This is shown in the next screenshot, where a geographic symbol map has been selected to show sales in countries across the EU:
However, changes can be quickly undone and reapplied and expert help is also on hand in the form of a ‘Show Me’ tool - simply select the fields to be analysed and this will automatically list the visualizations that best match the data, as in the example below:Ĭhoose one of these suggestions and the required fields are automatically added in the right places on the worksheet and the visualisation created for you.
It can also be confusing and we were often left puzzled by the results we got. To begin with, this can be a very haphazard process. Once connected to your data sources you can really get to work, a process that begins by dragging and dropping the connected columns and rows onto a worksheet, moving them about, drilling down and applying a variety of tools to better understand the data through visualisation. Note, however, that the automatic data interpretation tools are aimed mostly at spreadsheets and may struggle with larger data sets. Added to all this, you can perform ad-hoc calculations on data using simple expressions much like formulae in a spreadsheet. Tableau will also allow you to split date and address fields, create new calculated fields, work out latitude and longitude from addresses for use with geographical charts, and pivot specific rows and columns at any time during an analysis. The rows and columns in a spreadsheet, for example, may need to be swapped, or there may be graphics and other information ahead of column headings which, rather than have to go back to the source and fix them there, can be filtered out by Tableau using its own built-in Data Interpreter.
Moreover, the software can automatically cope with a host of exceptions both in how data sources are structured and the content itself. Multiple data sources can be connected to Tableau worksheets and joins created between tables. Instead, the results of any filters and analyses are stored in its own workbook files, which should pacify administrators worried about the integrity of their master data. It’s also worth noting that Tableau will never change or overwrite an original data set. Take the latter option and you can choose to either work on the live data directly (to take advantage of a high-performance database server, for example) or a point-in-time extract for slow databases and local files, with the extract loaded into memory and worked on there. In terms of user functionality, the two desktop editions are much the same, the program prompting you to either open an existing workbook or connect to a data source on startup.
This rises to over 40 with the Professional Edition, adding connectors for all the leading SQL databases plus data held by popular cloud-based services such as Microsoft Azure, SAP and.
Personal and Professional editions are available here, the main difference being the number and type of data sources supported, with the cheaper personal edition limited to just six, including simple CSV files, Excel spreadsheets and Access databases.
Tableau is now in its ninth incarnation: we tested version 9.2, released in January, using the main Tableau Desktop application, which is available for both Windows and Mac OS. Tableau has been a prime mover behind this trend, with a clear focus on easy-to-use data visualisation that has pushed it to the top of the self-service analytics tree - a position it’s looking to consolidate as a raft of new players seek a share of the burgeoning data analytics market. The market for Business Intelligence (BI) and data analytics has evolved rapidly in the last few years, moving away from a top-down, IT-led approach in favour of user-driven data discovery and visualisation. Newcomers face an appreciable learning curveįrom $999 per user for the Personal Edition or $1,999 for the Professional Edition The market leader in self-service data discovery and visualisation, Tableau 9.2 continues to improve and delight with plenty of enhancements to help keep the competition at bay.Įnhanced data filtering and preparation toolsĬomprehensive training and support ecosystem Tableau 9.2: Getting up close and visual with your data