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Building a View based on a Custom Background Map and Custom Shapes


Published: 11 Jul 2017
Last Modified Date: 20 Jul 2023

Question

How to build a view based on a custom background map and custom shapes on Tableau Desktop.

Environment

  • Tableau Desktop
  • Custom Background Map
  • Geocoding
  • Custom Shapes

Answer

This example will help you understand how to create a view with custom background and shapes using sample basketball data. With such an example, you will be able to plug/blend any new dataset to do the desired analysis based on the built-in mapping.
 
CLICK TO EXPAND STEPS
Step 1  - Setting a Background Map 
To view the steps showed in the below video, please expand the above section.
Note: the video has no sound.
 

CLICK TO EXPAND STEPS
Step 2 - Build the view and use Custom Shapes to map your data points
To view the steps showed in the below video, please expand the above section.
Note: the video has no sound.
 

CLICK TO EXPAND STEPS
Step 3 - Create the missing mapping coordinates
To view the steps showed in the below video, please expand the above section.
Note: the video has no sound.
 
 

Additional Information

If you wish to share this custom mapping, save the workbook as a .twbx file before Step 6 and send it to anyone who would use the same custom maps. Different analysis based on the same custom mapping can be performed without recreating the custom mapping. Anyone who opens it locally is then able to connect to their new dataset and blend their fields to the mapping dataset fields. For more information about this topic, see Data Blending in Tableau Help. 

To view another example of custom geocoding, see this visualization in Tableau Public.
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