In this case study, you will use Tableau to analyze order information for a fictional company, Global Superstore. The data set contains order information for Global Superstore during the years 2011-2014 and contains 51,291 orders.

Global Superstore Background: Global Superstore is a global online retailer based in New York, boasting a broad product catalogue and aiming to be a one-stop-shop for its customers. Global Superstore’s clientele, hailing from 147 different countries, can browse through an endless offering with more than 10,000 products. This large selection comprises three main categories: office supplies (e.g., staples), furniture (e.g., chairs), and technology (e.g., smartphones). Global Superstore’s largest demand comes from the U.S., Australia, China, France, and Germany. As for their sales revenue, it surpassed $4 million in 2014, a 26% increase from 2013. The growth in Global Superstore’s order volume experienced a similarly healthy growth; with more than 17,000 orders processed in 2014.

Tableau Background: Tableau was created in 2003 by Chris Stolte, Christian Chabot, and Pat Hanrahan, three researchers from Stanford University. What is known today as a leading business intelligence software started as a modest commercial outlet for research conducted at Stanford University. Quickly, its user friendliness received wide acclaim; Tableau allowed even non-technical users to generate complex graphs and maps by simply dragging and dropping components in Tableau’s interface. This success translated into substantial growth in sales and eventually led to Tableau being recognized as a leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Analytics and Business Intelligence Platforms in 2012. In 2019, Tableau was acquired by Salesforce.com in a $15.7 billion deal.

Requirements:

Using the Global superstore data provided below, create four visuals ( 1a, 2a, 3a, 4a) and then based on that visual answer the question related to that visual.(1b, 2b, 3b, 4b) 4c is a critical thinking question. Once you identify the country with the lowest profit for EMEA (4b) , dig into the Global superstore data to figure out why. Think about what fields could affect what causes negative profit. You should submit only one Word or PDF document that includes all of the visuals and answers to each question. Each response should be clearly labeled in order to earn the points related to that item:

Requirement

Description

  Points allocated

1a

A map showing profit by country for orders placed in 2012 (the profit can be shown as a key or as labels on the country).

4

1b

What are the 3 countries with highest total profit in 2012, including their profit number (2 point for each country).

6

2a

Bar chart for China showing profit by product name for orders placed in 2013. Only the Top 10 shown sorted in descending order with the dollar amount of profit shown.

4

2b

Based on your visual in 2a, What are the Top 3 profitable products for China in 2013? (2 point for each product)

6

3a

Bar chart of average shipping costs for product sold in Australia , grouped by category and subcategory. Label bars with Average Cost. 

6

3b

4 subcategories with highest average shipping cost in Australia? What are each of the costs?

4

4a

Map of EMEA Region showing profitability by country in 2014. Show Profitability in the map as key or on the map.

6

4b

In the EMEA market, which country had the lowest profitability, what was the profit?

4

4c

Why was profit so much lower for that country?

5

5a

Generally across all of the requirements listed above:

Professional Looking Graphs ( sized, Titles, Labels)
Your name and Assignment Title

5

Total Points

50

You will need access to Tableau for this case study, so please make sure you can access that program (see instructions below).The data needed for this case study is here: GlobalSuperstore_data for case_Stovall.xlsDownload GlobalSuperstore_data for case_Stovall.xlsDownload GlobalSuperstore_data for case 2.xls