Give a chestnut! Tableau Tips (76): Use butterfly diagrams (cyclone diagrams) to achieve comparison between data

published: 2021-05-31

There are some Tableau user inquiries: I saw a chart (as shown below) and felt that the data comparison effect is very intuitive. I wonder if Tableau can achieve it?

This kind of bar chart, which looks like a butterfly wing, is called a butterfly chart, or a whirlwind chart.

We know that bar graphs are very suitable for expressing contrast relationships. However, if you need to express the difference between the two sets of data, the butterfly diagram (cyclone diagram) has an incomparable advantage.

How to implement butterfly diagram in Tableau? Today, we will share the method.

In this issue of "Give a Chestnut", the Tableau technique that Ada wants to share with you is: use butterfly diagram (cyclone diagram) to achieve comparison between data.

To facilitate learning, Lizi uses Tableau's own supermarket data.

Specific steps are as follows:

01. Drag the fields into rows and columns respectively

We put profits and discounts in columns and subcategories in rows.

 

02, edit fields

We double-click the profit capsule and use the ABS() function to take the absolute value of the profit field; and take the negative value (in order to display the profit below the 0 coordinate).

The display is as follows after completion:

03, add color

Color the profit: create a calculation field [Profit positive and negative], and drag this field into the profit color in the mark card;

Color the discount: drag the discount field into the color of the mark card;

To enhance the contrast, the color of the total discount can be changed to orange.

Just three steps, a simple butterfly diagram is complete.

Have you gotten the Tableau tips in this issue? Hurry up and open your Tableau and give it a try!