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Writer's pictureJasmine Maharjan

Getting Started with Tableau for Visualization


Prior to using tableau, I used to work on MS excel and MS word to make infographics, where I faced difficulties in creating visualization of big data. All the data had to be lessened to get the visualized report and there was no shortcut. However, with tableau I am able to manage big data and present it as I want to. With tableau, the information is easy to be presented as anyone with non-tech background can learn without having previous experiences.

Previously, I used to extract map in GIS and work manually on filing the colors. In tableau, I am amazed to see how quickly you can create geographical maps and present effortlessly. The whole visualization can be done with dragging and dropping in the working space. It does not require additional data to be added in the data sources. Working in tableau is not time-consuming at all.


How to get access to Tableau?


Tableau can be easily downloaded in our PC. It depends on the individual or a company to download either Tableau Public or Tableau Desktop. Tableau Public is a free version which gives access to all the users / learners. Visualization can be efficiently made with this version but it has to be saved in public workspace and not in our personal devices.

Although Tableau Public has a limited data accessibility up to 1 million rows, it is more than enough for the learners. Tableau desktop is known as the professional version of Tableau. As this is a paid version, it can access majority of quantities of data and workbooks can be saved privately. It gives access to unlimited amount of data.


What kind of data can I use for visualization in Tableau?


Any cleansed data source in the form of CSV, Text, Excel, Access, statistical files, google sheets and web data connected can be used for visualization in Tableau Public. We can also combine different types of data sources. In Tableau Desktop, more advanced data sources can also be connected like on-premise and cloud-based big data such as Tableau Server, Google Analytics, Google Big Query, MS SQL Server, MS Analysis Services, Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL and SAP.


How can I to get sample dataset to practice?

Practicing in data analysis and visualization always consist of numerous data. Tableau has provided free public sample data sets for analysis. There are also websites where practice datasets are available to download: https://www.wisdomaxis.com/technology/software/tableau/sample-data/ https://www.superdatascience.com/pages/tableau .


What are the Charts available in Tableau?

On the right corner of the sheet, there is “Show Me” option where suitable charts can be easily accessed. The provided chart types are enabled as per the types of data either it is measure or dimension or both. Else, types of charts can also be selected from “Marks” as shown in the image.


The available charts are Pie Chart, Bar Chart, Line Chart, Scatterplot, Histogram, Bullet Graph, Packed Bubble Chart, Box & Whisker and Treemaps. Donut Chart can also be created with the combination of Pie chart and circle. The good thing is that Tableau automatically separates data into Dimension and Measures and creates axis in the chart. To combine all the charts in one space, dashboard can be used for clear visualization.


Thanks for Reading

Enjoy Learning!

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