Preface

When Tableau was first introduced, it was a dramatic paradigm shift away from tabular reports and extensive cycles of data integration that produced results long after relevant decisions could have been made. Tableau disrupted the paradigm for visually interacting with data. And it continues to offer a unique paradigm — one that makes it easy and intuitive (and fun!) to be hands-on with the data, to receive instant visual feedback with every action, and to ask questions and uncover insights in a natural flow of thought and interaction. The result is an ever growing #datafam, a community that loves Tableau for its simplicity, beauty, and ability to make working with data fun!

Tableau continues to expand and evolve in ways that make seeing and understanding data easier and more powerful. The Tableau Data Model, new dashboard actions, ever-growing geospatial support, animations, and new dashboard objects expand what’s possible and make it easier than ever to gain and share insights from data. New features such as dashboard extensions allow you to go beyond the built-in functionality and integrate Tableau fully into analytic workflows. Einstein Discovery brings the power of AI and powerful predictive models to your analysis.

The continued evolution of Tableau Prep brings the same intuitive instant feedback to data prep and cleansing that Tableau Desktop brought to data visualization, greatly extending the analytical platform of Tableau. We’ll cover these new features (and more) in the chapters of this book!

We’ll look at Tableau through the lens of understanding the underlying paradigm of how and why Tableau works, in the context of practical examples. Then we’ll build on this solid foundation of understanding so that you will have the tools and skills to tackle even the toughest data challenges!