Report Map tool Smart Tile theming give inconsistent results

Question

I'm having trouble with how Alteryx colors it's polygon themes from the Smart Tile method when using the Report Map tool.  When there is only one polygon being mapped, sometimes the polygon is colored with the Start Color, and other times with the End Color. It appears to have something to do with how the Smart Tile is calculating the average based on a single value when there is only one record in a group.  The attached example shows different behaviors (Indiana and/or Idaho appearing red or white) based on how the theming field is rounded.

Does anyone know how I can continue to use the Smart Tile theming method, but get consistent coloring?

This may seem trivial to force a single map to have a specific color, but I subset state maps into regions/categories so that I can theme them differently and then map them back together, using the grouping tool to make lots of maps at once.  For example, I might have two separate feeds (states with Ratios > 1 and states with Ratios < 1) into a report tool and then color the two different polygon layers to be Red/White or White/Blue.  Occasionally, I'll end up with a group that only has 1 record, and when that happens I don't know if Alteryx will map it Red or White, as shown in the example.  So the use case is to understand the Smart Tile mapping, not just force a map to be a predetermined color.

IdahoIndianaExample.yxdb

StateColoringExample.yxmd

ed_hayter · Answer

I am afraid I don't really know yet. I think you are right in identifying that its to do with it trying to tile with one record.

The documentation states that smart tile works based on standard deviation from the average - and presumably with only one record the value should always be average and therefore 0. But that is not what is happening - probably need someone with more knowledge to explain.

abrahamlauer · Answer

@ed_hayter Interesting - this gives a little more insight into what's going on.

So my next question is:  Why does Tile tool give different Tile Nums when tiling on a single record? In your screenshot, IN is 3 in Tile Tool #2, but -3 in Tile Tool #3.

ed_hayter · Answer

I don't entirely understand the issue at hand - but you can see what the smart tile is using to color i believe by using a tile tool. Configuring it to smart tile on ratio and group by abbreviation and therefore replicate the settings in the map.

We can at least see now the logic - when its -3 i think it uses the start color and when positive 3 it uses the end color.

A potential solution is to Tile before and then point your theming field at the Tile Number. Then you can configure not to group by abbreviation when you generate the tiles using the tool - but still group by abbreviation in your spatial report so you get lots of maps. Whilst keeping the coloring standardized across the whole data?