Easily Spot Trends and Patterns with Tableau Bump Charts

Bump charts are a type of visualization that is used to compare the ranking of items over time. They typically consist of a horizontal axis that represents the time period being analyzed, and a vertical axis that represents the ranking of the items. Each item is represented by a line that moves up or down based on its ranking relative to the other items.

To create a bump chart in Tableau, you will need to have your data organized in a specific way, with at least one field representing the time period and another field representing the ranking of the items. Here’s a general outline of the steps you can follow:

1. Connect to your data source in Tableau and select the fields you want to use for your bump chart.
2. Drag the field representing the time period onto the Columns shelf and select a date data type.
3. Drag the field representing the ranking of the items onto the Rows shelf and select a continuous data type.
4. Select a line chart as the visualization type. Tableau will automatically create a line chart using the fields you have placed on the shelves.
5. To create a bump chart, right-click on the ranking field in the Rows shelf and select “Dual Axis” from the context menu. This will create a second axis on the right side of the chart.
6. Right-click on the second axis and select “Synchronize Axis” from the context menu. This will ensure that both axes use the same scale.
7. To format the bump chart, you can use the options in the “Format” and “Analyze” menus. For example, you can change the colors of the lines, add data labels, and customize the appearance of the axes.

Bump charts are a useful tool for comparing the ranking of items over time, and they can be especially helpful for visualizing trends and patterns in data. But, it is essential to keep in mind, bump charts can be sensitive to small changes in the data, and they may not always provide an accurate representation of the underlying trends.