Build your first chart

Time for your first chart: total revenue by product. In Tableau you build a chart by dragging fields onto the Rows and Columns shelves. There’s no need to pick a chart type first: Tableau draws a bar chart automatically. The end result looks like the picture below.

12345 Zoom

Click a number on the picture or in this list to highlight that area.

1. 1Product & Revenue fields Both sit in the Sales table in the Data pane, Product above the line and Revenue below it.
2. 2Product pill on Rows The blue pill gives one row for each product.
3. 3SUM(Revenue) pill on Columns The green pill makes a number axis, and Tableau adds up Revenue for you.
4. 4Sort Descending The toolbar button that sorts the bars from largest to smallest.
5. 5Worksheet title By default it matches the sheet name; double-click it to replace it with the takeaway.

Step by step

1. 1

   Step 1: In the Data pane, find the Product field in the Sales table (number 1) and drag it onto the Rows shelf (number 2). The view now lists the 12 product names.

   Tip: Dropped a field in the wrong place? Drag its pill off the shelf onto an empty area to remove it, or press Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z on a Mac).

2. 2

   Step 2: Drag Revenue (also in number 1) onto the Columns shelf (number 3). A green SUM(Revenue) pill appears, and every product gets a horizontal bar straight away.

   Tip: SUM means Tableau adds up the Revenue of every order row for each product. Module 2 explains what blue and green pills mean.

   Watch out: If the bars stand upright, the fields are swapped. Click the Swap Rows and Columns button on the toolbar to switch them.

3. 3

   Step 3: Click the Sort Descending button on the toolbar (number 4) so the longest bar sits at the top.

   Tip: Another way: hover over the bottom axis and click the small sort icon that appears. To show the numbers at the end of the bars, click Show Mark Labels on the toolbar.

4. 4

   Step 4: Name the sheet: double-click the Sheet 1 tab at the bottom, type "Revenue by Product" and press Enter. The title above the view (number 5) changes too, because a worksheet’s default title is the sheet name.

   Tip: Want the title to state the takeaway? Double-click it; in the Edit Title window, replace the <Sheet Name> text with, e.g., "Laptop 14 inci brings in the most revenue", then click OK. No title showing? Turn it on with Worksheet → Show Title.