Climb Data Mountains with Tableau’s Box & Whisker Plot Expedition

Box and whisker plots, also known as box plots, are a type of chart in Tableau that is used to display the distribution of a dataset. They show the minimum, first quartile, median, third quartile, and maximum values of the data, as well as any outliers.

A box and whisker plot is also known as a box plot in Tableau is a type of data visualization that displays the distribution of a dataset through five key numbers: 

Minimum

First quartile (Q1)

Median

Third quartile (Q3)

Maximum. 

The box plot represents the middle 50% of the data (between Q1 and Q3), with the median which is represented by a line inside the box. The “whiskers”, extending from the box shows the minimum and maximum values, with any data points outside of this range represented as individual dots (outliers).

In Tableau, box plots can be created by connecting to a data source and dragging a dimension field to the Columns or Rows shelf and a measure field to the opposite shelf. The dimension field will be used to group the data, while the measure field will determine the values used in the plot. 

To show box plot in tableau, you can use the Show Me option available on the topmost right corner of the screen and choose the box plot option.

Box plots are useful for showing the distribution and variability of data, as well as for identifying outliers and comparing the distribution of multiple groups of data.

Box plots are useful for showing the distribution and variability of data, as well as for identifying outliers and comparing the distribution of multiple groups of data. They are also useful for identifying the skewness and kurtosis of the data and to see if the data is distributed normally or not.

For creating a box and whisker plot in Tableau, follow these steps:

1. Open Tableau and connect to the data you want to use.
2. Drag and drop the measure you want to use for the y-axis onto the Columns field in the Marks card.
3. Drag and drop the dimension you want to use to group the data onto the Rows field in the Marks card.
4. Select the box and whisker plot option from the Show Me panel.
5. Customize the appearance of the chart by adjusting the marks, labels, and other chart options as needed.

Box and whisker plots are useful for visualizing the distribution of a dataset and can help you see patterns and trends that might not be apparent in other types of charts. They can also be used to compare the distribution of different groups of data to each other.