Tableau Data Foundations(part-2)

After covering the detailed topics of data source, data type and data field , I am going to take you to another important topic like Dimensions and Measures and Continuous and Discrete.

1.Dimensions and Measures

These two concepts are fundamental to data visualization in Tableau and understanding them is the key to creating insightful and actionable visualizations. Understanding the distinction between dimensions (qualitative) and measures (quantitative) is crucial, affecting how data is displayed and analyzed in Tableau. Mastering these concepts helps newcomers create more insightful visualizations and make data-driven decisions effectively.

Dimensions

Dimensions are categorical data fields that represent qualitative attributes.

They provide context and structure to data, allowing users to segment, group, and categorize information for analysis.

They are typically used on the rows and columns of a visualization, defining the axes of charts and graphs.

Measures

Measures are numerical data fields that represent quantitative values.

They perform calculations, aggregations, and statistical operations on the data.

They are typically used to create quantitative visualizations and provide a quantitative aspect to the data analysis.

Here we can see in above example that Customer name, Product name and Category name and Country are text data- non numerical data in that you cannot perform any arithmetic operation on the values in this column. for example, you cannot add two customers, right?

In fact, those columns represent discrete values that cannot be measured and aggregate.

Like this we have other columns like Price Per Unit, Quantity and sales by that you can make some arithmetic calculation using the values. for example, sales average, sum of sale or total quantity.

So, all those columns which have fields that are quantitative in nature, can be measured or aggregated and are represented by numbers, percentages or sums are called Measures.

2.Countinues and Discrete

Now that we’ve covered Dimensions and Measures in detail, it’s time to explore another key Tableau concept: the difference between Discrete and Continuous fields.

Discrete values in the tableau are qualitative data such as categories, details, and segments. Continuous values in the tableau are measurable, quantitative data. In general, dimensional discrete values and continuous measure values are used in the tableau. The blue color value is a Discrete value, and the green color value is represented as a Continuous value in Tableau.

Continuous vs Discrete Values in Tableau — Steps

Step 1 > Connect the “Fact_Sales_data.xlsx” data set. Ensure that your data fields are correctly identified as either continuous or discrete.

Step 2 > Drag discrete fields to the Rows, Columns, or Marks shelf to create categorical groupings in your visualizations. In this case, drag the “Category name” dimension and drop it onto the column shelf.

Step 3 > Drag continuous fields to the Rows or Columns shelf to create continuous axes in visualizations like line charts, bar charts, or Scatter plot. In this case, drag the “Sales” measure and drop it onto the Rows shelf.

Step 4 > This creates a Bar chart between Category and their sum Sales.

Step 5 > Finally, change the title of Visualization to Discrete vs. Continuous in Tableau.