Symbol maps in Tableau - Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Symbol maps show data points on a map using symbols like circles or shapes. They help you see where things happen and how much or how many for each place.

When you want to show sales numbers for different cities on a map.

When you need to display the number of customers in each country.

When you want to compare store performance by location using circle sizes.

When you want to highlight specific points like offices or events on a map.

When you want to see patterns of data spread across regions visually.

Steps

Step 1: Connect to your data source

- Data pane

Your data fields appear in the Data pane on the left side

💡 Make sure your data includes location fields like city, state, or latitude and longitude

Step 2: Drag a geographic field (like City or State) to the Detail mark on the Marks card

- Marks card > Detail

Tableau creates a map view with marks placed at each location

💡 If Tableau does not recognize the field as geographic, right-click it and set geographic role

Step 3: Drag a measure (like Sales or Number of Customers) to the Size mark on the Marks card

- Marks card > Size

Symbols on the map change size based on the measure values

💡 Larger symbols mean higher values, smaller symbols mean lower values

Step 4: Drag a dimension (like Category) to the Color mark on the Marks card

- Marks card > Color

Symbols get different colors based on the categories

💡 Colors help you quickly see differences between groups

Step 5: Adjust symbol size using the Size slider on the Marks card

- Marks card > Size slider

Symbols become easier to see or less crowded on the map

💡 Make sure symbols do not overlap too much for clarity

Step 6: Add tooltips by dragging fields to Tooltip on the Marks card

- Marks card > Tooltip

When you hover over a symbol, detailed info appears

💡 Include useful details like exact sales or customer count

Before vs After

Before

Map shows all locations with same size and color symbols, no data differences visible

After

Map shows symbols sized by sales amount and colored by product category, making patterns clear

Settings Reference

Geographic Role

📍 Data pane > right-click field > Geographic Role

Tells Tableau how to interpret the field as a location on the map

Default: None

Marks Type

📍 Marks card > drop-down menu

Controls how data points appear on the map

Default: Automatic

Size

📍 Marks card > Size slider

Changes the size of symbols to represent data magnitude

Default: Medium

Color

📍 Marks card > Color

Colors symbols to show categories or highlight differences

Default: Single color

Common Mistakes

Using non-geographic fields without setting geographic role

Tableau cannot place symbols correctly on the map without geographic info

Right-click the field and assign the correct geographic role before building the map

Making symbols too large causing overlap

Overlapping symbols make the map hard to read and interpret

Use the Size slider to reduce symbol size for better clarity

Not adding tooltips for details

Users cannot see exact numbers or info when hovering over symbols

Drag relevant fields to Tooltip on the Marks card to show details on hover

Summary

Symbol maps show data points on a map with symbols sized and colored by data values.

Assign geographic roles to location fields to ensure correct map placement.

Adjust symbol size and add tooltips for clear and informative visualizations.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of a symbol map in Tableau?

easy

A. To display data points on a map using shapes or icons

B. To create bar charts with geographic data

C. To show trends over time using lines

D. To summarize data in tables

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand symbol map function

   A symbol map uses shapes or icons to represent data points on a geographic map.

2. Step 2: Compare with other chart types

   Bar charts, line charts, and tables serve different purposes than symbol maps.

3. Final Answer:

   To display data points on a map using shapes or icons -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Symbol maps = data points with icons on maps [OK]

Hint: Symbol maps = points on maps with icons or shapes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing symbol maps with bar or line charts
• Thinking symbol maps summarize data in tables
• Assuming symbol maps show trends over time

2. Which of the following is the correct way to create a symbol map in Tableau?

easy

A. Drag Sales to Rows and Profit to Columns, then set mark type to Bar

B. Drag Latitude to Rows and Longitude to Columns, then set mark type to Shape

C. Drag Date to Columns and Region to Rows, then set mark type to Line

D. Drag Customer Name to Rows and Category to Columns, then set mark type to Text

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify correct fields for symbol map

   Latitude and Longitude fields are needed to place points on a map.

2. Step 2: Set mark type to Shape

   Symbol maps use shapes or icons, so mark type must be Shape.

3. Final Answer:

   Drag Latitude to Rows and Longitude to Columns, then set mark type to Shape -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Latitude + Longitude + Shape = Symbol map [OK]

Hint: Use Latitude and Longitude with Shape mark type [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using non-geographic fields for map axes
• Choosing Bar or Line mark types instead of Shape
• Not using Latitude and Longitude for placement

3. Given a symbol map with sales data, what happens if you drag the Sales field to the Size shelf?

medium

A. The color of each symbol changes to represent sales amount

B. The symbols are replaced by bars showing sales

C. The size of each symbol changes to represent sales amount

D. The map switches to a filled map

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Size shelf effect

   Dragging a measure like Sales to Size changes symbol size proportionally.

2. Step 2: Confirm symbol map behavior

   Symbol maps use size to show quantity differences; color changes require Color shelf.

3. Final Answer:

   The size of each symbol changes to represent sales amount -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Sales on Size shelf = symbol size changes [OK]

Hint: Size shelf controls symbol size on maps [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing Size with Color shelf
• Expecting bars instead of symbols
• Thinking map type changes automatically

4. You created a symbol map but all symbols appear at the same spot. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. Latitude and Longitude fields are missing or not assigned correctly

B. The Size shelf is empty

C. The Color shelf has too many colors

D. The data source is filtered by date

Solution

1. Step 1: Check geographic field assignment

   If Latitude and Longitude are missing or not assigned, Tableau places all points at default location.

2. Step 2: Rule out other causes

   Size or Color shelves do not affect symbol placement; filters affect data but not symbol overlap.

3. Final Answer:

   Latitude and Longitude fields are missing or not assigned correctly -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Missing Lat/Long = symbols overlap [OK]

Hint: Check Latitude and Longitude fields for correct placement [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Blaming Size or Color shelves for placement issues
• Ignoring missing geographic data
• Assuming filters cause symbol overlap

5. You want to create a symbol map showing store locations with symbol size representing sales and symbol color representing profit margin. Which steps should you follow?

hard

A. Place Longitude on Rows, Latitude on Columns, set mark type to Line, drag Sales to Color

B. Place Sales on Rows, Profit Margin on Columns, set mark type to Bar, drag Latitude to Color

C. Place Store Name on Rows, Sales on Columns, set mark type to Text, drag Profit Margin to Size

D. Place Latitude on Rows, Longitude on Columns, set mark type to Shape, drag Sales to Size, drag Profit Margin to Color

Solution

1. Step 1: Assign geographic fields correctly

   Latitude goes on Rows and Longitude on Columns for map placement.

2. Step 2: Set mark type and assign measures

   Set mark type to Shape for symbol map; drag Sales to Size and Profit Margin to Color to encode data visually.

3. Final Answer:

   Place Latitude on Rows, Longitude on Columns, set mark type to Shape, drag Sales to Size, drag Profit Margin to Color -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Lat/Long + Shape + Size + Color = Symbol map with data [OK]

Hint: Use Lat/Long + Shape + Size + Color for detailed symbol maps [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Swapping Latitude and Longitude positions
• Using wrong mark types like Bar or Line
• Assigning measures to wrong shelves