Category: tableau

Discuss Tableau ”; Previous Next Tableau is a Business Intelligence tool for visually analyzing the data. Users can create and distribute an interactive and shareable dashboard, which depict the trends, variations, and density of the data in the form of graphs and charts. Tableau can connect to files, relational and Big Data sources to acquire and process data. The software allows data blending and real-time collaboration, which makes it very unique. It is used by businesses, academic researchers, and many government organizations for visual data analysis. It is also positioned as a leader Business Intelligence and Analytics Platform in Gartner Magic Quadrant. Print Page Previous Next Advertisements ”;

Tableau – Get Started ”; Previous Next In this chapter, you will learn some basic operations in Tableau to get acquainted with its interface. There are three basic steps involved in creating any Tableau data analysis report. These three steps are − Connect to a data source − It involves locating the data and using an appropriate type of connection to read the data. Choose dimensions and measures − This involves selecting the required columns from the source data for analysis. Apply visualization technique − This involves applying required visualization methods, such as a specific chart or graph type to the data being analyzed. For convenience, let’s use the sample data set that comes with Tableau installation named sample – superstore.xls. Locate the installation folder of Tableau and go to My Tableau Repository. Under it, you will find the above file at Datasources9.2en_US-US. Connect to a Data Source On opening Tableau, you will get the start page showing various data sources. Under the header “Connect”, you have options to choose a file or server or saved data source. Under Files, choose excel. Then navigate to the file “Sample – Superstore.xls” as mentioned above. The excel file has three sheets named Orders, People and Returns. Choose Orders. Choose the Dimensions and Measures Next, choose the data to be analyzed by deciding on the dimensions and measures. Dimensions are the descriptive data while measures are numeric data. When put together, they help visualize the performance of the dimensional data with respect to the data which are measures. Choose Category and Region as the dimensions and Sales as the measure. Drag and drop them as shown in the following screenshot. The result shows the total sales in each category for each region. Apply Visualization Technique In the previous step, you can see that the data is available only as numbers. You have to read and calculate each of the values to judge the performance. However, you can see them as graphs or charts with different colors to make a quicker judgment. We drag and drop the sum (sales) column from the Marks tab to the Columns shelf. The table showing the numeric values of sales now turns into a bar chart automatically. You can apply a technique of adding another dimension to the existing data. This will add more colors to the existing bar chart as shown in the following screenshot. Print Page Previous Next Advertisements ”;

Tableau – Data Terminology ”; Previous Next As a powerful data visualization tool, Tableau has many unique terms and definitions. You need to get acquainted with their meaning before you start using the features in Tableau. The following list of terms is comprehensive and explains the terms most frequently used. S.No Terms & Meaning 1 Alias An alternative name that you can assign to a field or to a dimension member. 2 Bin A user-defined grouping of measures in the data source. 3 Bookmark A .tbm file in the Bookmarks folder in the Tableau repository that contains a single worksheet. Much like web browser bookmarks, .tbm files are a convenient way to quickly display different analyses. 4 Calculated Field A new field that you create by using a formula to modify the existing fields in your data source. 5 Crosstab A text table view. Use text tables to display the numbers associated with dimension members. 6 Dashboard A combination of several views arranged on a single page. Use dashboards to compare and monitor a variety of data simultaneously. 7 Data Pane A pane on the left side of the workbook that displays the fields of the data sources to which Tableau is connected. The fields are divided into dimensions and measures. The data pane also displays custom fields such as calculations, binned fields, and groups. You build views of your data by dragging fields from the data pane onto the various shelves that are a part of every worksheet. 8 Data Source Page A page where you can set up your data source. The data source page generally consists of four main areas − left pane, join area, preview area, and metadata area. 9 Dimension A field of categorical data. Dimensions typically hold discrete data such as hierarchies and members that cannot be aggregated. Examples of dimensions include dates, customer names, and customer segments. 10 Extract A saved subset of a data source that you can use to improve performance and analyze offline. You can create an extract by defining filters and limits that include the data you want in the extract. 11 Filters Shelf A shelf on the left of the workbook that you can use to exclude data from a view by filtering it using measures and dimensions. 12 Format Pane A pane that contains formatting settings that control the entire worksheet, as well as individual fields in the view. When open, the Format pane appears on the left side of the workbook. 13 Level Of Detail (LOD) Expression A syntax that supports aggregation at dimensionalities other than the view level. With the level of detail expressions, you can attach one or more dimensions to any aggregate expression. 14 Marks A part of the view that visually represents one or more rows in a data source. A mark can be, for example, a bar, line, or square. You can control the type, color, and size of marks. 15 Marks Card A card to the left of the view, where you can drag fields to control mark properties such as type, color, size, shape, label, tooltip, and detail. 16 Pages Shelf A shelf to the left of the view that you can use to split a view into a sequence of pages based on the members and values in a discrete or continuous field. Adding a field to the Pages shelf is like adding a field to the Rows shelf, except that a new page is created for each new row. 17 Rows Shelf A shelf at the top of the workbook that you can use to create the rows of a data table. The shelf accepts any number of dimensions and measures. When you place a dimension on the Rows shelf, Tableau creates headers for the members of that dimension. When you place a measure on the Rows shelf, Tableau creates quantitative axes for that measure. 18 Shelves Named areas to the left and top of the view. You build views by placing fields onto the shelves. Some shelves are available only when you select certain mark types. For example, the Shape shelf is available only when you select the Shape mark type. 19 Workbook A file with a .twb extension that contains one or more worksheets (and possibly also dashboards and stories). 20 Worksheet A sheet where you build views of your data by dragging fields onto shelves. Print Page Previous Next Advertisements ”;

Tableau – Forecasting ”; Previous Next Forecasting is about predicting the future value of a measure. There are many mathematical models for forecasting. Tableau uses the model known as exponential smoothing. In exponential smoothing, recent observations are given relatively more weight than older observations. These models capture the evolving trend or seasonality of the data and extrapolate them into the future. The result of a forecast can also become a field in the visualization created. Tableau takes a time dimension and a measure field to create a forecast. Creating a Forecast Using the Sample-superstore, forecast the value of the measure sales for next year. To achieve this objective, following are the steps. Step 1 − Create a line chart with Order Date (Year) in the columns shelf and Sales in the Rows shelf. Go to the Analysis tab as shown in the following screenshot and click Forecast under Model category. Step 2 − On completing the above step, you will find the option to set various options for forecast. Choose the Forecast Length as 2 years and leave the Forecast Model to Automatic as shown in the following screenshot. Click OK, and you will get the final forecast result as shown in the following screenshot. Describe Forecast You can also get minute details of the forecast model by choosing the option Describe Forecast. To get this option, right-click on Forecast diagram as shown in the following screenshot. Print Page Previous Next Advertisements ”;

Tableau – Overview ”; Previous Next As a leading data visualization tool, Tableau has many desirable and unique features. Its powerful data discovery and exploration application allows you to answer important questions in seconds. You can use Tableau”s drag and drop interface to visualize any data, explore different views, and even combine multiple databases easily. It does not require any complex scripting. Anyone who understands the business problems can address it with a visualization of the relevant data. After analysis, sharing with others is as easy as publishing to Tableau Server. Tableau Features Tableau provides solutions for all kinds of industries, departments, and data environments. Following are some unique features which enable Tableau to handle diverse scenarios. Speed of Analysis − As it does not require high level of programming expertise, any user with access to data can start using it to derive value from the data. Self-Reliant − Tableau does not need a complex software setup. The desktop version which is used by most users is easily installed and contains all the features needed to start and complete data analysis. Visual Discovery − The user explores and analyzes the data by using visual tools like colors, trend lines, charts, and graphs. There is very little script to be written as nearly everything is done by drag and drop. Blend Diverse Data Sets − Tableau allows you to blend different relational, semistructured and raw data sources in real time, without expensive up-front integration costs. The users don’t need to know the details of how data is stored. Architecture Agnostic − Tableau works in all kinds of devices where data flows. Hence, the user need not worry about specific hardware or software requirements to use Tableau. Real-Time Collaboration − Tableau can filter, sort, and discuss data on the fly and embed a live dashboard in portals like SharePoint site or Salesforce. You can save your view of data and allow colleagues to subscribe to your interactive dashboards so they see the very latest data just by refreshing their web browser. Centralized Data − Tableau server provides a centralized location to manage all of the organization’s published data sources. You can delete, change permissions, add tags, and manage schedules in one convenient location. It’s easy to schedule extract refreshes and manage them in the data server. Administrators can centrally define a schedule for extracts on the server for both incremental and full refreshes. Print Page Previous Next Advertisements ”;

Tableau – Condition Filters ”; Previous Next One of the important filtering options in Tableau is to apply some conditions to already existing filters. These conditions can be very simple like finding only those sales which are higher than a certain amount or it can be a complex one based on a certain formula. The conditions can also be applied to create a range filter. Creating a Condition Filter Using the Sample-superstore, let”s find that sub-category of products across all segments whose sales exceed one million. To achieve this objective, following are the steps. Step 1 − Drag the dimension segment and the measure Sales to the Column shelf. Next, drag the dimension Sub-Category to the Rows shelf. Choose the horizontal bar chart option. You will get the following chart. Step 2 − Drag the dimension Sub-Category to the Filters Shelf. Right-click to edit and go to the tab Condition. Here, choose the radio option by field. From the drop-down, select Sales, Sum and greater than equal to symbol specifying the value 100000. On completion of the above two steps, we get a chart which shows only those subcategory of products, which have the required amount of sale. Also this is shown for all the available segments where the condition is met. Print Page Previous Next Advertisements ”;

Tableau – Bar Chart ”; Previous Next A bar chart represents data in rectangular bars with the length of the bar proportional to the value of the variable. Tableau automatically produces a bar chart when you drag a dimension to the Row shelf and measure to the Column shelf. We can also use the bar chart option present in the Show Me button. If the data is not appropriate for bar chart, then this option will be automatically greyed out. In Tableau, various types of bar charts can be created by using a dimension and a measure. Simple Bar Chart From the Sample-Superstore, choose the dimension, take profit to the columns shelf and Sub-Category to the rows shelf. It automatically produces a horizontal bar chart as shown in the following screenshot. In case, it does not, you can choose the chart type from the Show Me tool to get the following result. Bar Chart with Color Range You can apply colors to the bars based on their ranges. The longer bars get darker shades and the smaller bars get the lighter shades. To do this, drag the profit field to the color palette under the Marks Pane. Also note that, it produces a different color for negative bars. Stacked Bar Chart You can add another dimension to the above bar chart to produce a stacked bar chart, which shows different colors in each bar. Drag the dimension field named segment to the Marks pane and drop it in colors. The following chart appears which shows the distribution of each segment in each bar. Print Page Previous Next Advertisements ”;

Tableau – Pie Chart ”; Previous Next A pie chart represents data as slices of a circle with different sizes and colors. The slices are labeled and the numbers corresponding to each slice is also represented in the chart. You can select the pie chart option from the Marks card to create a pie chart. Simple Pie Chart Choose one dimension and one measure to create a simple pie chart. For example, take the dimension named region with the measure named profit. Drop the Region dimension in the colors and label marks. Drop the Profit measure into the size mark. Choose the chart type as Pie. The following chart appears which shows the 4 regions in different colors. Drill-Down Pie Chart You can choose a dimension with hierarchy and as you go deeper into the hierarchy, the chart changes reflect the level of the dimension chosen. In the following example, we take the dimension Sub-Category which has two more levels – Manufacturer and Product Name. Take the measure profit and drop it to the Labels mark. The following pie chart appears which shows the values for each slice. Going one more level into the hierarchy, we get the manufacturer as the label and the above pie chart changes to the following one. Print Page Previous Next Advertisements ”;

Tableau – Tree Map ”; Previous Next The tree map displays data in nested rectangles. The dimensions define the structure of the tree map and measures define the size or color of the individual rectangle. The rectangles are easy to visualize as both the size and shade of the color of the rectangle reflect the value of the measure. A Tree Map is created using one or more dimension with one or two measures. Creating a Tree Map Using the Sample-superstore, plan to find the size of profits for each Ship mode values. To achieve this objective, following are the steps. Step 1 − Drag and drop the measure profit two times to the Marks Card. Once to the Size shelf and again to the Color shelf. Step 2 − Drag and drop the dimension ship mode to the Label shelf. Choose the chart type Tree Map from Show Me. The following chart appears. Tree Map with Two Dimensions You can add the dimension Region to the above Tree map chart. Drag and drop it twice. Once to the Color shelf and again to the Label shelf. The chart that appears will show four outer boxes for four regions and then the boxes for ship modes nested inside them. All the different regions will now have different colors. Print Page Previous Next Advertisements ”;

Tableau Tutorial PDF Version Quick Guide Resources Job Search Discussion Tableau is a Business Intelligence tool for visually analyzing the data. Users can create and distribute an interactive and shareable dashboard, which depict the trends, variations, and density of the data in the form of graphs and charts. Tableau can connect to files, relational and Big Data sources to acquire and process data. The software allows data blending and real-time collaboration, which makes it very unique. It is used by businesses, academic researchers, and many government organizations for visual data analysis. It is also positioned as a leader Business Intelligence and Analytics Platform in Gartner Magic Quadrant. Audience This tutorial is designed for all those readers who want to create, read, write, and modify Business Intelligence Reports using Tableau. In addition, it will also be quite useful for those readers who would like to become a Data Analyst or a Data Scientist. Prerequisites Before proceeding with this tutorial, you should have a basic understanding of Computer Programming terminologies and Data analysis. You should also have some knowledge on various types of graphs and charts. Familiarity with SQL will be an added advantage. Print Page Previous Next Advertisements ”;