Tableau Tip: Add Space Between Groups of Bars in Charts

Scenario:

Tableau defaults to no spacing between the panes in a view. How do I get some spacing between groups of bars in my charts?

Solution:

1. Add subtotals (Analysis->Totals->Add All Subtotals)
2. Right click on the measure pill on the Rows shelf and change the default SUM() aggregations to MIN()
3. To edit the color legend – double click on the Total color, this takes you to a color dialog, select the WHITE color, click OK
4. Right click on the word Total in the X axis and select Format
5. In the Format window, click the Header tab and blank out the Total label field

The results!

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This tip is compliments of Chuck Hooper. Chuck is a Tableau consult and trainer for Senturus. Chuck’s career includes over five decades of business and IT experience. He does speaking engagements on visual analytics, data warehouse design, and other business intelligence topics at both the technical and the executive levels.