Creating Area Charts in Tableau

Course: Tableau Training

Topic: Creating Area Charts

Level: Beginner to Intermediate

An area chart is a data visualization that displays quantitative values using a line with the area beneath it filled with color. It is commonly used to analyze changes over time, compare trends, and understand how different categories contribute to a total. In Tableau, area charts are especially useful for displaying sales, revenue, profit, quantity, website traffic, and other time-based measures.

Course Link: JustAcademy Tableau Training

Demo Link: Register for a Tableau Course Demo

1. Learning Objectives

After completing this topic, you will be able to:

• Understand the meaning and purpose of area charts.
• Identify situations where area charts are useful.
• Create a basic area chart in Tableau.
• Understand the Columns shelf, Rows shelf, and Marks card.
• Create stacked area charts using dimensions and measures.
• Compare the contribution of different categories over time.
• Format colors, labels, axes, titles, and tooltips.
• Understand the difference between area charts and line charts.
• Use filters, legends, and date fields to improve analysis.
• Build an area chart for a practical business reporting project.

2. What Is an Area Chart?

An area chart is similar to a line chart, but the area between the line and the baseline is filled with color. This filled area emphasizes the magnitude of values and helps viewers see how those values change over time.

For example, a company can use an area chart to display monthly sales from January to December. The horizontal axis represents the months, the vertical axis represents sales, and the shaded area makes changes in sales volume easy to see.

Example

These illustrative values can be displayed in an area chart to show how sales increase and decrease over the five months.

Main Characteristics

• The horizontal axis often represents time.
• The vertical axis represents a numerical measure.
• The area below the line is filled with color.
• Multiple colors can represent different categories.
• Stacked area charts can show how category values contribute to a combined total.

3. Why Are Area Charts Important?

Area charts help users understand trends, changes, and contributions over time. The filled region provides a visual sense of the magnitude of values, while different colored areas can reveal how individual components contribute to an overall total.

4. When Should You Use an Area Chart?

Area charts are most useful when you want to show how a numerical measure changes across an ordered sequence, especially time, or when you want to show the composition of a total across time.

Common Use Cases

• Sales analysis: Track daily, monthly, quarterly, or yearly sales.
• Financial reporting: Analyze revenue, expenses, or profit over time.
• Marketing analytics: Compare website traffic or campaign results across periods.
• Retail analysis: Track sales contributions from product categories.
• Operations: Monitor production volume or inventory levels.
• Customer analytics: Compare active users or subscriptions over time.
• Regional reporting: Examine how regions contribute to overall revenue.

When an Area Chart May Not Be Suitable

• When precise comparisons between many individual series are required, a line chart may be easier to read.
• When there are many categories, a stacked area chart can become cluttered.
• When the data is not ordered and the goal is simply to compare categories, a bar chart may be more appropriate.
• When viewers need to compare the exact values of each category, overlapping filled areas may obscure information.

5. Understanding the Main Parts of an Area Chart

6. Understanding Dimensions and Measures

Dimensions and measures are important when building area charts in Tableau.

Dimensions

Dimensions describe categories or groupings. Examples include Order Date, Region, Category, Product Name, and Segment.

Measures

Measures contain quantitative values that can be aggregated and analyzed. Examples include Sales, Profit, Quantity, Revenue, and Cost.

How They Work in Area Charts

• A date dimension is often placed on Columns to create a time-based horizontal axis.
• A measure such as Sales is placed on Rows to create the vertical axis.
• A categorical dimension such as Category or Region can be placed on Color to create separate colored areas.

Tableau commonly aggregates measures by default. For example, SUM(Sales) displays the total sales for each relevant time period and category in the view.

7. Requirements for Creating an Area Chart

A basic area chart typically uses an ordered dimension and a measure.

Example dataset: A retail sales dataset with the following fields.

You can practice with Tableau's Sample - Superstore dataset, which is commonly used in Tableau learning exercises.

8. How to Create a Basic Area Chart in Tableau

Follow these steps to create an area chart that displays monthly sales.

Step 1: Open Tableau

1. Launch Tableau Desktop or an appropriate Tableau web-authoring environment.
2. Connect to your sales dataset.
3. Open a new worksheet.

Step 2: Add Order Date to Columns

1. Locate the Order Date field in the Data pane.
2. Drag Order Date to the Columns shelf.
3. Choose the appropriate date level, such as Month, if necessary.
4. Use a continuous month date when you want a continuous time axis.

Tableau may initially display YEAR(Order Date). You can use the date field's menu to change the date level to Month or another suitable period.

Step 3: Add Sales to Rows

1. Locate the Sales measure in the Data pane.
2. Drag Sales to the Rows shelf.
3. Tableau commonly displays SUM(Sales) on the vertical axis.

Step 4: Change the Mark Type to Area

1. Locate the Marks card.
2. Open the mark type drop-down menu.
3. Select Area.
4. Tableau fills the area beneath the sales line with color.

Step 5: Format the Chart

• Add a descriptive title such as "Monthly Sales Trend".
• Format the sales axis as currency if appropriate.
• Choose a suitable color.
• Review the date labels and axis scale.
• Use tooltips to show exact sales values when users hover over the area.

Result: A basic area chart showing how sales change across the selected time periods.

Official Tableau tutorial: Create an Area Chart in Tableau.

9. Creating an Area Chart Using Show Me

Tableau's Show Me panel suggests visualization types based on the selected fields.

Steps

1. Open a worksheet containing your data.
2. Select an appropriate date or ordered dimension and a numerical measure.
3. Open the Show Me panel.
4. Select the area chart option if it is available for the selected fields and Tableau version.
5. Review the generated visualization.
6. Adjust the date level, mark type, and other settings if needed.

Show Me is useful for quickly generating a visualization, but manual adjustments may be necessary to obtain the correct time scale and category breakdown.

10. Creating a Stacked Area Chart

A stacked area chart displays multiple colored areas stacked on top of one another. Each colored band represents a category, and the total height represents the combined value of the categories for each time period.

Example

A company wants to analyze monthly sales from three product categories: Furniture, Office Supplies, and Technology.

The figures above are illustrative examples. A stacked area chart can show the contribution of each category while also showing how total sales change over time.

Steps to Create a Stacked Area Chart

1. Place Order Date on Columns.
2. Place Sales on Rows.
3. Change the Marks type to Area.
4. Drag Category to Color on the Marks card.
5. Check that the categories are stacked appropriately.
6. Review the legend and color assignments.
7. Add a descriptive title such as "Monthly Sales by Product Category".

When a dimension is placed on Color, Tableau can display a separate colored area for each category. With stacking enabled, the bands are accumulated to show the combined total.

When to Use a Stacked Area Chart

• When you want to show both total values and category contributions.
• When the order of categories is meaningful and the number of categories is manageable.
• When the main purpose is to understand how the overall composition changes over time.

11. Understanding Stacking in Tableau

Stacking determines whether area marks are accumulated on top of one another or displayed without stacking, where the view supports that arrangement.

Stacked Areas

Each category begins where the previous category ends. The full height of the chart represents the combined total. This is useful when total volume and category contribution are both important.

Unstacked or Overlapping Areas

When areas are not stacked, series can overlap or share a baseline, depending on the chart configuration. This can make comparisons difficult because filled regions may cover one another.

How to Review Stacking

1. Open the Analysis menu.
2. Locate the Stack Marks option.
3. Review whether stacking is enabled, disabled, or set to automatic.
4. Select the setting appropriate for your analysis.
5. Check that the chart communicates the intended comparison clearly.

Important: The exact display depends on the fields and mark configuration. Always inspect the resulting chart instead of assuming that every area chart is stacked.

12. Creating a 100% Stacked Area Chart

A 100% stacked area chart shows the proportion of each category relative to the total for each time period. Each time period represents 100% of the total, regardless of the total volume.

Example

Suppose Technology accounts for 40% of sales in January and 55% in February. A 100% stacked area chart helps compare those proportions even if total sales differ between the two months.

Steps

1. Create a stacked area chart using a date field on Columns and Sales on Rows.
2. Place Category on Color.
3. Right-click the Sales measure in the view or use its menu.
4. Select Quick Table Calculation and choose Percent of Total, where appropriate.
5. Open Edit Table Calculation if necessary.
6. Configure the calculation so that the percentages are computed across the categories within each time period.
7. Format the axis as a percentage.
8. Verify that each time period totals 100% across the displayed categories.

Important: The table calculation's addressing and partitioning depend on the dimensions in the view. Confirm that the calculation computes across categories within each date rather than across the wrong dimension.

When to Use a 100% Stacked Area Chart

• When comparing the percentage contribution of categories over time.
• When total volume is less important than the composition of the total.
• When the viewer needs to understand how category shares rise or fall.

When Not to Use It

A 100% stacked area chart does not show changes in the absolute total. If total sales double while category proportions remain unchanged, the chart may look almost the same. Use a regular stacked area chart or another chart alongside it when total volume is important.

13. Formatting Colors in Area Charts

Color distinguishes categories and helps viewers understand the composition of the chart.

Steps to Change Colors

1. Open the worksheet.
2. Click Color on the Marks card.
3. Select a suitable color or palette.
4. If the chart uses a dimension on Color, review the category assignments.
5. Adjust the palette or individual colors when supported.
6. Check that the legend is clear and that colors are easy to distinguish.

Color Best Practices

• Use a consistent color for the same category across related worksheets.
• Avoid using too many categories in one stacked area chart.
• Use colors with sufficient contrast.
• Keep the legend visible when viewers need it to identify the areas.
• Consider accessibility when selecting colors.
• Do not use color as the only way to communicate a critical distinction.

14. Formatting Area Chart Labels

Labels can display values or category information directly on the chart. However, area charts often contain many points, and too many labels can make the visualization difficult to read.

Steps to Add Labels

1. Open the Marks card.
2. Click Label.
3. Enable mark labels where appropriate.
4. Select the fields to display if needed.
5. Adjust the font and label appearance where supported.
6. Review the chart for overlapping labels.

Label Best Practices

• Use labels selectively when there are many time periods.
• Use tooltips for exact values when direct labels would create clutter.
• Use a readable font size.
• Ensure the label color contrasts with the filled area.
• Consider labeling only important points or the ends of series where supported.

15. Formatting Axes and Dates

Axis formatting helps viewers understand the period being analyzed and the size of the values.

Formatting the Date Axis

1. Right-click the date pill on Columns or use its drop-down menu.
2. Choose the appropriate date level, such as Year, Quarter, Month, or Day.
3. Use a continuous date axis when you need a continuous time scale.
4. Use discrete date headers when separate categorical time periods are more appropriate.
5. Review the spacing and readability of the date labels.

Discrete vs. Continuous Dates

Formatting the Measure Axis

1. Right-click the vertical axis.
2. Select Edit Axis when available to adjust the title or range.
3. Open the relevant formatting options for number display.
4. Choose currency, percentage, number, or another suitable format.
5. Check that the axis title and units are clear.

Best practice: Use an appropriate baseline and axis range. A misleading range can exaggerate or hide changes in the data.

16. Adding Tooltips to Area Charts

A tooltip appears when a user hovers over a point or area. It provides more detail without requiring every value to be displayed as a label.

Steps to Customize Tooltips

1. Open the worksheet.
2. Click Tooltip on the Marks card.
3. Edit the tooltip content.
4. Include relevant fields such as Order Date, Category, Sales, and Region.
5. Format dates and numerical values appropriately.
6. Hover over the visualization to test the tooltip.

Example Tooltip

Month: January
Category: Technology
Sales: ₹25,000
Region: West

The values above are illustrative examples only.

Tooltip Best Practices

• Display information that supports the chart's purpose.
• Use readable field names.
• Avoid repeating too much information already visible in the chart.
• Use appropriate number formats.
• Check that the tooltip works for every category or area.

17. Adding Filters to Area Charts

Filters let viewers focus on a specific subset of data. They are especially helpful when the chart contains multiple categories or a long time period.

Steps to Add a Filter

1. Drag a field such as Region, Category, or Order Date to the Filters shelf.
2. Select the values or date range to include.
3. Show the filter control if viewers need to change the selection.
4. Test the filter to ensure the visualization updates correctly.

Examples of Useful Filters

• Region: View sales for a selected region.
• Category: Focus on selected product categories.
• Order Date: Display a particular month, quarter, or year.
• Segment: Compare selected customer segments.

Filters should make the chart easier to analyze without hiding important context.

18. Area Charts vs. Line Charts

Area charts and line charts both show trends over an ordered dimension, but they emphasize different aspects of the data.

Example

If you want to show the total monthly sales contributed by several product categories, a stacked area chart may be suitable. If you want to compare the individual trends of many categories without emphasizing their total, a line chart may be clearer.

19. Area Charts vs. Stacked Bar Charts

20. Understanding Common Area Chart Types

21. Practical Example: Monthly Sales Analysis

Scenario: A retail company wants to understand how monthly sales change over a year.

Required Fields

• Order Date
• Sales
• Category
• Region

Steps

1. Connect Tableau to the sales dataset.
2. Open a new worksheet.
3. Drag Order Date to Columns and choose Month.
4. Drag Sales to Rows.
5. Change the Marks type to Area.
6. Format Sales as currency.
7. Add a title such as "Monthly Sales Trend".
8. Review the axis and tooltip settings.

Questions to Investigate

• Which months show the highest sales?
• Which months show a decline?
• Are there recurring seasonal patterns?
• Does the sales trend change when a specific region is selected?

Expected outcome: A clear visualization of sales magnitude and changes over the selected time period.

22. Practical Example: Sales by Product Category

Scenario: A manager wants to understand how Furniture, Office Supplies, and Technology contribute to overall monthly sales.

Steps

1. Place Order Date on Columns.
2. Place Sales on Rows.
3. Set the Marks type to Area.
4. Drag Category to Color.
5. Confirm that the chart uses the intended stacked configuration.
6. Format each category color and review the legend.
7. Customize the tooltip to display Month, Category, and Sales.
8. Add the title "Monthly Sales Contribution by Category".

Possible Insights

• Which category contributes the most to the total?
• Does a category's contribution increase or decrease over time?
• Are there periods when the overall total rises or falls?
• Does the category mix change between reporting periods?

These are analytical questions to investigate; conclusions should be based on the actual dataset rather than assumed in advance.

23. Practical Project: Regional Revenue Dashboard

Project Title: Regional Revenue Trends Using Area Charts

Objective: Build a Tableau visualization that shows total revenue trends and how different regions contribute to the total over time.

Required Fields

Project Steps

1. Connect to a sales dataset.
2. Create a worksheet for total monthly revenue.
3. Create a second worksheet using a stacked area chart with Region on Color.
4. Format dates and revenue values.
5. Add tooltips with relevant regional information.
6. Add filters for date and category where useful.
7. Place the worksheets on a dashboard.
8. Use consistent titles, colors, and formatting.
9. Review the dashboard for readability and correct interpretation.

Expected Outcome

A dashboard that helps users understand total revenue changes and regional contributions over time.

24. Common Problems and Solutions

25. Best Practices for Creating Area Charts

• Use area charts mainly for ordered data, especially time series.
• Use a descriptive chart title.
• Choose the correct date level, such as month, quarter, or year.
• Use a meaningful numerical measure on the vertical axis.
• Use stacked areas when category contribution to a total is important.
• Use 100% stacked areas when percentage composition is the main focus.
• Keep the number of categories manageable.
• Use colors consistently and maintain a clear legend.
• Format values as currency, numbers, or percentages where appropriate.
• Use tooltips to show detailed values without overcrowding the chart.
• Be careful when comparing internal bands of a stacked area chart because they may not share a common baseline.
• Use line charts or bar charts when they provide a clearer comparison.
• Verify the aggregation and stacking settings before interpreting the result.
• Ensure that the axis scale does not misrepresent changes in the data.

26. Interview Questions and Answers

Q1. What is an area chart in Tableau?

Answer: An area chart is a visualization in which the region beneath a line is filled with color. It is often used to show trends and magnitude over time.

Q2. What is the main purpose of an area chart?

Answer: Its main purpose is to show how values change over an ordered dimension and, in stacked versions, how categories contribute to a total.

Q3. How do you create an area chart in Tableau?

Answer: Place a dimension such as Order Date on Columns, a measure such as Sales on Rows, and select Area from the Marks card.

Q4. What is a stacked area chart?

Answer: A stacked area chart places category areas on top of one another to show both their contributions and the combined total.

Q5. What is a 100% stacked area chart?

Answer: It displays each category's proportion of the total for every time period, with the full stack representing 100%.

Q6. How can you separate categories in an area chart?

Answer: Drag a dimension such as Category or Region to Color on the Marks card.

Q7. What is the difference between a line chart and an area chart?

Answer: A line chart emphasizes changes and trends, while an area chart also emphasizes magnitude through the filled region beneath the line.

Q8. Why is a date field commonly used on Columns?

Answer: A date field creates the horizontal time axis, allowing viewers to examine changes across days, months, quarters, or years.

Q9. What is the purpose of the Marks card?

Answer: It controls visual properties such as mark type, color, size, label, detail, and tooltip.

Q10. When should you use a 100% stacked area chart?

Answer: Use it when comparing category proportions over time is more important than comparing the absolute totals.

Q11. What is a common limitation of stacked area charts?

Answer: It can be difficult to compare categories that do not share a common baseline, especially when many areas are stacked together.

Q12. How can you make an area chart easier to understand?

Answer: Use a clear title, appropriate date levels, consistent colors, a readable legend, suitable number formats, and concise tooltips.

Q13. Can an area chart display multiple categories?

Answer: Yes. A dimension can be placed on Color to display different categories as separate colored areas.

Q14. What is the role of a tooltip?

Answer: A tooltip displays detailed information when the user hovers over a mark or area, helping provide exact values without excessive labels.

Q15. What should you check if an area chart displays unexpected totals?

Answer: Check measure aggregation, the dimension used on Color, the stacking configuration, and any table calculations or filters.

27. Practice Exercises

Use Tableau's Sample - Superstore dataset or another suitable dataset to complete these exercises.

1. Create an area chart showing monthly Sales.
2. Change the date level from Year to Month and compare the results.
3. Format Sales as currency.
4. Create a stacked area chart showing Sales by Category.
5. Change the category colors and review the legend.
6. Create a stacked area chart showing Sales by Region.
7. Create a 100% stacked area chart showing category contribution over time.
8. Add a date filter and test different reporting periods.
9. Customize the tooltip to display Order Date, Category, and Sales.
10. Build a dashboard that compares total sales trends with category contributions.

Challenge Questions

• What changes when you move a dimension from Color to Filters?
• How does a stacked area chart differ from a 100% stacked area chart?
• Why might a line chart be more suitable than an area chart for comparing many categories?
• What can happen when the date field uses a discrete date part instead of a continuous date?
• Why should you verify the table calculation settings in a 100% stacked area chart?

28. Quick Revision Notes

• An area chart is a line chart with a filled region beneath the line.
• Area charts are commonly used to show changes over time.
• The Columns shelf usually contains a date or ordered dimension.
• The Rows shelf usually contains a measure.
• The Marks card lets you select Area as the mark type.
• Placing a dimension on Color can separate the chart into categories.
• A stacked area chart shows category contributions and combined totals.
• A 100% stacked area chart shows proportions of a total.
• Continuous dates create a continuous time axis; discrete dates display separate headers.
• Tooltips provide details without requiring every value to be labeled.
• Too many categories can make stacked area charts difficult to interpret.
• Line charts may be better for comparing individual series.
• Correct aggregation, stacking, and table calculations are essential for accurate interpretation.

29. Final Checklist

• ☐ The chart uses an appropriate dimension and measure.
• ☐ The date level matches the analysis.
• ☐ The Marks type is set to Area.
• ☐ Stacking is configured correctly for the intended chart.
• ☐ Colors distinguish categories clearly.
• ☐ The legend is understandable.
• ☐ The title explains the purpose of the chart.
• ☐ Axis labels and number formats are appropriate.
• ☐ Tooltips provide useful details.
• ☐ Labels and colors do not create clutter.
• ☐ The chart accurately represents totals or proportions.
• ☐ The visualization is readable and supports the business question.

30. Conclusion

Creating area charts is an important Tableau skill for analyzing trends, understanding changes in magnitude, and comparing category contributions over time. By using the Columns and Rows shelves, selecting Area on the Marks card, and applying appropriate dimensions, colors, and date settings, you can build useful visualizations for business reporting.

Basic area charts are effective for showing a single trend, stacked area charts are useful for showing how categories contribute to a total, and 100% stacked area charts help compare proportions over time. Choosing the correct chart type, aggregation, and formatting ensures that the final visualization is clear, accurate, and easy to interpret.

Learn more: JustAcademy Tableau Training | Register for a Tableau Course Demo

Official Tableau Reference

• Tableau Help: Create an Area Chart
• Tableau Help: Format at the Worksheet Level
• Tableau Help: Building Line Charts