What is Tableau? Features, Installation, & Roadmap

Become a master of Tableau data visualization! Not only is it trusted by more than 86,000 organizations globally, but also some of the biggest names in the industry such as Amazon and Netflix. Tableau converts complex datasets into appealing visualizations. Look through this blog to uncover great features of Tableau and find out how it’s changing business operations for data analysis. Get into details about what Tableau is all about and unearth the numerous ways you stand to benefit from your data using its features.

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What Is Tableau?

Tableau is a software that allows users to visually explore and analyze data. It offers an effective platform for creating visually appealing charts, graphs, and dashboards. These visualizations can then be shared with others in the organization.
Salesforce acquired Tableau in 2019, and it has been equipped with features such as analytics powered by AI. This enables users to uncover hidden trends and patterns in their data. With acquisitions like the $15.7 billion buyout by Salesforce in 2019 and a growing global interest in analytics, Tableau’s future looks promising as it caters to the data needs of the next generation. Tableau offers a range of enterprise-grade analytical products to meet requirements, such as Tableau Prep, Tableau Desktop, Tableau Server, and so on.

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Tableau Installation

Ready to get started with Tableau?

Let’s take a walk through the steps to install Tableau on your device:

Download Tableau Desktop from the official website
Run the installer from the downloads
Begin with the installation and agree to the terms and conditions
Follow the prompts while installing the software
Choose the destination folder
Select the components that you want to install, or let it be all components (by default)
Enter the Product Key (if applicable)
Click “Install” to begin the installation
Click “Finish” to end the installation
Launch Tableau Desktop after completing the installation
After logging in, you can get started

Tableau Desktop

Tableau Desktop is a powerful tool for data visualization and analysis. Through Tableau, it is easy to create interactive and shareable dashboards, reports, and visualizations from various data sources. Let’s have a look at some key features of Tableau Desktop:

Connectivity: When we talk about connectivity, the software can connect to a wide range of data sources, namely SQL, Oracle, spreadsheets, cloud services such as Google Analytics, Salesforce, etc., and big data platforms such as Hadoop, Amazon Redshift, etc.
Interface: When we focus on the Interface, the drag-and-drop features in Tableau really prove helpful. Drag-and-drop allows users to easily create visualizations without the need for complex coding or scripting.
Data Blending and Joining: This functionality allows users to blend data from multiple sources and perform data joins with the help of Tableau.
Advanced Analytics: Tableau Desktop includes analytical functions such as forecasting, trend analysis, clustering, and regression analysis.

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Features of Tableau

Tableau’s versatility and flexibility enhance decision-making capabilities by providing a view of all information in the data along with the following features:

Connectivity options for accessing and integrating data
Enhanced decision-making capabilities through comprehensive data views
Promotion of a data-driven culture fostering collaboration
Empowerment of users through intuitive visualizations and advanced analytics
Data-driven decisions with scalability and governance
Market leadership by a customer base of over 90,000 organizations, including Verizon, Netflix, and Walmart

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Tableau’s Suite of Powerful Analytics Offerings

Tableau offers a range of analytics tools for various requirements, including

Tableau Desktop	Tableau Desktop allows users to conduct analyses, create visualizations, and build dashboards, all from the convenience of their desktop systems.
Tableau Prep Builder	Tableau Prep simplifies the process of preparing data for analysis and visualization. This smart tool automates data preparation tasks, ensuring efficient workflows.
Tableau Server	When it comes to on-premises solutions, Tableau Server is the go-to option. It gives organizations control over their infrastructure by enabling self-managed deployment of Tableau’s offerings in an environment.
Tableau Online	For hassle-free cloud-based analysis, turn to Tableau Online. This hosted solution brings the power of Tableau to the cloud, offering convenience, accessibility, and managed infrastructure.
Tableau CRM	Enhances customer intelligence with Tableau CRM integration with Salesforce CRM. By leveraging data-driven analytics and insights, you can engage customers smarter and more effectively.

File Type Usage

Tableau supports several file formats, such as:

Tableau Workbook (.twb)
Tableau Packaged Workbook (.twbx)
Tableau Data Source (.tds)
Tableau Packaged Data Source (.tdsx)
Tableau Data Extract (.tde or .hyper)
Tableau Bookmark (.tbm)

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Data Types in Tableau

The data types in Tableau are

Date and time: This feature is used for manipulating temporal information like timestamps, dates, and time.
Numerical value: These values show the quantitative data like floating point numbers or integers.
Boolean value: True or False values are generally utilized for logical operations.
Geographic value: These values show the geographical coordinates like latitude and longitude, geospatial data, addresses, or regions.
Cluster group: These show the clustering of data based on specific conditions.

Go through our blog on What is Tableau Server to learn in detail.

Data Source Connections in Tableau

There are various data source connections available in Tableau.

It can connect with files in your system like

Microsoft Excel
Text files
JSON
Pdf

It can connect with databases on servers such as

Microsoft SQL server
MySQL
Oracle
Teradata

Tableau can also make connections with cloud platforms such as:

AWS
Azure SQL data warehouse
Google Cloud SQL

Also, Check out the blog on Looker vs. Tableau.

Advantages of Tableau

The advantages of Tableau are:

Interactive data discovery: It allows users to explore data in a manner using charts, graphs, and maps to uncover important insights.

Enterprise capabilities: Tableau can handle large amounts of data while meeting the governance, security, and compliance requirements of large organizations.

Insights: Users can make decisions based on data, accurately predict outcomes, and optimize strategies to achieve significant business gains with Tableau.

Flexible deployment: Tableau offers options, like fully hosted SaaS, on-premise installations, or hybrid solutions, to seamlessly align with different infrastructure preferences.

Evolving platform: With innovation in areas, like AI/ML integration, multi-cloud support, and easy collaboration features, Tableau constantly stays ahead of the curve.

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Tableau Future Trends

A tableau expert can look for the following future trends:

Driving augmented analytics AI/ML infusion: Tableau has continued to combine leading-edge AI and machine learning technology capabilities.

Flexible multi-cloud deployments: With the ever-growing cloud-first strategies, Tableau is investing in expanding its platform support across leading cloud data sources and hybrid deployment flexibility.

Enhanced mobile capabilities: The mobile apps are being enhanced to deliver a rich, interactive analytics experience. Smart recommendations and contextual insights on mobile in Tableau are leading to a churn in the technology.

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Tableau Tutorial Roadmap

To get an enriching learning experience, follow out Tableau Tutorial Roadmap and excel in your career:

To become a pro at Tableau, you can refer to our Tableau Tutorial.

Conclusion

We hope this blog enriches and adds to your knowledge of Tableau. It’s important to explore every feature of Tableau to present accurate data. Go through every aspect of Tableau to master it.