How do you create a heat map in Tableau?

1 Choose your data source

The first step to create a heat map in Tableau is to choose your data source. You can connect to various types of data sources, such as files, databases, web services, or servers. For this example, we will use the Sample - Superstore dataset that comes with Tableau. This dataset contains information about orders, customers, products, and regions for a fictional retailer. To connect to this data source, open Tableau and select Sample - Superstore from the Connect pane.

2 Build your view

The next step is to build your view by dragging and dropping fields from the Data pane to the shelves and marks card. To create a heat map, you need to have at least two discrete dimensions and one continuous measure. A dimension is a categorical or qualitative variable, such as region or product category. A measure is a numerical or quantitative variable, such as sales or profit. For this example, we will use Region and Sub-Category as our dimensions, and Sales as our measure.

To create a heat map, drag Region to the Rows shelf, and Sub-Category to the Columns shelf. This will create a text table with the sales values for each combination of region and sub-category. To add color and size to the table, drag Sales to the Color and Size marks. This will create a heat map with different shades and sizes of squares representing the sales values. You can adjust the color and size ranges by clicking on the respective marks and using the sliders or the edit option.

3 Customize your heat map

The third step in creating a heat map is to customize it to make it more appealing and informative. You can do this by double-clicking on the sheet or title to rename them, as well as right-clicking on the measure to change its format. You can also use the options in the Analysis menu to change the layout of the heat map, or click on the Label mark to change the labels of the squares. To edit the tooltips of the squares, click on the Tooltip mark and modify the text. Additionally, you can add filters to the heat map by dragging and dropping fields to the Filters shelf, and then show it in the view by right-clicking on it. Finally, you can customize the legends of the heat map by clicking on either color or size legend and selecting Edit. This will allow you to adjust its title, format, range, steps, and shape.

4 Use your heat map to tell a story

The final step is to use your heat map to tell a story with your data. It can help you answer questions, discover insights, and communicate findings. For instance, you can compare the sales performance of different regions and sub-categories, identify patterns, trends, and outliers in the data, and share your analysis and findings with others. You can sort, filter, or highlight the heat map to focus on specific regions or sub-categories. Additionally, the color and size legends can be used to understand the scale and distribution of the sales values. Furthermore, you can create a dashboard or a story with your heat map and other elements. Titles, captions, annotations, images, or web pages can be added to provide context and explanation. Lastly, you can publish or export your dashboard or story to share it with your audience.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?