In this tutorial we are going to build a Radial Chart. Data can be visualised in many different ways and I would like to take this opportunity to share how we can build radial chart with tableau and data analytics community. I hope you will enjoy this quick and simple tutorial.

** I have used Sample – Superstore data set to demonstrate radial chart

Lets create following Calculated fields and parameters after connecting to Sample- Superstore data source:

Calculated Fields

Week

datepart(‘week’,[Order Date])

Year

year([Order Date])

Once we create month and year calculated fields, it will be automatically converted to measure. Right click on each of these fields and convert it manually to dimension.

Radius

min([@Year]-{min([@Year])}+6)

This will be the radius of the circle  and it can be set based on user requirement by just changing the number at the end. In this case we have used 6 as radius.

Angles (Parameter)

Create an parameter with data type integer allowable range from 90 degree to 360 degree. With this parameter we can dynamically update the chart from quarter of a circle, semicircle, 3/4th of a circle or a complete circle.

Angle (Calculated Field)

([@Week]-{min([@Week])})*radians([Angles])/({max([@Week])}-{min([@Week])})

This is use to plot a point at an angle with the next week value. We can adjust the value dynamically by selecting the Angle selection parameter

X Coordinate

[@Radius]*min(COS([@Angle]))

Y Coordinate

[@Radius]*min(SIN([@Angle]))

Worksheet

We will now look into building our first worksheet

  • Change the Mark Typeto shapes.
  • Drag X coordinate into Row Shelf
  • Drag Y coordinate into Column Shelf
  • Drag @Week Calculated Field to details
  • Drag @Year Calculated Field to details

You will want to end up with something like the following:

  • Drag the X coordinate to the Row Shelf
  • Right Click on the X Coordinate and select dual axis and synchronise
  • Change the Mark Type to Line
  • Drag @Week Calculated Field to path

Now we will adjust the Cosmetics:

  • Hide the Headers.
  • Hide the Grid Lines.
  • Hide the Zero Lines.
  • Adjust the Size.
  • Adjust the Tooltip.
  • Adjust the Color.

You will want to end up with something like the following:

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, and you can find this data visualisation on Tableau Public at: Radial Chart