Tableau Desktop: Analyzing Data

Tableau Desktop: Analyzing Data

• use Explain data to inspect, uncover, and evaluate marks in a visualization while building, exploring, and analyzing data
• display multiple diversified measures on multiple rows using Tableau Desktop
• create Tableau dashboards to bring visualizations together and create interactive applications
• configure dashboard layouts to support different types of devices
• create parameters and apply filtering in Tableau
• demonstrate how to perform total calculations to summarize data for analytics
• embed visualizations within tooltips
• add dashboard extensions and use them in dashboard layouts
• export Tableau data to a CSV or database file
• highlight data to provide description for dashboard elements

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.

Tableau Desktop: Creating Data Visualizations

Tableau Desktop: Creating Data Visualizations

• create a basic view to explore data in Tableau Desktop
• create vertical and horizontal bar charts to compare data across identified categories
• create box plots to depict the distribution of values and configure whiskers to display all points at the maximum extent of data
• create and configure maps that show quantitative values for individual locations
• create scatter plots and trend lines to visualize and compare relationships between numerical variables
• set up dual-axis charts using both number and date fields
• create a histogram to show data distribution
• create groups from fields in the Data pane and use Include an Other Group to compare specific groups against every other group
• create dynamic filters to depict data from the current week, the year to date, and the last 20 days
• work with reference lines, bands of an axis, trend lines, and forecasts using the Analytics pane

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.

Tableau Desktop: Enhancing Data Visualizations

Tableau Desktop: Enhancing Data Visualizations

• use the formatting tools in Tableau Desktop to control formatting at a workbook level
• use the formatting tools in Tableau Desktop to customize formatting options in worksheets, dahsboards, stories and individual objects
• use the formatting tools in Tableau Desktop to customize the appearance of tables and graphic lines
• add reference bands to continuous axes in a view
• create distribution bands to add reference distributions with two or more values
• demonstrate the approach of creating bullet graphs that can replace dashboard gauges and meters
• add box plots to continuous axes in a view
• use nested table calculations in a view
• demonstrates the process of creating clusters with sample data
• demonstrate the steps involved in creating forecasts and work with prediction intervals

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.

Tableau Desktop: Going Deeper with Maps

Tableau Desktop: Going Deeper with Maps

• demonstrate the use of Radial, Rectangular, and Lasso selection tools
• create choropleth maps to depict ratio or aggregated data in Tableau Desktop
• demonstrate the steps involved in creating maps using spatial files and geodatabases
• connect Tableau Desktop to geographical data contained in shapefiles
• demonstrate the process involved in creating density heat maps in Tableau Desktop
• demonstrate the approach of selecting new background maps and setting default background maps in Tableau Desktop
• group existing locations together to create custom territories or regions
• use Google Maps to quickly generate directions to the points identified in a map
• demonstrate how to create map views using Mapbox maps
• demonstrate the steps involved in blending two data sources and creating primary groups

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.

Tableau Desktop: Opening & Connecting Data Sources

Tableau Desktop: Opening & Connecting Data Sources

• locate and open Tableau Desktop in a Windows 10 work environment
• explore the Tableau Desktop interface
• explore the Tableau Data Source Page
• connect to a desktop source and use single tables and multiple tables to extract data into Tableau Data Engine
• connect to a Microsoft SQL Server database, select tables, and directly connect to the data to enable working with live data
• configure and use Extract Mode with a Microsoft SQL Server database connection
• demonstrate how to use a custom SQL query with a database to extract data into the Tableau Data Engine
• use Google Analytics and Tableau to analyze your web data
• work with an OData source to consume data in Tableau
• demonstrate and implement inner, left, and right joins using Tableau
• demonstrate cross-database and more advanced joins

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.

Tableau Desktop: Performing Calculations

Tableau Desktop: Performing Calculations

• work with the string functions using the Calculated Field window
• work with the date functions using the Calculated Field window
• use quick table calculations to quickly apply common table calculations to visualizations
• create simple LOD expressions and use them in visualizations
• demonstrate the use of EXCLUDE & FIXED LOD expressions in calculations
• create ad-hoc calculations using existing fields
• demonstrate the approach to setting default aggregation for any measure which is not a calculated field and disaggregate all measures in the view
• create logical calculations to determine if certain conditions are true or false
• use aggregate functions to summarize or change the granularity of data
• demonstrate how to use join calculations to work with data where common fields are missing in the two sources

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: Preparing & Cleaning Data

Tableau Desktop: Preparing & Cleaning Data

• demonstrate managing data types for columns in Data Source page
• use unions to combine data from different locations and append values in a single table
• work with Data Interpreter to identify data anomalies and clean up data
• split data fields using the split and custom split in the Tableau Data Source Page
• use the pivot tool to prepare data for extraction into the Tableau Data Engine
• filter data from the connected data source via the Tableau Data Source Page
• adjust data sources and connections in a Tableau workbook
• replace data sources from the Data Source Page and worksheet view in Tableau Desktop
• refresh live data sources and data extracts that are connected in Tableau Desktop
• append data from a data source or file to an existing data extract in Tableau Desktop

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.

Tableau Desktop: Presenting & Delivering Vizzes

Tableau Desktop: Presenting & Delivering Vizzes

• demonstrate how to add and remove objects from dashboards
• demonstrate the use of multiple views to filter other views in order to implement multi-master Dashboards
• use URL actions to create links in vizzes
• use email actions to start new email conversations from a viz
• create set actions in Tableau Desktop to make them available for use in Tableau Online and Tableau Server
• define advanced Highlight actions using the Actions dialog box
• create stories and add story points in Tableau Desktop
• adjust the controls and layout in stories in Tableau Desktop
• use presentation mode in worksheets, dashboards, and stories in Tableau Desktop
• optimize workbook performance with general design tips and record and review performance speed in Tableau Desktop
• share your workbook and worksheets by printing, exporting, and publishing in Tableau Desktop

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.

Tableau Desktop: Working with Data & Fields

Tableau Desktop: Working with Data & Fields

• find and manage fields in Data pane
• sort and group fields in the Data pane
• describe dimensions and measures, and discrete and continuous data
• use marks and control how dimensions and measures are used in a view
• set up default aggregation for a measure and default number format for date and number fields
• create, edit, and remove dynamic and fixed sets in Tableau Desktop
• configure, manipulate, and combine sets in a view in Tableau Desktop
• create and use bins in Tableau Desktop
• create hierarchies from fields to enable quick drill down between levels
• assign geographic roles to fields in order to use the roles to create a map view
• create calculated fields and use them in a Tableau view

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.

Tableau Desktop: Blending & Managing Data Files

Tableau Desktop: Blending & Managing Data Files

• understand how the Tableau worksheet workspace is organized
• describe the purpose of shelves, cards, and marks when building visualizations in Tableau Desktop
• connect to multiple data sources and use the relationship tool to demonstrate automatic data blending in Tableau
• manually edit and troubleshoot the field relationship settings when blending data in Tableau Desktop
• work with custom geocode data to blend geographical data and import custom geocoding
• create and customize worksheets in a Tableau workbook
• use workbook views and control worksheet contents in Tableau Desktop
• save Tableau workbooks and data sources using TWB and TDS formats
• save a workbook and data extracts using the Tableau Packaged Workbook and Packaged Data Source formats
• save a single worksheet as a Tableau Bookmark format and open the bookmark within a workbook
• import worksheets, dashboards, and workbook contents into a file in Tableau Desktop

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.