Tableau Charts
Tableau offers a wide range of chart types, each suited to different kinds of questions about your data.
Common Chart Types
- Bar Chart - comparing values across categories.
- Line Chart - showing trends over time.
- Pie Chart - showing proportions of a whole (best with few slices).
- Scatter Plot - examining the relationship between two measures.
- Heat Map - showing intensity of a measure across two dimensions using color.
- Map - visualizing geographic data automatically when location fields are recognized.
Building a Chart
Drag a dimension to Columns
Drag a measure to Rows
Use the Marks card to control color, size, label, and detail
The Marks Card
The Marks card controls how individual data points are rendered - switching its dropdown between Automatic, Bar, Line, Circle, and other options changes the chart type directly.
Letting the question guide the chart choice - trend over time calls for a line chart, comparison calls for bars, relationship calls for a scatter plot - usually produces clearer results than picking the most visually striking option.