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    Tableau 8.2 Training Manual: From Clutter to Clarity
    Tableau 8.2 Training Manual: From Clutter to Clarity
    Tableau 8.2 Training Manual: From Clutter to Clarity
    Ebook385 pages2 hours

    Tableau 8.2 Training Manual: From Clutter to Clarity

    By Larry Keller

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    About this ebook

    This manual was created for the Tableau Desktop User who is new to Tableau or seeks to raise their skills to at least the intermediate level. VIA was first in the world with a Tableau Training Manual and continues to publish training documents that are now in 45 countries. Used in colleges and universities, VIA has become the standard for Tableau users.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBookBaby
    Release dateSep 30, 2014
    ISBN9780692286241
    Tableau 8.2 Training Manual: From Clutter to Clarity

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      Book preview

      Tableau 8.2 Training Manual - Larry Keller

      Author

      Section 1 – Connecting to Data

      Introduction – VIA has provided Tableau Packaged Workbooks for every section of this manual. The user should refer to Tableau Packaged Workbook numbered 1.0 VIA vs 8.2 – Connecting to Data. The goal is for the user to build his or her workbook based on the instructions that follow and refer to the aforementioned packaged workbook for guidance.

      Opening Tableau – Open Tableau 8.2. Upon opening Tableau, the user sees the most recent Tableau Workbooks in the space headed Workbooks, saved data connections at the top left and Tableau sample workbooks at the bottom center (Figure. 1.0 ). Going forward most of the lessons will use either the SuperStore Excel file or Coffee Chain MS Access database unless otherwise directed in the instructions for the specific lesson. These two data sources and others are provided with the license. The user will be instructed in every lesson so there is no confusion about data sources.

      Note Well: To get free Tableau Packaged Workbooks use this link ( http://viainsights.com/contact/)

      Click on Connect to Data located at the top left just under the word Data.

      Figure 1.0

      This symbol represents a Best Practice Tip or BPT used throughout the manual. The BPT is there to remind the user about important features and the best use of those features in creating a visual. Examples below:

      Tableau is used for ad hoc data visualization and analysis thus the system of record (SOR) is never changed.

      Tableau is made of sheets not unlike Excel and sheets comprise a Tableau Workbook

      Tableau is not limited by the size of the data source

      2 Connecting to an Excel Data Source – Having clicked on Connect to Data, an array of data connections appear on the left margin (Figure 1.1). There are two versions of the desktop product, the Personal version and the Professional version. The products are identical except the Personal version limits data connections to Excel, text or MS Access sources, while the Professional version connects to enterprise-level server databases and the aforementioned sources.

      As the user creates Tableau Workbooks the space to the right of the data connection options will be populated with the users most recent work not unlike other software products.

      Figure 1.1

      a) From the options on the Connect to Data page, select Excel. The user will immediately be presented with two Excel files. Select Sample Superstore Subset (Excel) and then click on Open.

      Figure 1.2

      b) In Figure 1.3 we are presented with a space into which the user will drag sheets from the Excel file (Orders, Return, and Users) and access to other functions.

      Figure 1.3

      c) Drag Orders to the area marked Drag sheets here or simply double click on Orders. The Orders sheet will become the first example of data that the user will visualize (Figure 1.4 ). This exercise uses a live connection of the two presented in yellow highlighting. Extracts will be addressed later.

      Figure 1.4

      d) Note Well: In any analytics project, preparing your data for analysis is just as important as the analysis itself. Beginning with Tableau 8.2, improvements have been made to make it easier for you to connect and import (download) data, combining and quickly review the data before you build your view and begin analysis. It is now possible support for files that contain more than 255 columns. Tableau now recognizes the time data type at the fractional second level. Support for count distinct, median, percentiles, and date-parse functions are now available without an Extract – all these features will be presented.

      e) Having selected Go to Worksheet, the user sees the dimensions and measures placed in the two data windows (Figure 1.5 ).

      This is the canvas that the user will use to create his/her story visually. To see the effect of the options, practice by picking any dimension and place it on Columns, Rows – follow by dragging to the cards. Cards are Color, Size, Text, Detail and Tooltip. Do the same with any measure. After dragging a dimension or measure to a Row, Column or Card, look to the top right for Show Me, which reveals the possible chart options.

      Figure 1.5

      BPT – The user should be aware of how space, color and size are used along with field labels. When a sheet is destined for a dashboard, space is precious.

      f) Double-click on Sales which automatically generates the Y axis; follow by double-clicking on Product Category. The user has created his/her first visualization in only four actions (Figure 1.6 ).

      Figure 1.6

      Roles of Dimensions and Measures – Think of measures as numeric content summed up or averaged. (Always in green within Tableau Desktop) We add context to these Totals using dimensions – categorical data (Always blue). Sales are rendered on the Y axis, and the Product Category generates labels on the X axis, with each Product represented by a bar. Profitability is defined by a sequential color gradient. Using color adds powerful visual context. As a best practice, do not use color unless it adds value. It can distract from the data.

      The single most popular desktop icon is the Undo arrow as shown below. Located just below the File Menu, the user can undo or redo with one simple click.

      g) Place the cursor on Sales, the green pill presently on Rows. Use the pull down arrow and select Count Distinct (Figure 1.7 ).

      Figure 1.7

      h) Note the difference in the two visuals. The default aggregation and the Count Distinct are quite different. The Count Distinct tells the user the unique number of orders by product category not the SUM (Figures 1.8 and 1.8.1)

      Figure 1.8

      Figure 1.8.1

      i) Important notes about the use of Excel data sources are detailed below.

      Notes about Excel files: Figure 1.9 below represents the SuperStore Excel, which is in the Tableau Data Repository under My Documents. Notice that the data is rendered in columns with all columns filled up to the column headers. In this case the data is Tableau-ready, which is not the case with many Excel spread files. Extraneous information must be deleted. For example, if the first rows are used to announce the report, The Q4 Sales Report, or like information, they must be deleted. If the data needs to be reshaped in its entirety, note the Best Practices Tip (BPT) below.

      Figure 1.9

      In the event that an Excel spreadsheet is not Tableau-ready, Tableau provides a data reshaping tool. See Appendix for Excel Add-in. This tool will be demonstrated when a VIA consultant is on site with a client. Use this link to download the tool: http://kb.tableausoftware.com/articles/knowledgebase/addin-reshaping-data-excel

      j) Before the next exercise, clear Sales and Product Category from Rows and Columns by clicking on the icon with the red x located just below the Dashboard Menu. To create the first real visual, from the Dimensions section of the data window, double-click on Product Category and Product Sub-Category. From the Measures section of the data window, double-click on Sales. The result is a classic tabular view as shown in Figure 1.10. Tableau has automatically put Dimensions on Rows and Sales on the Text shelf. To go from a tabular view to visualization options, proceed to the next step (k).

      Figure 1.10

      k) Click on Show Me which is on the top right portion of the screen. Tableau presents an array of visual options. Based on the user’s combination of dimensions and measures, one visual is outlined as the best suggestion – a horizontal bar chart. However, other options are highlighted as well. Those that are muted do not have the required data combinations. Hover the cursor over all chart options and note the changes at the bottom of the palette. Each chart option tells the user the name of the visual and the combination of data elements required (Figure 1.11).

      Figure 1.11

      l) Click on the recommended visual, horizontal bars. Follow by dragging Profit to

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