Make an AWESOME Tableau Dashboard in Only 10 Minutes

Introduction

In this tutorial, you will learn how to build an interactive Tableau dashboard in just 10 minutes. This step-by-step guide focuses on creating a sales dashboard for Superstore’s European region, featuring various visualizations such as KPIs, maps, line charts, and bar charts. By the end of this tutorial, you'll be able to create a dynamic dashboard and enhance it with interactivity, improving user experience.

Step 1: Build the KPIs

• Open Tableau and connect to the Superstore dataset.

Create key performance indicators (KPIs) to display important metrics

• Sales: Drag the Sales measure to the view.
• Profit: Drag the Profit measure to the view.
• Number of Orders: Count the Orders and drag it to the view.

Format these KPIs

• Change the text size and color for better visibility.
• Use appropriate icons or shapes to represent each KPI clearly.

Step 2: Build the Map

Create a new worksheet for the map visualization

• Drag the "Country" dimension to the Rows shelf.
• Drag the "Sales" measure to the Size shelf.

Customize the map

• Adjust the map style by selecting a preferred color palette.
• Use the "Show Mark Labels" option to display sales figures on the map.

Step 3: Build the Line Chart

Create another new worksheet for the line chart

• Drag "Order Date" to the Columns shelf and set it to a continuous date.
• Drag "Sales" to the Rows shelf.

Format the line chart

• Change the line color for clarity.
• Add trend lines if necessary for better insights.

Step 4: Build the Bar Chart

Create a new worksheet for the bar chart

• Drag "Category" to the Rows shelf.
• Drag "Sales" to the Columns shelf.

Sort the bars for better presentation

• Click on the Sales axis to sort the categories in descending order.

Format the bar chart

• Adjust bar colors and add data labels for clarity.

Step 5: Put It All Together in a Dashboard

Create a new dashboard

• Drag a layout container onto the dashboard to organize your charts.
• Place each of the charts (KPIs, map, line chart, and bar chart) into the container.

Adjust the layout

• Use padding to ensure charts are spaced evenly.
• Resize each element to create a balanced look.

Step 6: Add Interactivity to the Dashboard

Make the dashboard interactive

• Use filter actions to allow users to click on elements (like the map or bar chart) to filter data in other visualizations.
• Add dropdowns or sliders for users to customize the data they see.
• Test the interactivity to ensure a smooth user experience.

Conclusion

You have successfully created an interactive Tableau dashboard featuring KPIs, a map, a line chart, and a bar chart. By following these steps, you can not only visualize data effectively but also enhance user engagement through interactivity. As a next step, consider experimenting with different datasets or adding more advanced features like calculated fields or additional filters to deepen your analysis. For additional resources, you can download the dataset and workbook from the provided link. Happy dashboarding!