Symbol maps in Tableau - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to create a symbol map by dragging the correct mark type.

Tableau

SHOW ME [1] ON THE MAP TO REPRESENT LOCATIONS

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AText

BBar

CCircle

DLine

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Choosing Bar or Line marks which are for other chart types.

Using Text marks which show labels, not symbols.

In Tableau, symbol maps use the Circle mark type to show data points on a map.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to add geographic roles to your data for symbol maps.

Tableau

ASSIGN [1] ROLE TO THE CITY FIELD

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ACity

BCountry

CState

DPostal Code

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Assigning Country or State roles to city data.

Not assigning any geographic role, so Tableau can't map locations.

To create symbol maps by city, you must assign the City geographic role to the city field.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the Tableau calculation to size symbols by sales.

Tableau

SIZE = SUM([1])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AProfit

BSales

CQuantity

DDiscount

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using Profit or Quantity instead of Sales.

Using a dimension field instead of a measure.

To size symbols by sales, use SUM(Sales) in the calculation.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to filter the map to show only cities with sales greater than 1000.

Tableau

FILTER: SUM([1]) [2] 1000

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ASales

B>

C<

DProfit

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using Profit instead of Sales.

Using less than operator which filters the wrong data.

To filter cities with sales greater than 1000, use SUM(Sales) > 1000.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a calculated field that colors symbols by profit ratio.

Tableau

PROFIT RATIO = SUM([1]) / SUM([2]) WHERE [3] > 0

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AProfit

BSales

DDiscount

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using Discount instead of Profit or Sales.

Not filtering for positive profit values.

The profit ratio is calculated as SUM(Profit) / SUM(Sales) and filtered where profit is greater than zero.

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