February	60000

1

Step 1: Open Tableau and connect to the sales data source containing State, Month, and Sales columns.

Connect to your data file or database with the sample data.

Expected Result

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

2

Step 2: Create a new worksheet for the filled map visualization.

Click on 'New Worksheet' icon.

Expected Result

A blank worksheet is ready for building the map.

3

Step 3: Drag the 'State' field to the 'Detail' mark on the Marks card to define geographic locations.

Drag 'State' to Marks > Detail.

Expected Result

Tableau recognizes states and prepares to plot them on a map.

4

Step 4: Change the Marks type from 'Automatic' to 'Filled Map' to enable geographic visualization.

Select 'Filled Map' from the Marks type dropdown.

Expected Result

A map outline of the USA appears with state boundaries.

5

Step 5: Create a calculated field to sum sales by state.

Create calculated field named 'Total Sales' with formula: SUM([Sales])

Expected Result

A new measure 'Total Sales' is available for use.

6

Step 6: Drag the 'Total Sales' measure to the 'Color' mark on the Marks card to color states by sales volume.

Drag 'Total Sales' to Marks > Color.

Expected Result

States are filled with colors; darker colors represent higher sales.

7

Step 7: Adjust the color palette to a sequential color scheme for better clarity.

Click Color > Edit Colors > Choose 'Red-Green Sequential' or 'Orange-Blue Diverging' > Apply.

Expected Result

Color gradient clearly shows sales differences across states.

8

Step 8: Add a tooltip to show exact sales when hovering over each state.

Ensure 'Total Sales' is in Tooltip on Marks card.

Expected Result

Hovering over a state shows its total sales value.

9

Step 9: Add a title to the worksheet describing the map.

Double-click the title area and enter: 'Total Sales by State - USA'.

Expected Result

The map has a clear, descriptive title.

10

Step 10: Publish or export the filled map dashboard for your manager.

Use Tableau's 'Export' or 'Publish to Tableau Server' options.

Expected Result

The filled map is ready to share and review.

Final Result

-----------------------------------------
|           Total Sales by State         |
|  -----------------------------------  |
|  | CA ██████████████               |  |
|  | TX ████████████                 |  |
|  | NY ██████████                   |  |
|  | FL ██████                      |  |
|  | IL █████                       |  |
|  -----------------------------------  |
|  Color intensity shows sales volume    |
-----------------------------------------

✓California has the highest total sales among the states.

✓Texas and New York follow with strong sales but less than California.

✓Florida and Illinois have lower sales compared to the top states.

✓The filled map visually highlights sales concentration by state.

Bonus Challenge

Add a filter to the map to allow your manager to select and view sales by specific months.

Show Hint

Use the 'Month' field as a filter on the worksheet and show filter control on the dashboard.