A Dumbbell Chart is a variation of the circle plot that compares two values for each slice of data, emphasizing the distance between the two values.
Here for example, is a chart showing the Difference in Profit between East and West regions for each Category of products:
This chart was built using the following features and techniques:
- A synchronized dual axis of SUM(Profit) has been used with one set to mark the type of Circle and the other set to Line.
- Region has been placed on the Path shelf for the line to tell Tableau to draw a line between the two Regions.
The Path shelf is available for Line and Polygon mark types. When you place a field on the Path shelf, it tells Tableau the order to connect the points (following the sort order of the field placed on Path). Paths are often used with geographic visualizations to connect origins and destinations on routes, but can be used with other visualization types.
- Region is placed on Color for the circle mark type.