Course: Tableau Desktop

• Tableau Desktop is data visualization software that allows you

• to see and understand data on a deeper level. Tableau supports
• connections to both local and cloud-based data sources. Live
• connections allow you to work directly with your data source, while
• extracts can be used to create snapshots of your data in order to
• optimize the performance of the Tableau data engine and even work
• offline. You can join data from single and multi-tables, and even
• perform cross-database joins for more complicated data sources.

• Preparing, controlling, and cleaning up data before you start

• working with it is key to getting the most out of your analyses in
• Tableau Desktop. You can define the types of data you're working
• with, split the contents of a data field, and use the pivot tool to
• convert columnar data to row data. Once you have finished preparing
• your data, you can control what is brought into the Tableau Data
• Engine, and stay on top of updates and refreshes.

• Once you've defined the dataset that you want to use in your

• Tableau Desktop workbook, you can move on to building your vizzes.
• To do this, you'll need to know how to navigate within the Tableau
• workspace and use shelves, pages, and cards. The workspace is where
• you can also blend data from independent data sources, save your
• workbooks in standard and packaged formats, import content from
• other files, and work with saved data sources for use
• elsewhere.

• Data is essential to what you want to build in Tableau Desktop,

• and to get the most out of it you are going to need to know how to
• use the Data pane and everything that it offers. You'll see how to
• browse, configure, and customize the Data pane, use measures,
• dimensions, and marks to bring data into your view, and add
• structure, hierarchy, and layers of organization to your data
• through folders, sets, and bins.

• Visualizations are a fundamental tool in analyzing the data that

• you have imported and prepared in your workbooks. Tableau Desktop
• offers a wide variety of different graphic and chart styles,
• allowing you to drill down, pick apart, and delve into data in deep
• and meaningful ways. See how to build your views, create charts
• that reflect or support the type of data you are working with, and
• use tools such as dynamic filters, groups, and reference lines to
• go further in your analysis.

Generally speaking, the ultimate goal of analyzing data is communicating any interesting relationships you've found. Knowing Tableau's analysis tools not only gives you the power to discover these relationships but further allows you to share your findings in dashboards. You can then bolster these dashboards with interactive tools, giving end-users the power to perform their own analysis. See how to explore data, create dashboards, and then implement interactive tools such as parameters, highlighters and more.

• Performing calculations is one of the most essential parts of

• analysis in Tableau. Calculations allow you to manipulate your data
• in ways standard tools cannot. You can manipulate the various data
• types with a number of different functions and calculation types to
• solve a wide range of problems. See how to create calculated fields
• and joins, use LOD expressions, perform quick table calculations,
• and more.

Tableau Desktop's geographic data tools allow you to perform robust analysis on your map views. You can work with geographic data where Tableau recognizes location names or create maps from spatial files. You can use a variety of tools to configure maps to suit your data, including heatmaps for overlapping data, custom territories for personalized analysis, and even links to Google Maps. Tableau Desktop also provides many stylistic options, allowing you to best communicate analysis performed in your map views.

• The most effective data visualizations are the ones that clearly

• communicate their findings. A key part of this communication is
• formatting. Tableau Desktop provides a wide range of formatting
• tools that you can use to change your view’s style, and ultimately
• increase its interpretability. Tableau Desktop also provides extra
• analytic features - including bands, bullets, plots, and forecast
• tools - that can help enhance your visualizations.

• Once you've finished analyzing your data in Tableau Desktop,

• it's time to present your results and share your insights with the
• world. Tableau has a number of ways you can share your findings.
• You can compile your sheets into dashboards or stories, and then
• implement actions to better communicate your information. You can
• also share, publish, and print your workbook to ensure that
• everyone benefits from the data you've been working on, no matter
• what software or device they're using.