Preparation time: 5 minutes
Level of difficulty: Easy
Objective: Make a double axis chart
Dual axes are used in data visualization to superimpose two measurements on the same time or category scale, making it easy to compare their trends or variations. They are used when we want to observe the relationship between two indicators that share a common point (such as time or a category) but that have different units, for example sales in value and the number of units sold.
By following this step-by-step guide, you'll learn how to quickly create a dual-axis chart with Tableau.
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Required Data
- 1 data set, like Hypermarket (see data on the Tableau desktop start page)
Instructions
Step 1: Create a first chart
Once your data is loaded:
- Drag the dimension (for example Order date) in Columns.
- Slide the measurement (for example sales) ****in Lines to show a graph representing your sales per month.
- Drag a second measure (for example Profit) to Lines, right next to the measure sales.
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Step 2: Create the dual axis
To combine these two charts into one:
- Right-click on the Profit field in Lines.
- Select Dual Axis from the dropdown menu.
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Step 3: Synchronize the axes
If the two measurements have very different scales, you can synchronize the axes for better comparison:
- Right-click on the secondary axis (the field on the right).
- Select Synchronize Axis.
This will harmonize the scales of the two axes for ease of reading.
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Advice
When the axes are synchronized, it is not It is no longer necessary to show both axes. Simply use color legends and add labels or tooltips. You will gain in readability at the dashboard level.
