Mastering Donut Charts in Tableau: A Step-by-Step Guide

As we all know, Tableau provides various charts to visualize data. One of the popular visualizations available in Tableau is the donut chart, which is widely used for data analysis.

What is a Donut Chart?

As the name suggests, a donut chart resembles a donut. It is a combination of a pie chart and a circle chart. It’s very similar to a pie chart but with additional information added in the form of a circular hole in the middle. Like a pie chart, a donut chart also uses the "part-to-whole" concept, which is a pictorial representation that shows the relationship between a whole and its parts.

Use Case of a Donut Chart

Donut charts are used to show the proportions of categorical data, with the size of each piece representing the proportion of each category.

Steps to make a donut chart.

Since a donut chart is a combination of a pie chart and a circle chart, we need to create both and merge them. To achieve this, we need two measures, which in turn create two mark cards. For this demonstration, I have used the Superstore dataset.

Step 1: Create two dummy measures avg(0), to create two mark fields.Tableau automatically converts avg(0) to AGG(avg(0)).

Step 2: Create a pie chart with one mark field, by selecting the pie chart from the dropdown in the marks in the pane.In this case, I have represented Ship Mode-wise sales in a pie chart.

Step 3: Create a circle chart with the other mark field, selecting a circle from the dropdown. In this case, I have represented the total number of sales in a circle chart. 

Step 4: Create a donut chart by clicking the dual axis.

Step 5: Adjust the pie chart and circle chart size to get a clear donut. Remember to hide headers by deselecting the Show Header and formatting the zero lines to None to remove the axis lines. 

 Voila! Your Donut Chart is Ready for Visualization.

 Conclusion

A donut chart is a very powerful yet simple visualization for showing the part-whole relationships of your data. Combine the clarity of a pie chart with the added flexibility in how a donut is designed to provide a compelling, informative chart that enhances your Tableau dashboard. Whether it be visualizing sales distribution or breaking down complex datasets, mastering donut charts takes your skills to the next level in data visualization.

Now, develop and refine your donut charts in a few easy steps to suit your analytics needs. Now try it out for yourself, and present your data with elegance!