Area Mark

The Area mark type is useful when you have a view where the marks are Stacked and do not overlap. In an area chart, the space between each line and the next line is filled with a color. This type of chart is not the best way to show specific values along the line but it can clearly show the total values so you can get an idea of how a dimension is contributing to an overall trend. Tableau displays your data using areas when:

• The Mark menu is set to Automatic with one or more measures plotted against a date dimension or continuous dimension. The Analysis > Stack Marks option must also be selected.

The view below shows a date dimension on the Columns shelf and a measure on the Rows shelf. Each line represents the sales for a product department. The lines have been stacked so that they do not overlap.

You can add labels, edit the color legend, and highlight areas. In addition, you can turn on Color effects such as mark borders.