Introduction
What is Tableau?
Tableau is a visual platform for data analytics, also known as a business intelligence tool. If you have been following along in this book sequentially, you will have noticed that:
- Qualtrics dashboard charts and graphs are quick to create and customize, though are limited in functionality
- Excel charts and graphs can sometimes be difficult to modify and customize
- Python charts take a little set up at the beginning but then become much easier to replicate or modify due to the variety of data visualization libraries available
So what makes Tableau unique? Businesses often need a way to reliably view and monitor data. Depending on what company you work for, you may have access to some or none of these tools. In the People Analytics space there are a variety of data visualization tools, however, Tableau is considered an industry standard for viewing complex data to answer difficult business problems.
Check out the following links for ways to get involved in the Tableau community:
Installing Tableau
If you are a student, you should be able to get a free trial account via this website. Others can click this link for a free 14-day trial. You may be prompted to choose between Tableau Desktop vs. Tableau Prep. For the following tutorials, Tableau Desktop will be preferred and is accessible with any type of computer you may have.