Build a Pie Chart

Applies to: Tableau Cloud, Tableau Desktop

Use pie charts to show proportions of a whole.

The basic building blocks for a pie chart are as follows:

Mark type:

Pie

Color:

Dimension

Angle:

Measure

To create a pie chart view that shows how different product categories contribute to total sales, follow these steps:

  1. Connect to the Sample - Superstore data source.

    2. Tableau Start page

  2. Drag the Sales measure to Columns and drag the Sub-Category dimension to Rows.

    3. Tableau aggregates the Sales measure as a sum. By default, Tableau displays a bar chart.

    Bar chart of sales by sub-category
  3. Click Show Me on the toolbar, then select the pie chart type. Pie charts require at least one or more dimensions and one or two measures. Aggregate fields, such as Profit Ratio, don't contribute to those requirements.

    4. Show Me menu displaying multiple chart types

    The result is a rather small pie. To make the chart bigger, navigate to the Fit menu in the toolbar and select Entire View.

    A pie chart

  4. Add labels by dragging the Sub-Category dimension from the Data pane to Label on the Marks card.

    5. A pie chart with sub-category labels

If you don't see labels, press Ctrl + Shift + B (press ñ + z + B on a Mac) to make sure most of the individual labels are visible.

You can make a pie chart interactive in a dashboard. For more information, see Actions and Dashboards.

Note: Pie charts can also be used as a mark type in a visualization. For more information, see Pie mark.

Check your work! Watch steps 1-4:

An animation of building a pie chart

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