You can change map locations in Tableau by accessing the Edit Locations window, either through an 'x Unknowns' indicator or the Maps menu.
When creating maps in Tableau, sometimes location data isn't recognized correctly, or you might need to specify a different location for a detected mark. Tableau provides a direct way to edit these recognized locations for countries, regions, cities, or other geographic roles.
Methods to Access Edit Locations
There are two primary ways to open the Edit Locations window in Tableau:
- Using the Unknowns Indicator: If Tableau detects locations it can't automatically plot, a gray box with 'x Unknowns' will appear in the bottom right-hand corner of the map view. Click on the right-hand corner on the x Unknowns value and it will open the Edit Locations window. This is particularly useful when specific data points are ambiguous.
- Using the Maps Menu: You can always access the location editing options regardless of whether there are unknown values. Simply go to Maps | Edit Locations from the top menu bar in Tableau.
Verifying and Correcting Country/Region Detection
Once the Edit Locations window is open, you can review how Tableau is interpreting your geographic data and make corrections.
- In the Edit Locations window, you will see various fields related to geographic roles. Click on Country/Region to see how Tableau is detecting this important hierarchy level.
- This section will show how the country or region is getting detected for your data.
- It's important to check this setting because many times, this field is set to fixed for a particular country. If your data spans multiple countries but the setting is fixed to one, you'll need to change it to match your data field. You can also manually match unrecognized locations to known locations in Tableau's database within this window.
By using the Edit Locations feature, you gain granular control over how Tableau interprets and displays your geographic data on a map, ensuring accuracy and correct visualization.
