Data Visualization Using Tableau

Mastering Tableau: Unveiling the Power of

Visual Analytics
Engage and Think

Imagine you are managing a popular café in your city.

Everyday, you collect tons of data: sales figures,
customer feedback, inventory levels, and more. This
data holds valuable insights that could help you
improve your café's performance and customer
satisfaction.

Have you ever wondered how big companies like

Starbucks or McDonald's use data to enhance their
services and keep you coming back for more?
 Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Analyze the principles of data visualization to present a compelling

story with data
Examine how to connect, open, and discover sections in the Tableau
interface to improve efficiency in data analysis
Utilize various types of files in Tableau to enhance data integration
skills
Create worksheets, dashboards, and stories to sharpen data
visualization and storytelling abilities
Data Visualization
 Data Visualization

It is the graphical or pictorial representation of data.

Excel data Tableau representation

It is crucial to represent data in a way that is easy to interpret and helps make data-driven decisions.
 Data Visualization

It transforms complex data sets into easily understandable visual representations. These visualizations
serve several key purposes in the data analytics process:

Identify trends Identify patterns and Get insights

outliers
 Example: Income vs. Life Expectancy Chart

An example of an insightful chart that depicts the relationship between income

and life expectancy:

According to the chart, high-income

countries exhibit higher life
expectancy rates compared to low-
income countries.

Low-income country High-income country

This chart was produced by Hans Rosling.

 Data Visualization Tools

A few data visualization tools available on the market are:

Dundas Zoho Qlik Power BI

Matplotlib Excel Tableau Looker

 Data Visualization Tools

The current market leaders listed in Gartner's Magic Quadrant for analytics and business
intelligence platforms are as follows:

Microsoft Power BI Tableau Qlik

 Dos and Don'ts of Visualizations

Crafting compelling data visualizations requires a delicate balance.

• Understand the context

• Choose an effective visual
• Use only those elements that are necessary for creating the visual
• Ensure the visual effectively communicates a data story

• Don’t use too many elements and labels

• Avoid cluttering visualizations with too much information
• Prioritize accuracy over aesthetics
• Avoid using too many colors, especially if they don't serve a specific purpose
 Data Visualization: Best Practices

Know your audience

Get feedback early Choose the right chart

and often type

Less is more Use colors purposefully

Quick Check

Data visualization makes it easier for a user to

_____________.

A. Identify trends
B. Identify patterns and outliers
C. Get insights
D. All of the above
Storytelling with Data
 Data Storytelling

It is a method that uses a compelling narrative to communicate information tailored to a specific

audience.
Here are the steps for storytelling:

Start with a problem statement

Discuss how the data has been

analyzed to discover insights

Recommend a solution

It requires an understanding of the context to be effective.

 Data Storytelling

Data is continuously mined and analyzed these days.

An effective data presentation:

• Communicates clearly and effectively for easy

understanding and assimilation
• Is essential for transforming insights into
actionable outcomes

Select the right visual, using only essential elements, and ensure that the visual effectively tells a data story.
Quick Check

_______________ forms the basis of storytelling.

A. Visualization
B. Data
C. Context
D. Color patterns
Introduction to Tableau
 Tableau

It is a data visualization application that allows for advanced computing, data blending, and
dashboarding to create amazing data visualizations.

• It is a popular and widely used tool in the industry.

• It allows the evaluation of raw data in the form of

reports and graphs.

• It has data blending as one of the most significant

aspects.

• It helps in handling a large amount of data.

 Features of Tableau

Drag-and-Drop Connectivity

It is easy for users to create It can connect to various data sources

visualizations without the need for like Excel, SQL databases, cloud data,
extensive coding knowledge. and warehouses.

Visualization Data Blending

It offers a wide range of charts, It can combine multiple data sources

graphs, maps, and dashboards. for a comprehensive analysis.
 Advantages of Tableau

User-friendly interface for creating Capability of handling large datasets

visualizations quickly for real-time analysis

Inability of users to create Compatibility with various data

interactive dashboards sources and applications
Introduction to Tableau Products
 Tableau Products

Tableau provides different product offerings for their visualization software:

Tableau Server

Tableau Prep Builder Data preparation Server Tableau online

Tableau Public server

Tableau products

Tableau Reader Tableau Desktop

Viewer Developer

Tableau Mobile Tableau Public Desktop

 Tableau Public

It is a free version of Tableau visualization software that offers limited features.

It connects seamlessly to multiple types of data, like files and data connectors.
 Tableau Public: Features

It builds visuals with public data for personal use.

It operates on a cloud server and does not provide integration with

other Tableau products.

It needs an internet connection.

It does not provide data privacy or security.

 Tableau Desktop

It is a fully loaded, paid developer version of Tableau visualization software.

• It offers many advantages, including better security and

the provision to work offline.
• It connects seamlessly to different types of data.
• It supports many file types.
• It supports around 60 types of data connectors.
• It is used by business organizations and teams for
building visuals.
 Tableau Desktop: Features

Provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface

Imports data through live and extract data

connections

Offers diverse visualization options

Blends data from multiple sources and perform joins

Creates calculated fields and dynamic parameters

 Tableau Public vs. Tableau Desktop

Tableau Public Tableau Desktop

• Offers a paid license

• Offers a free license
• Offers more file type and data connector
• Provides access to a limited range of file
type options
types and data connector types
• Supports saving visuals on local machines
• Requires files to be published online
• Offers unlimited storage, analysis, and
• Limits data to 1 million rows
distribution of data rows

Note: In this course, visualizations are created with Tableau Desktop.

Quick Check

Which Tableau product is ideal for sharing,

collaborating, and managing Tableau content within
an organization?

A. Tableau Prep
B. Tableau Public
C. Tableau Server
D. Tableau Mobile
Introduction to Tableau Desktop Workspace
 Tableau Desktop: Welcome Screen

Tableau Desktop is a paid platform for exploring, creating, and sharing data visualizations.

The first screen to appear when accessing Tableau Desktop is Tableau Workspace (the welcome screen).
 Discover Section

It helps one connect with the Tableau community and access training videos and blogs.

This section has two subsections, namely:

Meet Tableau

Resources
 Open Section

It shows the recently opened files along with sample dashboards.

The area will be empty if Tableau is opened for

the first time, as there may not be any recently
opened files.
 Connect Section

The connect section imports or connects to different types of files on a local machine or a server.

Various data sources can be connected

through the pane visible on the left
of the screen.

The list of data sources is available under the To a File and To a Server categories.
Demo: Introduction to Tableau and Its Workspace

Duration: 15 minutes

Import and modify data from different file types in Tableau and navigate its workspace for effective
data visualization.
Quick Check

What sections are present on the Tableau welcome

screen?

A. Connect pane
B. Open pane
C. Discover pane
D. All of the above
Data Connectors
 Data Connectors

It is a tool that allows users to connect to various data sources, such as databases, spreadsheets,
and cloud services.

It is used to access and extract data from various data sources, enabling users to create
visualizations and perform analysis within Tableau using real-time and up-to-date data.
 Types of Connectors

The different types of connectors available in Tableau Desktop are as follows:

Google Sheets Web Data Connector

OData Google Drive

 Extract and Live Connection

Extract and Live connections are two different ways of connecting to data sources for
analysis and visualization.
 Extract and Live Connection

The primary difference between using an extract and a live connection lies in how Tableau
accesses and manages data.

TDE (Tableau Data Extract) Live Connection

Optimization It speeds up the workbook through Database are not optimized for faster
optimization. performance.
Performance and Workbook performance is Live and refreshed data is important.
preference preferred.

Time-based usage When one wants to visualize daily, When one wants a real-time update
monthly, or weekly trends
Tableau product Tableau Public only supports TDE. Tableau Desktop supports both TDE
support and Live connection.
Refresh Need to schedule refresh No need to schedule refresh as it is a
real-time update connection
Dependency on Does not require a database after Rely on the database query all the time
database the extract is created
 Data Types

It defines the nature of the values stored in a field, column, or variable within a dataset.
 Different Types of Files Used to Extract Data

Text files

Microsoft Excel file JSON files

Statistical file formats Microsoft Access file

(*.mdb, *.accdb)

Spatial files PDF files

Demo: Extract vs. Live Connections

Duration: 05 minutes

Demonstrate a live connection by updating the Excel data and reflecting those changes in Tableau.
Quick Check

What are Tableau Data Extracts (TDE) used for?

A. Storing raw, unaggregated data for long-term

archival purposes
B. Optimizing data for quick recall and aggregation in
Tableau visualizations
C. Creating real-time connections to live databases for
up-to-date data
D. Exporting data from Tableau to external systems
Parts of the View
 Parts of the View

This section covers the fundamental view elements in Tableau, allowing you to customize visibility as
required.

Pills Marks Card Legends Labels

Data pills in It is a central It provides a key They display

Tableau help element in for interpreting additional
identify variable Tableau that the colors, sizes, information
types in the allows you to shapes, or other about marks
analysis. control the visual properties directly on the
visual properties of marks in your visualization.
of marks (data visualization.
points) in your
visualization.
 Pills in Tableau

It refers to the fields or measures from your dataset that you use to build visualizations.

These pills are the building blocks for creating charts, graphs, maps, and other visual
representations of your data within Tableau's interface.
 Green vs. Blue Pills

Tableau identifies each field as a dimension or measure in the Data pane, depending on the type of
data the field contains.
 Green vs. Blue Pills

Measures Dimensions
(Green Pills): (Blue Pills):

• They are numerical fields with • They are categorical fields

quantitative data and organizing qualitative data into
continuous data. categories or groups.
• They represent values and add • They create visualization
aggregation to them structure, granularity, and the
automatically. level of detail of the
• They are used for quantitative visualization.
analysis and visualization. • They add headers to the view.
• They add an axis to visualization. • Example: countries, regions,
• Example: sales, weight, and and names.
height.
 Marks and Marks Card

Marks are visual elements that represent data points on a chart.

Information on
number of Marks,
Rows, and Columns
and the total value of
measures

Tableau explicitly mentions the number of Marks used in the chart at the left bottom corner of the view.
 Marks and Marks Card

Marks can be changed using the Marks card to add more context and interactivity.

Marks card used to make

changes in the marks
 Marks and Marks Card

The Marks card changes the Mark type, color, and size and adds labels, details, and tooltips.

Types of Marks
can be changed
by selecting
them from the
dropdown.
Marks card includes
Marks type (in the
dropdown), Color,
Size, Label, Detail,
and Tooltip.
Demo: Green vs. Blue pills and Components of the Chart

Duration: 10 minutes

Demonstrate adding measures and dimensions, selecting mark types, and setting up tooltips in Tableau
for effective data visualization.
Quick Check

Which of the following best describes dimensions in

Tableau?

A. They represent numerical data used for calculations

and aggregations.
B. They are used for filtering data based on conditions.
C. They categorize and segment information, such as
dates, geographic locations, and categories.
D. They are used for creating visualizations like bar
charts and line graphs.
 Guided Practice

Overview Duration: 20 minutes

In this project, you will analyze social media metrics in multiple files, including .csv, .txt, and .pdf
formats. Your goal is to create a detailed overview of social media activity over a designated period.
Tableau simplifies the union of data by automatically aligning column names or permitting manual
modifications. This process yields a single dataset that offers an integrated perspective of social media
interactions across different platforms.
 Key Takeaways

Effective data presentation plays a crucial role in converting insights

into actionable outcomes.
Data storytelling uses a compelling narrative to communicate
information tailored to a specific audience.
Tableau offers a free version known as Tableau Public and a paid
version known as Tableau Desktop.
Tableau imports data from text, CSV, and Excel file types to its
workspace.
Each field in tableau is identified as either a dimension or a measure
in the Data pane based on the type of data it contains.
 Additional Resources

• Tableau Features to Know from A to Z

• Viz-of-the-day
• Data types
• Tour the Tableau environment
Q&A