The objective of data visualization is to present data so that it's easier for people to consume, spot trends, and understand the story of the data. There is a debate over the use of three dimensional in charts, and people looking at Tableau may wonder how they can make visualizations that are three dimensional. Three dimensional is not available in Tableau. Three dimensional requires the viewer to spend more time trying to understand the data being presented to them than necessary.

People often consider three dimensional as a way to bring more information into the view. We don't need to use three dimensional to make visualizations beautiful and informative. Beauty can come in the form of simplicity and understanding the data story as easily as possible. Flashy isn't always better, particularly if it misleads the viewer.

If you can't use three dimensional but still want to show different metrics on the visualization, then what are your options? If you want to display a number of variables, use a scatterplot matrix, also known as a splom. This is a grid of scatter charts. What is a scatter chart? Also known as a scatter graph or a scattergram, it is simply a dataset plotted as points on a graph. The x axis represents one variable, and the y axis represents another. We can arrange them in a grid so that the viewer can easily compare along the variable, and vertically between the graphs. We can also enhance the scattergram by adding in trend lines and using color to convey a story.

In this recipe, we will look at creating a scattergram matrix using Tableau and adding in a few reference lines. This is a good option when you are asked to create something to show the relationships between variables. In this recipe, we will create a small dashboard segment that looks at whether the sales differ on a quarterly basis.