How to Add Custom Tableau Maps with Mapbox

If you’ve ever had to look up the X / Y or latitude / longitude coordinates to create a custom map in Tableau, you’re grateful for the powerful map features that come out of the box with the software. By simply double-clicking a dimension that Tableau recognizes as a geographic field, thousands of locations are instantly plotted on a map. This saves you the countless hours required to look up the coordinates manually or the need to purchase additional licensing to use maps. This post shares how to use additional map styles in Tableau for free, and with very little effort using a service called Mapbox.

Mapbox is an integration that shipped with Tableau 9.2. I wanted to write this tutorial because even though the feature came out three versions ago, I don’t see many users taking advantage of it. Custom map styles are a great way to add style to your data visualization, and this tutorial will show you how easy it is to integrate Mapbox with your Tableau maps.

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How to add custom Tableau maps with Mapbox

1. Sign up for a free account at Mapbox at https://www.mapbox.com/studio/signup/

2. From the Home tab within your Mapbox account, note the Access Token on the right side of the page

3. Create a map in Tableau. Here is an example Tableau map looking at Sales and Profit Ratio by City in the Sample – Superstore dataset.

4. Navigate to Map > Background Maps > Add Mapbox Map in the top navigation.

The Tableau 2020.3 update allows users to add third party map services directly from the background maps menu. The Mapbox classic styles of Light, Normal, Dark, Streets, Outdoors, and Satellite are available immediately within Tableau. To customize your own Mapbox Map and add it to Tableau, keep reading.

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5. Return to Mapbox. To add a custom style, navigate to Studio > New Style.

 

6. Select the arrow next to Classic styles. Select a classic style from the following menu and click on Customize to open up the Mapbox Studio.

 

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7. Here, you’re able to customize the selected classic style to your liking. Once you’ve made your desired changes, click Publish.

8. To find the integration URL, click on Share > Developer Resources > Third party. Change the dropdown value from the default WTMS to Tableau. Copy the integration URL and reopen Tableau.

9. In Tableau, repeat step 4, opening Map > Background Maps> Add Mapbox Map. In the menu that appears, name the map you’re using, and use the copied integration URL.

Here’s how my final map looks after choosing the Street style I created, clicking OK, and closing the dialog box.

Thanks for reading,
– Ryan

 

This content is excerpted from my book Practical Tableau: 100 Tips, Tutorials, and Strategies from a Tableau Zen Master published by O’Reilly Media Inc., 2018, ISBN: 978-1491977316. Get the book at Amazon.

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