Synchronizing axes in Tableau - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

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

📋 Request: Your manager wants a clear comparison of monthly sales and monthly profit trends on the same chart. The axes should be synchronized so the trends are easy to compare.

📊 Data: You have monthly sales and profit data for the past year. Each row contains Month, Sales, and Profit values.

🎯 Deliverable: Create a dual-axis line chart in Tableau with synchronized axes for Sales and Profit by Month.

Sample Data

Month	Sales	Profit
Jan	10000	2500
Feb	12000	3000
Mar	15000	4000
Apr	13000	3500
May	16000	4500
Jun	17000	4800
Jul	14000	3700
Aug	18000	5000
Sep	19000	5200
Oct	20000	5500
Nov	21000	5800
Dec	22000	6000

1

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

No formula needed.

Expected Result

Data with Month, Sales, and Profit columns is available in Tableau.

2

Step 2: Drag 'Month' to the Columns shelf to create the timeline.

Columns: Month

Expected Result

Months appear along the horizontal axis.

3

Step 3: Drag 'Sales' to the Rows shelf to create the first line chart.

Rows: SUM(Sales)

Expected Result

Line chart showing total Sales by Month.

4

Step 4: Drag 'Profit' to the Rows shelf, next to Sales, to create a second line chart.

Rows: SUM(Profit)

Expected Result

Two separate line charts stacked vertically: Sales on top, Profit below.

5

Step 5: Click the second axis (Profit) and select 'Dual Axis' to overlay the two charts.

Right-click on Profit axis > Dual Axis

Expected Result

Sales and Profit lines appear on the same chart with two vertical axes.

6

Step 6: Right-click on one of the vertical axes and select 'Synchronize Axis' to align scales.

Right-click axis > Synchronize Axis

Expected Result

Both Sales and Profit lines share the same vertical scale, making comparison easier.

7

Step 7: Format the chart: add colors to lines, adjust tooltips, and add axis titles for clarity.

Color Sales line blue, Profit line green; add axis titles 'Sales' and 'Profit'.

Expected Result

Clear, easy-to-read dual-axis line chart with synchronized axes and labeled lines.

Final Result

Month ->

|  Sales & Profit Trends (Dual Axis)  |

  ^
  |  *      *      *      *      *      *      *      *      *      *      *      *  (Sales - Blue)
  |   *      *      *      *      *      *      *      *      *      *      *      * (Profit - Green)
  +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
    Jan    Feb    Mar    Apr    May    Jun    Jul    Aug    Sep    Oct    Nov    Dec

✓Sales and Profit both increase steadily from January to December.

✓Synchronizing axes helps to see that Profit grows proportionally with Sales.

✓Dual-axis chart makes it easy to compare trends on the same scale.

Bonus Challenge

Add a third measure, 'Expenses', to the chart with synchronized axes and distinct color.

Show Hint

Drag 'Expenses' to Rows, create dual axis with Profit, then synchronize axes. Use a different color for Expenses.