Symbol maps in Tableau - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

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

📋 Request: Your manager wants a visual map showing sales volume by city across the country. The goal is to see which cities have the highest sales at a glance.

📊 Data: You have a dataset with columns: City, State, Latitude, Longitude, and Sales Amount. Each row represents total sales for a city.

🎯 Deliverable: Create a symbol map in Tableau that plots each city by its coordinates. The size of each symbol should represent the total sales amount for that city.

Sample Data

City	State	Latitude	Longitude	Sales Amount
Seattle	WA	47.6062	-122.3321	120000
Portland	OR	45.5152	-122.6784	90000
San Francisco	CA	37.7749	-122.4194	150000
Los Angeles	CA	34.0522	-118.2437	200000
Denver	CO	39.7392	-104.9903	80000
Chicago	IL	41.8781	-87.6298	170000
Houston	TX	29.7604	-95.3698	130000
Miami	FL	25.7617	-80.1918	110000

1

Step 1: Connect your data source to Tableau and load the sales data.

Import the dataset with columns City, State, Latitude, Longitude, and Sales Amount.

Expected Result

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

2

Step 2: Create a new worksheet for the symbol map.

Click on 'New Worksheet' button.

Expected Result

A blank worksheet is ready for building the map.

3

Step 3: Drag Longitude to Columns shelf and Latitude to Rows shelf to plot points geographically.

Columns: Longitude, Rows: Latitude

Expected Result

A basic map with points plotted at city coordinates appears.

4

Step 4: Change the mark type to 'Circle' to represent cities as symbols.

On Marks card, select 'Circle' from the drop-down menu.

Expected Result

Points on the map become circles.

5

Step 5: Drag 'Sales Amount' to the Size shelf on the Marks card to size circles by sales volume.

Marks card > Size > drag 'Sales Amount'

Expected Result

Circles vary in size, larger circles represent higher sales.

6

Step 6: Drag 'City' to the Detail shelf on the Marks card to ensure each city is a separate point.

Marks card > Detail > drag 'City'

Expected Result

Each circle represents a unique city.

7

Step 7: Add labels to show city names on the map for clarity.

Marks card > Label > drag 'City' and check 'Show mark labels'.

Expected Result

City names appear next to their circles on the map.

8

Step 8: Adjust size range for better visual balance and readability.

Marks card > Size > click Size legend > adjust slider to moderate circle sizes.

Expected Result

Circles are sized clearly without overlap or being too small.

9

Step 9: Format the map background and borders for better visual appeal.

Map menu > Map Layers > turn on borders and style background as light gray.

Expected Result

Map has clear state borders and a subtle background.

10

Step 10: Add a title to the worksheet describing the visualization.

Double-click the title area and enter 'City Sales Volume Symbol Map'.

Expected Result

The map has a clear, descriptive title.

Final Result

City Sales Volume Symbol Map

[Map with circles of varying sizes plotted at city locations]

Seattle (medium circle)
Portland (smaller circle)
San Francisco (large circle)
Los Angeles (largest circle)
Denver (small circle)
Chicago (large circle)
Houston (medium-large circle)
Miami (medium circle)

✓Los Angeles has the highest sales volume, shown by the largest circle.

✓San Francisco and Chicago also have high sales with large circles.

✓Denver and Portland have smaller sales volumes, indicated by smaller circles.

✓The symbol map clearly shows geographic sales distribution across cities.

Bonus Challenge

Add color to the symbol map to represent sales growth compared to last year, using a diverging color palette.

Show Hint

Create a calculated field for sales growth percentage, then drag it to Color on the Marks card. Use red for negative growth and green for positive growth.

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