Tableau provides quite a few options to change the format of a generated map. Some of the options include washout, to make the map transparent, and removing borders. By customizing maps this way, we improve the readability as well as increase the efficacy of the maps.
Let's use the sample file Sample – Superstore Sales (Excel). Open a new worksheet and select Sample – Superstore Sales (Excel) as the data source.
Once the data is loaded, perform the following steps to customize the generated map:
- Click on the Show Me button to bring the Show Me toolbar on the screen.
- While holding the Ctrl key, click on Profit from Measures and State from Dimensions.
- Click on filled maps on the Show Me toolbar to create a choropleth map.
- From the main menu toolbar, click on Map and then on Map Options.
- Note the difference in the background color of the map by changing the Style value from Gray to Normal.
- Change the Style value back to Gray again.
- Uncheck the box in front of Base to make the map look more clean and aesthetically pleasing.
- Uncheck the box in front of Light State Border & Names to make the map look even more clean, since the map is already grouping the states.
- Drag the Washout slider to 100 percent if you want to see only the filled map with no other additional information, as shown in this following screenshot:
- Experiment with the Washout slider and check the box State/Province Names to create an informative yet good-looking map. For example, by changing the Washout slider to 40 percent and checking the box State/Province Names, we have minimized the distractions but still show the state names, as shown in the following screenshot:
Tableau automatically selects the options that will work in most cases, but we can customize the options even further to make the maps aesthetically pleasing. This is achieved by changing the map layers, which are drawn from an online map provider or Tableau's offline maps. It is very similar to painting a layer of color on top of another on a canvas, with one big difference—our ability to add and remove layers as we please.