Tableau Your Data! Wiley. with Tableau Software. the InterWorks Bl Team. Fast and Easy Visual Analysis. Daniel G. Murray and

Tableau Your Data!

Fast and Easy ^Visual Analysis

with Tableau Software®

Daniel G. Murray ^and

the InterWorks Bl Team

Wiley

Contents

Foreword ^xix

Introduction xxi

Part I _Desktop

1

1

Creating ^Visual

Analytics

^withTableau

Desktop

³

The

Shortcomings

of Traditional Information

Analysis

⁴

The Business Casefor Visual

Analysis

⁴

Three KindsofData that Exist in

Every Entity.

⁵

How Visual

Analytics Improves Decision-Making

⁵

Turning

^{Data into}Information with Visual

Analytics

⁸

The Tableau Software

Ecosystem

⁸

Tableau

Desktop

and TableauReader. 8

Introducing

^theTableau

Desktop Workspace

14

Using

^the

Workspace

^Controls

Effectively

⁷⁴

TheStartPage^{and Data}Connection

Page

⁷⁴

What YouNeedtoKnowabout theMenu 18

Leveraging

Toolbar Icons 20

TheDataWindow,Data

Types,

^and

Aggregation

²²

Building

Visualizations with theRowand

Column Shelves 25

Number ofRecords,^MeasureValues,andMeasureNames....26

Understanding

Color in Icons andPills 27

Using

the View Cardsto

Identify

Trends and Outliers 28 HowtheStatusBar

Helps

^{YouUnderstand}Visualizations.... 30

Saving

^Time

by Using

^{theShowMe Button 37}

Notes 33

Connecting to Your Data 35

How^toConnect^toYourData ³⁵

Connecting

^to

Desktop

^{Sources 36}

Connecting

^toDatabase Sources 37

Connecting

^toPublicDatasources 38

WhatAre Generated Values? 39

Measure Names and Measure Values 40

Tableau

Geocoding

41

Numberof Records 42

Knowing

^{WhentoUse a} Direct Connection or a DataExtract..43 The

Flexibility

^ofDirect Connections 43

The

Advantages

^ofaData Extract 44

Using

Tableau's File

Types Effectively

⁴⁵

Tableau Workbook Files 45

Tableau

Packaged

^{Workbooks 46}

Tableau Datasource Files 46

Tableau Bookmark Files 47

Joining

Database Tables with Tableau 47

TheDefaultInnerJoin 49

TheLeftand

Right

^Join

Types

⁵⁰

Customizing

Tableau's Join

Script

⁵¹

Blending

^DifferentDatasources in a

Single

^{Worksheet 54}

WhentoUse

Blending

^{vs.Joins 54}

How toCreateaData Blend 54

Factors thatAffecttheSpeedof Your Data Connections 59

Your Personal

Computer

⁵⁹

YourServer Hardware 60

The Network 61

The Database 61

How^to Deal withData

Quality

^{Problems 61}

QuickSolutions in Tableau 62

Correcting

^YourSource Data 63

Note 63

Building

^{Your First}Visualization 65

Fast and

Easy Analysis

via Show Me 65

HowShow Me Works 66

Chart

Types

^Provided

by

the Show Me Button 67

TextTables

(crosstabs)

⁶⁷

Maps (Symbol

and Filled) 68

Heat

Maps, Highlight Tables,

Treemaps 69 Bar

Chart,

Stacked Bar,

Side-by-Side

^{Bars 69}

CONTENTS XI

Line Charts For Time Series

Analysis

⁷⁰

Area Fill Charts andPieCharts 71

Scatter

Plot,

CircleView,and

Side-by-Side

Circle Plots 72 Bullet

Graph,

^{PackedBubble,}

Histogram,

^and

GanttCharts 72

Trend Lines and Reference Lines 74

Adding

Trendlines and Reference LinestoYour Charts 76

Trend Lines 76

ReferenceLines 76

Why

^the

Concept

^of

Scope

^is

Important

⁷⁸

Changing

^theScope^{of TrendLines} 79

Sorting

^{Data inTableau 81}

Manual

Sorting

^{via Icons 81}

Calculated Sorts

Using

the Sort Menu 83

Enhancing

^Viewswith

Filters,

Sets,

Groups,

^and Hierarchies—84

Making

HierarchiestoProvide Drill-Down

Capability

⁸⁴

Creating

^and

Using

^{Filters 86}

Creating

^aFilterwiththe Filter Shelf 86

Grouping

^{Dimensions 90}

How Tableau Uses Date Fields 97

Tableau'sDate

Hierarchy

⁹⁹

Rearranging

^{TimewithTableau 100}

Creating

Customized Date Fields 101

Taming

Data with Measure Names andValues 702

Notes 107

4 Creating

CalculationstoEnhanceYour Data 109

What isAggregation? 110

Count Distinct Versus Count 110

Median Ill

DimensionversusAttribute 111

What Are Calculated Values and Table Calculations? 112

HowDoCalculated Values Work? 113

How^DoTableCalculations Work? 114

A WordonCalculations and Cubes 775

Using

the Calculation

Dialog

^{Box toCreate}

Calculated Values 115

Field Selection 777

FunctionSelection 777

Parameter Selection 777

Building

^Formulas

Using

^TableCalculations 118

Editing

^TableCalculationstoSuit Your

Purpose

¹²⁰

Understanding

^TableCalculation Behavior 722

xii CONTENTS

Customizing

Table Calculations 123

Secondary

Table Calculations 125

Using

Table CalculationFunctions ¹²⁸

Adding Flexibility

^toCalculations with Parameters 129

WhatareBasic Parameters? 130

What^AreAdvancedParameters? 132

Using

the Function Reference

Appendix

¹³⁵

Notes 136

5

Using MapstoImprove

Insight

¹³⁷

Creating

^aStandard

Map

^{View 138}

HowTableauGeocodes Your Data 140

Typical Map

Errors and HowtoDealWith Them 742

Plotting

Your Own Locations on a

Map

¹⁴⁴

Adding

^Custom

Geocoding

^to Your Datasource ⁷⁴⁴

Importing

^Custom

Geocoding

into Tableau 745

Using

^Custom

Geographic

^{Units ina}

Map

⁷⁴⁶

Replacing

^{Tableau'sStandard}

Maps

¹⁴⁹

Why Replace

Tableau's Standard

Maps?

⁷⁴⁹

Replacing

Tableau's Standard Maps^to

Enhance Information 750

Using Custom

Background

Images^{to Plot}

Spatial

^{Data 152}

Why

Are Non-Standard Plots Useful? 752 The

Steps Required

^{toBuildaCustom}

Spatial

^{Plot 752} Positioning^{Markson a}Non-StandardMap ⁷⁵³

Publishing

Workbooks with Non-Standard

Geographies

^{.... 156}

Shaping

^Datato Enable Point-to-Point

Mapping

¹⁵⁷

Animating Maps Using

the Pages Shelf

orSlider Filters 159

Notes 160

S _Developing

anAd Hoc

Analysis

Environment 161

Generating

^{New DatawithForecasts 162}

How Tableau Creates Forecasts 762

Providing

Self-ServiceAd Hoc

Analysis

with Parameters 166

What Are Parameters? 767

How Can Parameters Be Used?. 767

Basic Parameter Controls 767

Advanced Parameter Controls 777

Editing

Views inTableauServer 175

Note 176

CONTENTS XIII

7 Tips,

^Tricks,and Timesavers 177

SavingTime and

Improving Formatting

¹⁷⁷

Double-Click FieldstoBuild Faster 777 Reduce Clicksusingthe

Right-Mouse

^Button

Drag

¹⁷⁹ Quick

Copy

Fields with

Control-Drag

779

Replace

^Fields

by Dropping

^{theNewFieldon}Top 780

Right-Click

^toEditorFormat

Anything

⁷⁸⁷

Editing

or

Removing

Titles from Axis

Headings

⁷⁸⁷

Speed Up

Your Presentation

Page

^{Views 782}

A Faster

Way

^{to AccessFieldMenu}

Options

⁷⁸³

Improving Appearance

^to

Convey Meaning

More

Precisely

184

Changing

^the

Appearance

^ofDates 784

Formatting Tooltip

^{Content 785}

Change

the Order of Color

Expressed

^inChartsto

Compare

Related Valuesmore

Easily

⁷⁸⁵ ExposingaHeader inaOne-Column Crosstabto

Add

Meaning

^{and Save}

Space

786

Unpacking

^a

Packaged

^Workbook

File

(.twbx)

⁷⁸⁷

MakeaParameterizedAxis Label 787

Using

^{ContinuousQuickFiltersfor}

Ranges

^{of Values 788}

CreateYour Own Custom Date

Hierarchy

789

Assemble Your Own Custom Fields 790

Let Tableau Build Your Actions 797

Formatting

Table CalculationResults 792 WhentoUse

Floating Objects

^{inDashboards 795}

Customizing Shapes, Colors,

Fonts,

^and

Images

196

Customizing Shapes

796

Customizing

^Colors 798

Customizing

^{Fonts 799}

Customizing Images

^{inDashboards 200}

AdvancedChart

Types

²⁰¹

Bar in BarChart ₂₀₇

Box Plots 202

Pareto Charts 204

Sparklines

207

Bullet

Graphs

²⁰⁸

Bringing

^{It All}

Together

with Dashboards 211 How Dashboard Facilitates

Analysis

^and

Understanding

²¹¹

How Tableau

Improves

the Dashboard

Building

^{Process 212}

TheWrong Way^{toBuild aDashboard} 213

The Right

Way

^{toBuildaDashboard 215}

Best Practices for Dashboard

Building

²¹⁶

SizetheDashboardto Fitthe Worst-Case AvailableSpace^.. 216

Employ

^{4-PaneDashboard}

Designs

²⁷⁷

Use ActionstoFilter Instead ofQuickFilters 278 Build

Cascading

Dashboard Designs^to

Improve

^Load

Speeds

²⁷⁹

Limit the Use of ColortoOne

Primary

^ColorScheme 279 Use SmallInstructions NeartheWorktoMake

Navigation

^{Obvious 220}

Filter Information PresentedⁱⁿCrosstabstoProvide

Relevant Details-on-Demand 227

RemoveAll Non-Data-Ink 223

AvoidOne-Size-Fits-AllDashboards 223 WorktoAchieve Dashboard Load Times of Less

thanTenSeconds 223

Building

Your First Advanced Dashboard 224

Introducing

the Dashboard Worksheet 224

Defining

the Dashboard Size 227

Position the Worksheet

Objects

in the Dashboard

Workspace

²²⁷

Using Layout

^{ContainerstoPosition}

Objects

²³⁷

Positioning

^and

Fitting

the Dashboard

Objects

²³⁴

Using

^{ActionstoCreate}Advanced Dashboard

Navigation

^{.. 245}

Embedding

^aLive Website inaDashboard. 254

Adding

^DetailsonDemand with

Tooltips

²⁶² SharingYour Dashboard with Tableau Reader 266

Security

Considerations for

Publishing

^via

Tableau Reader. 266

Sharing

Dashboards with Tableau Onlineor

TableauServer 267

Designing

^forMobile

Consumption

²⁶⁸

The

Physics

^{of Mobile}

Consumption

268

Security

Considerations for Mobile

Consumption

²⁶⁹

Typical

^Mobile

Usage

^{Patterns 269}

Using

^theTableau Performance Recorderto

Improve

Load

Speed

278

Notes 279

CONTENTS XV

Part II

Tableau Server 281

9 _Installing

Tableau Server 283

TheReasons^to

Deploy

^{TableauServer 284}

Data Governance 284

Efficiency

²⁸⁴

Flexibility

²⁸⁵

Licensing Options

for TableauServerand Tableau Online 286

Determining

Your Hardware and Software Needs 286

Determining

^{WhatKindof ServerLicense toPurchase 287}

Tableau Server'sArchitecture 288

Sizing

the Server Hardware 289

Environmental FactorsThatCan Affect Performance 290

Configuring

^TableauServerforthe First Time 291

General: Server Run As User 29?

General: User Authentication andActive

Directory

²⁹²

Setting-up Security

Rights

²⁹⁴

Enabling

^Row-Level

Security

via Filters 296 When and Howto

Deploy

^Serveron

Multiple

Physical

^Machines 300

Deploying

^{Tableau Server in}

High Availability

Environments 301

The Three Node Cluster 307

The Four Node Cluster 302

Leverage Existing Security

with Trusted Authentication 303

Deploying

^{Tableau Server in}

Multi-NationalEntities 306

Using

Performance Recorderto

Improve

Performance 307

TimelineGanttChart 308

The Events Sorted

by

^{Time 309}

Query

^{Text 309}

Performance-tuning

^Tactics 309

Managing Tableau Server inthe Cloud 311 l/l/hat DoesitMeantobe in the Cloud? 377 Tableau's Cloud-BasedVersionsof Server 311 Putting TableauServer In TheCloud 312

Monitoring Activity

^onTableau Server 313

TheStatusSection 314

The

Analysis

^{Section 314}

The Activities Section 314

The

Settings

^{Section 375}

Notes 315

Using^{TableauServer to} Facilitate Fact-Based

TeamCollaboration 317

Publishing

^Dashboards in Tableau Server 317

Project

³¹⁹

Name 319

Tags

³¹⁹

View Permissions 379

ViewstoShare 320

Options

³²⁰

Organizing Reports

^for

Consumption

³²¹

Adding

Tagsto Workbooks 322

Creating

^{aFavorite 323}

Options^for

Securing Reports

325

The

Application Layer.

³²⁵

Defining

Custom Roles 326

APermission-Setting

Example

³²⁸

Improve Efficiency

with the Data Server 330

Incremental

Updates

³³⁵

Consuming

Information inTableauServer 335

Finding

Information 336

Sharing

Comments andViews 338

Customized Views 339

Authoring

^and

Editing Reports

^{via Server} 340 WhatIs

Required

^toAuthor

Reports

^{onthe Web? 340}

Server

Design

^and

Usage

ConsiderationsRelated^to

Web and Tablet

Authoring.

³⁴¹

Differences between

Desktop

^{and WeborTablet}

Authoring

341

Saving

^and

Exporting

via the Web-Tablet Environment 346 Recommendations for

Implementing

Web-Tablet

Authoring

³⁴⁷

Sharing

Connections,Data Models,and Data Extracts 348

Offering

^aCommon Data

Library

348

Sharing

^{DataModels 348}

Inheritance of

Updates

³⁴⁹

Embedding

Tableau Reports

Securely

^{onthe Web 349}

WhentoEmbedaDashboard 349

How toEmbedaDashboard 350

Tips

and Tricks for

Embedding

^{Dashboards 352}

Using Subscriptions

^toDeliver

Reports

^{via E-mail 354}

Administrators

Subscription Management

³⁵⁵

Creating Subscription

^Schedules 355

Notes 356

CONTENTS XVII

11 _Automating

Server with Tableau's Command Line Tools 357

What do tabcmd and tabadmindo? 357

Installing

^{theCommandLine Tools 358}

Setting

^{theWindowsPath 360}

What Kinds of Tasks Can Be

Done withTabcmd? 361

Learning

^to

Leverage

^{Tabcmd 362}

Manually Entering

and Running^aScriptⁱⁿTabcmd. 363

Running

^Tabcmd

Scripts

^{Via BatchFiles 364}

Common Use Cases for Tabcmd 368

RetrievingForecast Datafrom Workbooks 368

Manage

Data Governance Via Tabcmd 368

Using

Tabadmin for Administrative Task Automation 368

Starting

Tableau Server 369

Part III

Case Studies 371

12

Use Cases for

Rapid-Fire

^Visual

Analytics

³⁷³

Rapid-Fire Analysis

^{at a}Public

Utility

³⁷³

Aggregating Disparate

Datasourcesata

Large University

³⁷⁵

Getting

Started with Tableau 375

Prototype

^Report

Development

³⁷⁵

Leveraging

Tableau Further 376

Tepper's

Outcome and

Example

^Dashboards 376

Analysis

ina

Major Railway Logistics

^{Team 378}

Modalgistics

^Does

Transportation

^{Research 379}

How

Modalgistics

^{UsesTableau 379}

TheOutcomefor

Modalgistics

³⁸¹

Quality

^{Metrics in a}

Hospital

³⁸²

Obamacare and MedicareReimbursements 382 HowTableauWasUsedto

Analyze

^{VBP 383}

Southern Maine's Outcome 386

Planning

^foraSuccessful Tableau

Deployment

^{at ACT 386}

ValueDriversforACT 386

Building

User Base Interest and Skill 387 A

Properly Staged

Evaluation and RollOut. 387

How ACT UsesTableau 388

Ensuring Sustainability

³⁸⁸

Employing

^Visual

Analytics

^toAid Succession

Planning

³⁸⁹

AFramework for

Spurring

Effective Conversation

and Action 389

Providing Progressive

Information forSuccession

Planning

^.390