Description
Wiley India Tableau Your Data: Fast And Easy Visual Analysis With Tableau Software,2Ed by Daniel G. Murray
Tableau Your Data! shows you how to build dynamic, best of breed visualizations using the Tableau Software toolset. This comprehensive guide covers the core feature set for data analytics, and provides clear step-by-step guidance toward best practices and advanced techniques that go way beyond the user manual. You'll learn how Tableau is different from traditional business information analysis tools, and how to navigate your way around the Tableau 9.0 desktop before delving into functions and calculations, as well as sharing with the Tableau Server. Analyze data more effectively with Tableau Desktop
About the Author
Dan Murray founded the Tableau/BI practice at InterWorks in 2009 and the practice has grown to nineteen full-time consultants. InterWorks, Inc. is Tableau's largest and most trusted professional services partner with extensive experience helping clients learn and deploy Tableau Software. Dan was selected to write this book by Tableau Software, reflecting his and InterWorks leading position in consulting and training on the Tableau suite of products.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Part I Desktop
1 Creating Visual Analytics with Tableau Desktop
The Shortcomings of Traditional Information Analysis
The Business Case for Visual Analysis
Three Kinds of Data That Exist in Every Entity
How Visual Analytics Improves Decision Making
Turning Data into Information with Visual Analytics
Analysis as a Creative Process
Tableau's Desktop Tools
Tableau Desktop Personal Edition
Professional Edition
Tableau File Types
Tableau Reader
Tableau Online Help
Introducing the Tableau Desktop Workspace
New Workspace Design
Using the Start Page Controls Effectively
The Start Page
The Tableau Desktop Workspace
2 Connecting to Your Data
What You Will Learn in This Chapter
How to Connect to Your Data
Connecting to Desktop Sources
Understanding the Data Source Page
What Are Generated Values?
Knowing When to Use a Direct Connection or a Data Extract
Using Tableau's File Types Effectively
Dealing with Data Shaping and Data Quality
The Data Interpreter
3 Building Your First Visualization
Fast and Easy Analysis via Show Me
New Features
How Show Me Works
The Analytics Pane
Sorting Data in Tableau
Enhancing View with Filters, Sets, Groups and Hierarchies
How Tableau Uses Date Fields
4 Creating Calculations to Enhance Data
What Is Aggregation?
Dimension versus Attribute
What Are Calculated Fields and Table Calculations?
How Do Calculated Fields Work?
Creating Calculated Fields with the Calculation Editor
Performing Ad Hoc Calculations
How Do Table Calculations Work?
A Word on Calculations and Cubes
Using the Calculation Editor to Build Calculated Fields
Ad Hoc Calculated Fields
Building Formulas Using Table Calculations
Adding Flexibility to Calculations with Parameters
Why You Should Learn Level of Detail Expressions
5 Using Maps to Improve Insight
New Map Features
Creating a Standard Map View
How Tableau Geocodes Your Data
Searching for Items in Maps
Typical Map Errors and How to Deal with Them
Plotting Your Own Locations on a Map
Replacing Tableau's Standard Maps
Using Custom Background Images to Plot Spatial Data
Notes
6 Developing an Ad Hoc Analysis Environment
Data Discovery as a Creative Process
Preparing Your Team for Success
Qualities of a Good Data Analyst
Doing Effective Discovery Work
What IT Can Do to Help
Spreading Discovery to Information Consumers
Generating New Data with Forecasts
Providing Self-Service Ad Hoc Analysis with Parameters
What Are Parameters?
How Can Parameters Be Used?
Basic Parameter Controls
Advanced Parameter Controls
Editing Views in Tableau Server
7 Tips, Tricks, and Timesavers
Saving Time and Improving Formatting
Double-Click Fields to Build Faster
Reduce Clicks Using the Right Mouse Button Drag
Quick Copy Fields with Control-Drag
Replace Fields by Dropping the New Field on Top
Right-Click to Edit or Format Anything
Editing or Removing Titles from Axis Headings
Quicken Your Presentation Page Views
A Faster Way to Access Field Menu Options
Zooming the Formula Dialog Box
Drag a Field into the Formula Dialog box
Swap Data in Pane and Reference Line Fields
Improving Appearance to Convey Meaning More Precisely
Changing the Appearance of Dates
Formatting Tooltip Content
Change the Order of Color Expressed in Charts
Exposing a Header in a One-Column Text Table
Unpacking a Packaged Workbook File
Make a Parameterized Axis Label
Using Continuous Quick Filters for Ranges of Values
Create Your Own Custom Date Hierarchy
Concatenating to Make Custom Fields
Using Legends to Build Highlight Actions
Formatting Null Value Results
When to Use Floating Objects in Dashboards
Combined Axis Shading in a Scatter Plot
Creating Folders to Hold Fields
Customizing Shapes, Colors, Fonts, and Images
Customizing Shapes
Customizing Colors
Customizing Fonts
Customizing Images in Dashboards
Advanced Chart Types
Bar-in-Bar Chart
Pareto Charts
Sparklines
Bullet Graphs
8 Bringing It All Together with Dashboards
How Dashboards Facilitate Analysis and Understanding
How Tableau Improves the Dashboard-Building Process
The Wrong Way to Build a Dashboard
The Right Way to Build a Dashboard
Best Practices for Dashboard Building
Size the Dashboard to Fit the Worst-Case Available Space
Employ Four-Pane Dashboard Designs
Use Actions to Filter Instead of Quick Filters
Build Cascading Dashboard Designs to Improve Load Speeds
Limit the Use of Color to One Primary Color Scheme
Use Small Instructions Near the Work to Make Navigation Obvious
Filter Information Presented in Crosstabs to Provide Relevant Details-on-Demand
Remove All Non-Data-Ink
Avoid One-Size-Fits-All Dashboards
Work to Achieve Dashboard Load Times of Less Than Ten Seconds
Building Your First Advanced Dashboard
Introducing the Dashboard Worksheet
Position the Worksheet Objects in the Dashboard Workspace
Using Layout Containers to Position Objects
Positioning the Select Year Text Table and Legends
Inserting and Moving Text Objects
Positioning and Fitting the Dashboard Objects
Ensure That Each Worksheet Object Fits Its Entire View
Create More Descriptive Titles for Each Data Pane
Improving the Bullet Graph and Sparkline Charts
Improving the Text Tables and Scatter Plot
Using Actions to Create Advanced Dashboard Navigation
Using the Select Year Text Table to Filter the Main Dashboard
Adding a Column Heading to Select Year
Adding Dynamic Title Content
Auto-Generating Highlight Actions from Legends
Understanding the Action Dialog Box
Embedding a Live Website in a Dashboard
Assemble Dashboard 2
Adding Details on Demand with Tooltips
Enhancing Tooltips and Titles
Adding a Read Me Dashboard
Bonus: Adding a Floating Dashboard Object
Finishing the Titles in the Main Dashboard
Sharing Your Dashboard with Tableau Reader
Security Considerations for Publishing via Tableau Reader
Using the Tableau Performance Recorder to Improve Load Speed
Sharing Dashboards with Tableau Online or Tableau Server
9 Designing for Mobile
The Physics of Mobile Consumption
Security Considerations for Mobile Consumption
Offline Access
Typical Mobile Usage Patterns
Just-In-Time Use
Mobile Design Implications
Design Best Practices for Mobile Consumption
Design Implications Related to Screen Resolution
Best Practices for Mobile Design
Design for a Specific Orientation
Consider the Limits of Finger Navigation
Reduce the Number of Worksheets Being Displayed
A Tablet Dashboard Example
Mobile Authoring and Editing
A Note on Project Elastic
10 Conveying Your Findings with Stories
Turning Analysis into Insight
Building a Story
The Story Workspace
A Story Example
Formatting Story Points
Sharing Your Story Point Deck
Part II Server
11 Installing Tableau Server
What's New in Version 9?
Reasons to Deploy Tableau Server
Data Governance
Efficiency
Flexibility
Licensing Options for Tableau Server and Tableau Online
Determining Your Hardware and Software Needs
New Feature: Persistent Query Cache
Determining What Kind of Server License to Purchase
Tableau Server's Architecture
Sizing the Server Hardware
A Scale-Up Scenario
A Scale-Out Scenario
Environmental Factors That Can Affect Performance
Network Performance
Browser
Resource Contention
Configuring Tableau Server for the First Time
General Setup Menu Tab
General: Run as User, User Authentication and Active Directory
General: Gateway Port Number
General: Open Port in Windows Firewall
General: Include Sample Data and Users
Data Connection Tab
Alerts and Subscriptions
Server Processes
Security Options
External Secure Sockets Layer
SAML--Security Assertion Markup Language
Kerberos--A Ticket-Based Security Protocol
Managing Ownership Through Hierarchy
Workbooks and Views
User
Project
Group
Site
Permissions
Permissions for Web Edit, Save and Download
Providing Data Security with User Filters
Applying a User Filter to a Data Source
Creating a Hybrid Filter from the Data Source
What Is the Data Server?
When and How to Deploy Server on Multiple Physical Boxes
Deploying Tableau Server in High Availability Environments
Three-Node Cluster
Four-Node Cluster
Leveraging Existing Security with Trusted Authentication
Deploying Tableau Server in Multi-national Environments
Tableau Server Performance Recorder
Show Events Filter
Timeline Gantt Chart
Events Sorted by Time
Query Text
Performance-Tuning Tactics
Query Execution
Geocoding
Connecting to the Data Source
Layout Computations
Generating Extract
Blending Data
Server Rendering
Managing Tableau Server in the Cloud
What Does It Mean to Be in the Cloud?
Tableau's Cloud-Based Versions of Server
Putting Tableau Server in the Cloud
Monitoring Activity on Tableau Server
Status Section
Analysis Section
Log Files Section
Rebuilt Search Index Section
Editing Server Settings and Monitoring Licensing
Server Settings General Page
Server Setting License Page
Partner Add-On Toolkits
12 Managing Tableau Server
Managing Published Dashboards in Tableau Server
Project
Name
Tags
Views to Share
Options
Edit
Navigating Tableau Server
Organizing Reports for Consumption
Adding Tags to Workbooks
Creating a Favorite
Options for Securing Reports
The Application Layer
Defining Custom Roles
A Permission-Setting Example
Improve Efficiency with the Data Server
Publishing a Data Source
Consuming Information in Tableau Server
Finding Information
Authoring and Editing Reports via Server
What Is Required to Author Reports on the Web?
Server Design and Usage Considerations Related to Web and Tablet Authoring
Differences Between Desktop and Web or Tablet Authoring
Saving and Exporting via the Web-Tablet Environment
Export
Save and Save As
Recommendations for Implementing Web/Tablet Authoring
Sharing Connections, Data Models, and Data Extracts
Offering a Common Data Library
Sharing Data Models
Embedding Tableau Reports Securely on the Web
When to Embed a Dashboard
When Your Reports Are a Piece of a Larger SaaS Offering
Providing a More Robust Environment
How to Embed a Dashboard
Further Control Using Passed Parameters
Tips and Tricks for Embedding Dashboards
Using Trusted Ticket Authentication as an Alternative Single Sign-On Method
Using Subscriptions to Deliver Reports via Email
Creating Subscription Schedules
13 Automating Tableau Server
Tableau Server's APIs
What Do Tabcmd and Tabadmin Do?
Installing the Command-Line Tools
Setting the Windows Path
What Kind of Tasks Can Tabcmd Do?
Learning to Leverage Tabcmd
Manually Entering and Running a Script in Tabcmd
Running Tabcmd Scripts via Batch Files
The Steps Required to Create Batch Processing Scripts
Using Windows Scheduler to Fully Automate Scripts
Common Use Cases for Tabcmd
Automating Extracts with the Extract API
Data Extract API
Using the Extract API with Python
Data Extract Command-Line Utility
REST API
Initial Transactions
Part III Case Studies
14 Ensuring a Successful Tableau Deployment
Deploying Tableau--Lessons Learned
Effective Use of Consultants
Your Team's Current Knowledge
The Data Landscape
The Tableau User Group at Cigna
Taking Care of Vizness
Resourcing
Cadence
Format
Topics
Effectiveness and Attendance
Tracking Participation
Success
Part IV Appendixes
A Tableau's Product Ecosystem
B Supported Data Source Connections
C Keyboard Shortcuts
D Recommended Hardware Configurations
E Understanding Tableau Functions
F Companion Website
Glossary
Index