Darragh Murray

Data visualiser and analytics professional

All posts in Tableau Tip

Down With Tadpoles, Up With Arrows | The Superiority of the Arrow Chart

Posted on Author DarraghPosted in Data, Tableau TipLeave a Reply

So yesterday I published a blog on how to create a Tadpole Chart. And there was some great feedback and some great debate over the usability both on Twitter and on LinkedIn.

However, one tweet thread with Tableau Ambassador Christina Gorga and Data Viz Wizard Steve Wexler was particularly interesting

After reading this, I felt somewhat foolish.

Another commenter … Read the rest

Tadpole Charts with Nicely Placed Labels in Tableau

Tadpole Charts with Nicely Placed Labels in Tableau

Posted on Author DarraghPosted in Data, General, Tableau TipLeave a Reply

I’m indifferent to amphibians, but I do like tadpole charts. In this blog, I’m going to show you the steps to create one with a little trick around labelling that may be useful in making this chart – but also for other charts in Tableau.

Table of Contents

This ones a bit involved, so here’s a table of contents:

… Read the rest
How to build and interpret an index chart using Tableau

How to build and interpret an index chart using Tableau

Posted on Author DarraghPosted in Data, Tableau TipLeave a Reply

The index chart is a chart type that often comes in extremely useful for analysing the change in time series data.

You’ve probably seen these charts frequently used in finance – such as tracking a financial index like the S&P500. Here’s an example pulled from Statista looking at US Stock Indices since the start of 2022.

Notice how all series start at the same point, and the chart plots the relative change in each series over time. We can immediately see that NASDAQ has performed relatively poorer than the Dow Jones and S&P 500 during this period.

As you might … Read the rest

Using a parameter to filter for specific records in a Tableau dashboard or worksheet

Using a parameter to filter for specific records in a Tableau dashboard or worksheet

Posted on Author DarraghPosted in Data, Tableau TipLeave a Reply

Filters are great and all, but I genuinely love Tableau parameters.

One technique that I frequently use for certain dashboard designs is using a parameter as the
primary method of interaction. That is, I use parameters to take input from users, which primarily drives the data viewed on screen. The parameter filters worksheets and shows related information about that input, acting much like a database record selection action or a filter in an Excel spreadsheet column.

For example, say you have a dashboard filled with customer activity for a large retailer. The dashboard might show overall sales per customer, … Read the rest