How to start using Tableau : Step 6: Make a map

This is a preview of the map that we will be trying to make. It shows each airport on a map of the USA, with the size of the airport proportional to the number of flights from that airport.

To start, we can create a new sheet by clicking the "New Worksheet" button in the lower left-hand corner of the screen.

To make the map, drag-and-drop the "Airport Code" variable directly into the view area where it says "Drop field here." You should see a map appear!

Take a moment to consider this chart and to notice how Tableau has tried to helpfully interpret our drag-and-drop actions. You should be able to see that it has placed "Latitude" and "Longitude" into the row and column shelves and that it has place the "Airport Code" variable in the marks card. If you hover over an airport on the map, you should see the airport code appear in a tooltip. There is nothing that seems incorrect here so we can accept Tableau's default interpretation of our actions without making any changes.

This map is already useful, but to improve it, we can add the full airport name to the tooltip. To do this, drag-and-drop the "Airport Name" variable onto the "Tooltip" square in the "Marks" card.

If you hover over an airport now, you should be able to see the full airport name added to the tooltip.

Another useful improvement we can make is changing the size of the airport bubbles to reflect the number of flights from each airport. To do this, drag-and-drop the "Number of Flights" variable onto the "Size" square on the "Marks" card.

You should now see that the size of the airports has changed based on how many flights they have.

Lastly, name your map so that you will easily be able to find it again. To do this, right click on "Sheet 3," click "Rename," and type "Airports." Then press enter or click on something else to complete the naming process.