Visualizing forecast
Forecasting is the process of trying to predict what might happen in the future based on historical data and trends.
In this recipe, we will use Tableau's forecasting feature to forecast upcoming floods using flood data from 1985 to 2014:
Getting ready
To follow this recipe, open B05527_06 – STARTER.twbx. Use the worksheet called Forecasting and connect to the MasterTable (FlooddataMasterListrev) data source:
How to do it...
Here are the steps to create the view in this recipe:
From Dimensions, right-click and drag the Began field to the Columns shelf. Choose continuous MONTH(Began):
From Measures, drag Number of Records to the Rows shelf.
Right-click anywhere in the view to show additional options.
Under Forecast, select Show Forecast:
How it works...
Tableau's forecasting feature uses a technique called exponential smoothing, as described in the online documentation at http://bit.ly/tableau-forecasting. Typically, when forecasting, one of the axes needs to be temporal (or date...
