A box plot in Tableau provides a compact visualization of the distribution and variability of numerical data, highlighting key statistics like the median, quartiles, and outliers. This chart type is particularly effective for identifying patterns, spotting outliers, and comparing data distributions across categories.

A box plot typically consists of the following components:

Data Insights from Box Plots

To read a box plot correctly, pay attention to the following points:

• If the box is short and the whiskers are short, this may indicate that the data is concentrated in a narrow range and has few outliers:

• If the whiskers are long, this may indicate a large scatter of data and the presence of outliers:

• If the median is offset from the center line of the box, this may indicate a skewed distribution:

Finding points behind the whiskers helps identify outliers and potential anomalies in the data.