Practical Tableau

Chapter 61. How to Make a Stoplight 100-Point Index

As an analyst, the stoplight 100-point index is a reporting mechanism that I cannot live without. If you are not familiar, the 100-point index is a simple way to know whether a measure is outperforming or underperforming a comparison measure, with the comparison measure typically being a goal or the performance during a prior period. An index score of 100 means that the measure in question matches the comparison measure; a score greater than 100 indicates the measure is outperforming the comparison; a score less than 100 indicates the measure is underperforming the comparison.

This chapter shares three ways for getting the most out of 100-point index scores in Tableau: how to set up a 100-point index, how to make a custom color palette to be used in a stoplight 100-point index highlight table, and a trick for how to handle reverse 100-point index scores (when outperforming the comparison means a negative impact on the business).

What Is a Stoplight Index?

A stoplight index enhances the traditional 100-point index score by encoding the scores by color for faster processing. This is essentially a highlight table with 100-point index scores for different measures. Outperform the comparison (i.e., a score >= 100) and the indicator is green; come close but fall just short (i.e., the score is between 90 and 99) and the indicator is yellow; underperform goal or prior period (i.e., a score < 90) and the indicator is red.

Here is an ...