Taming Data with Tableau Prep

We considered some options for structuring data in Tableau Desktop in the previous chapter. Many of the concepts around well-structured data will apply here as we now turn our attention to another product from Tableau: Tableau Prep. Tableau Prep extends the Tableau platform with robust options for cleaning and structuring data for analysis in Tableau. In the same way that Tableau Desktop provides a hands-on, visual experience for visualizing and analyzing data, Tableau Prep provides a hands-on, visual experience for cleaning and shaping data.

Tableau Prep is on an accelerated, monthly release cycle and while the platform continues to grow and expand, there is an underlying paradigm that sets a foundation for cleaning and shaping data. We'll cover a lot of ground in this chapter, but our goal is not to cover every possible feature—and indeed, we won't. Instead, we will seek to understand the underlying paradigm and flow of thought...