Show Trends and Patterns with Tableau Motion Charts
Motion charts, also known as dynamic or time-series bubble charts, are a type of chart in Tableau that allows you to visualize data over time. They are similar to regular bubble charts, but they include an additional time dimension that allows you to see how the data changes over time.
A motion chart in Tableau is a type of data visualization that combines elements of a scatter plot, a line chart, and a time series chart, to show how data changes over time. It displays multiple variables on a single chart, with the data points represented as dots that can be animated to show how the values change over time.
In Tableau, motion charts can be created by connecting to a data source, dragging a dimension to the Columns or Rows shelf and a measure to the opposite shelf. Then, you can use the “Motion” option under the Show Me tab to create the chart. This will create a chart with the dimension on the x-axis and the measure on the y-axis, with the data points represented as dots that can be animated to show how the values change over time.
Motion charts are useful for showing how data changes over time and are particularly useful when there is a large amount of data and/or when you want to show the relationships between multiple variables over time. They are often used in finance, economics, and demographics to show how a particular variable changes over time.
To create a motion chart in Tableau, follow these steps:
- Open Tableau and connect to the data you want to use. The data should include a date field or time dimension.
- Drag and drop the measure you want to use for the size of the bubbles onto the Size field in the Marks card.
- Drag and drop the dimensions you want to use for the x-axis and y-axis onto the respective fields in the Marks card.
- Drag and drop the time dimension onto the Play axis in the Marks card.
- Select the motion chart option from the Show Me panel.
- Customize the appearance of the chart by adjusting the marks, labels, and other chart options as needed.
Motion charts are useful for visualizing data that changes over time 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 size of different data points to each other over time.