Why maps visualize location data in Tableau - Business Case Study

Scenario Mode

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

📋 Request: Your manager wants to understand where most sales are coming from across different cities to plan marketing efforts.

📊 Data: You have sales data with columns: City, State, Sales Amount, and Number of Transactions.

🎯 Deliverable: Create a map visualization in Tableau showing total sales by city to identify top sales locations.

Sample Data

City	State	Sales Amount	Number of Transactions
Seattle	WA	12000	150
Portland	OR	8000	100
San Francisco	CA	15000	200
Los Angeles	CA	18000	250
Denver	CO	7000	90
Chicago	IL	16000	220
New York	NY	25000	300
Miami	FL	9000	110

1

Step 1: Open Tableau and connect to the sales data source.

Connect to the data file or database containing City, State, Sales Amount, and Number of Transactions.

Expected Result

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

2

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

Click on 'New Worksheet' button.

Expected Result

A blank worksheet is ready for building the map.

3

Step 3: Drag 'City' field to the Rows shelf or directly to the view to create geographic points.

Drag 'City' to the view; Tableau recognizes it as a geographic role and plots points.

Expected Result

Map with points representing each city appears.

4

Step 4: Drag 'Sales Amount' to the Size mark to show sales volume by point size.

Drag 'Sales Amount' to the Size card in Marks pane.

Expected Result

City points vary in size according to total sales amount.

5

Step 5: Drag 'Sales Amount' to the Color mark to add color intensity based on sales.

Drag 'Sales Amount' to Color card in Marks pane.

Expected Result

Points are colored with a gradient showing higher sales in darker or brighter colors.

6

Step 6: Add tooltips to show City, State, Sales Amount, and Number of Transactions on hover.

Ensure City, State, Sales Amount, and Number of Transactions are in Tooltip card.

Expected Result

Hovering over a city point shows detailed sales info.

7

Step 7: Adjust map style and zoom to focus on the US region.

Use map controls to zoom and pan to show all cities clearly.

Expected Result

Map clearly shows all cities with appropriate zoom and style.

8

Step 8: Add a title: 'Sales by City - Map View'.

Double-click the title area and type the title.

Expected Result

Map has a clear, descriptive title.

Final Result

New York

↓

Chicago

↓

Los Angeles

↓

San Francisco

↓

Seattle

↓

Miami

↓

Portland

↓

Denver

✓New York has the highest sales among all cities.

✓West Coast cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco also show strong sales.

✓Smaller cities like Denver and Portland have lower sales volumes.

✓Using a map helps quickly see where sales are concentrated geographically.

Bonus Challenge

Create a dashboard combining this map with a bar chart showing sales by state.

Show Hint

Use Tableau's dashboard feature to add the map worksheet and a new worksheet with State on Rows and SUM(Sales Amount) on Columns.

Practice

1. Why do maps help in visualizing location data in Tableau?

easy

A. Because maps show where data points are located geographically

B. Because maps only show numerical data trends

C. Because maps replace all other chart types

D. Because maps hide data details

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of maps

   Maps are designed to display data points based on their geographic location.

2. Step 2: Relate to Tableau's mapping feature

   Tableau uses geographic fields to place data on maps, helping users see spatial patterns.

3. Final Answer:

   Because maps show where data points are located geographically -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Maps visualize location data by showing geographic points [OK]

Hint: Maps show data by location, not just numbers [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking maps only show numbers
• Believing maps replace all charts
• Assuming maps hide data

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

easy

A. Drag a geographic field like 'Longitude' to Columns and 'Latitude' to Rows

B. Drag a geographic field like 'City' to the Marks card and select Map

C. Drag a geographic field like 'Country' to Rows and then to Columns

D. Drag a numeric field to Filters and select Map

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify how Tableau plots maps

   Tableau uses Latitude and Longitude fields to position points on a map.

2. Step 2: Confirm correct field placement

   Longitude goes to Columns and Latitude goes to Rows to create a map view.

3. Final Answer:

   Drag a geographic field like 'Longitude' to Columns and 'Latitude' to Rows -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Longitude on Columns and Latitude on Rows creates maps [OK]

Hint: Longitude = Columns, Latitude = Rows for maps [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Putting numeric fields in Filters to create maps
• Dragging geographic fields only to Marks card
• Swapping Latitude and Longitude incorrectly

3. Given a dataset with 'City', 'Sales', and 'Latitude' and 'Longitude' fields, what will happen if you drag 'Longitude' to Columns and 'Latitude' to Rows in Tableau?

medium

A. Tableau will produce an error

B. Tableau will create a bar chart of sales

C. Tableau will show a table of city names

D. Tableau will create a map showing sales by city location

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand field roles

   Latitude and Longitude fields define geographic points for mapping.

2. Step 2: Visualize Tableau's behavior

   Dragging Longitude to Columns and Latitude to Rows plots points on a map, showing locations.

3. Final Answer:

   Tableau will create a map showing sales by city location -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Latitude and Longitude create maps, not bar charts [OK]

Hint: Latitude and Longitude create maps, not charts [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting bar charts from geographic fields
• Confusing table view with map view
• Assuming error occurs without extra steps

4. You tried to create a map in Tableau by dragging 'City' to Rows and 'Sales' to Columns, but no map appeared. What is the likely problem?

medium

A. You must drag Latitude and Longitude fields to create a map

B. City is not recognized as a geographic field automatically

C. Sales is a geographic field and should not be on Columns

D. Tableau does not support maps with city data

Solution

1. Step 1: Check field geographic role

   City may not be set as a geographic role, so Tableau treats it as text.

2. Step 2: Understand Tableau mapping requirements

   Tableau needs geographic roles or Latitude/Longitude to plot maps.

3. Final Answer:

   City is not recognized as a geographic field automatically -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Geographic roles must be assigned for maps [OK]

Hint: Assign geographic roles to fields before mapping [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming Sales is geographic
• Thinking Latitude/Longitude always required
• Believing Tableau can't map cities

5. You want to visualize sales data by state on a map in Tableau, but your dataset only has state names and sales figures. What is the best way to create a map showing sales by state?

hard

A. Drag 'Sales' to Rows and 'State' to Columns to create a bar chart

B. Create calculated fields for Latitude and Longitude manually

C. Assign the 'State' field a geographic role of 'State/Province' and drag it to Detail on the Marks card

D. Use only numeric fields to create the map

Solution

1. Step 1: Assign geographic role to 'State'

   Tableau needs to know 'State' is a geographic field to map it.

2. Step 2: Use 'State' on Marks card Detail

   Dragging 'State' to Detail lets Tableau plot each state on the map automatically.

3. Final Answer:

   Assign the 'State' field a geographic role of 'State/Province' and drag it to Detail on the Marks card -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Geographic role + Detail = map by state [OK]

Hint: Assign geographic role and use Detail for location maps [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to create maps without geographic roles
• Using numeric fields only for maps
• Manually creating Latitude/Longitude unnecessarily