Chapter 77. How to Color the Highest and Lowest Points on a Highlight Table
When Iâm educating my stakeholders on the value of data visualization, I begin by showing a raw crosstab of dataâsimilar to what most corporate reports still look like todayâand ask the audience to answer the basic business question of identifying the highest or lowest number in the table. I then convert the crosstab to a highlight table by introducing the preattentive attribute of color, which reduces the time to insight, increases the accuracy of insights, and improves engagement.
In the exercise, I take the highlight table a step further by coloring only the highest and lowest number in the view, further reducing the time to insight and increasing the accuracy of insights. This chapter shows you how to highlight the highest data point and lowest data point on a view using table calculations. This is as much about sharing some technical know-how as it is about introducing the important concept of using Tableau to automatically answer business questions for you and your audience.
How to Use Table Calculations to Automatically Answer Business Questions
To illustrate how to highlight the maximum and minimum values on a visualization built in Tableau, letâs begin with this crosstab showing sales broken down by the Sub-Category and Month of Order Date dimensions:
Without the preattentive attribute ...
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