A dot strip plot chart is a type of scatter plot that shows the values of a numerical variable for different categories or groups using dots that are aligned along a horizontal or vertical line. It can be useful for comparing values across categories or groups, especially when there are many values or outliers.

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In this article, we will learn how to create a dot strip plot chart in Tableau, how businesses can benefit from using this chart, some interview questions on this topic, and why learning this can help in your career.

To create a dot strip plot chart in Tableau, we need to have a data set that contains at least one numerical variable (such as sales amount, profit ratio, customer satisfaction) and one categorical variable (such as product name, region name, segment name) that we want to compare.

For example, let’s use the Sample – Superstore data set that comes with Tableau. This data set contains information about orders placed by customers for different products across different regions and segments.

We want to create a dot strip plot chart that shows the sales amount by product category and region.

Here are the steps to create a dot strip plot chart in Tableau:

1. Connect to the Sample – Superstore data source in Tableau.
2. Drag Category to Columns and Region to Rows.
3. Drag Sales to Detail on Marks card.
4. On Marks card, change Automatic to Circle.
5. Right-click on Sales and choose Format. In the Numbers tab under Default section, choose Currency (Custom) for Number Format option and 0 for Decimal Places option.
6. Right-click on Category axis and choose Edit Axis. Choose Fixed for Range option and enter 0 for Start value and 1 for End value.
7. Right-click on Region axis and choose Edit Axis. Choose Fixed for Range option and enter 0 for Start value and 1 for End value.
8. Drag Category again to Color on Marks card.

Dot strip plot charts can help businesses gain insights into how their numerical values vary across different categories or groups. For example,

• A retail company can use dot strip plot charts to compare their sales amount by product category and region and identify which categories or regions have more variation or outliers in sales amount.
• A marketing company can use dot strip plot charts to compare their customer satisfaction by product type and channel and determine which product types or channels have more consistency or discrepancy in customer satisfaction.
• A manufacturing company can use dot strip plot charts to compare their defect rate by product line and factory and find out which product lines or factories have more variation or outliers in defect rate.

By using dot strip plot charts, businesses can visualize the distribution
and dispersion of their data across different categories or groups
and take appropriate actions or decisions based on them.

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If you are applying for a data analyst role that requires Tableau skills,
you may encounter some interview questions on dot strip plot charts.

Here are some examples of interview questions on dot strip plot charts:

• What is a dot strip plot chart and when would you use it?
• How do you create a dot strip plot chart in Tableau?
• What are some advantages and disadvantages of using dot strip plot charts?
• How do you interpret a dot strip plot chart? What insights can you derive from it?
• How do you customize the appearance of a dot strip plot chart in Tableau?
• How do you handle missing values or outliers when creating
  a dot strip plot chart?

To answer these questions effectively, you should be able to explain what a dot strip plot chart is, how it works, and what it shows; demonstrate how to create one using Tableau; discuss its pros and cons; analyze its results and communicate its findings; and apply various formatting options and techniques to enhance its readability and functionality.

In addition to general interview questions, you may also face some technical round questions that test your ability to create and manipulate dot strip plot charts using real-world data sets.

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