Get Started with Tableau for Data Visualization, Analytics and Business Intelligence

Tableau is the gold standard in business intelligence, analytics and data visualization tools. Tableau Desktop (and now Tableau Public) have transformed the way we interact with visualizations and tell data stories to our clients, stakeholders, and to non-technical audiences around the world.

Tableau has been recognized as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Analytics and Business Intelligence Platforms for 8 straight years. Here’s Gartner’s most recent ranking in 2020:


In this Tableau for Beginners course, you will learn everything you need to get started with this wonderful visualization and business intelligence tool. You’ll be able to build charts like bar charts, line charts (for working with time series data), pie charts, and even get the hang of geospatial analysis using map visualizations in Tableau!

 

Note: If you’re looking to build and master dashboards and storyboards in Tableau, make sure you check out the popular ‘Mastering Tableau from Scratch: Become a Data Visualization Rockstar’ course!

The Tableau for Beginners Course will help you answer key questions like:

  • What is Data Visualization?
  • Why Should you use Data Visualization in Analytics and Business Intelligence projects?
  • Why Tableau for Data Visualization?
  • What are the different features in Tableau?
  • How to connect to different data sources in Tableau?
  • What are the different types of charts and visualization in Tableau?
  • How to filter data in Tableau?
  • How to draw a trend line and work with time series data in Tableau?


And much more!


Who is this Tableau Course for?

This course is for anyone who:

  • Wants to learn Tableau from scratch
  • Wants to start their data visualization journey
  • Is looking to break into the business intelligence, analytics or data visualization field
  • Is curious about how to build effective and impactful graphs

 

 

What do you need to get started with the Tableau for Beginners course?

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • A working laptop/desktop with 4 GB RAM
  • A working Internet connection
  • Tableau Desktop or Tableau Public - both will work for this course


That’s it! You’re all set to learn Tableau and begin your data visualization mastery!

Course curriculum

  • 1
    Introduction
    • Welcome to the Course
    • AI&ML Blackbelt Plus Program (Sponsored)
  • 2
    Concept of Visualization
    • What is Data Visualization and Why Should we Use it
    • Hans Rosling - 200 Countries 200 Years 4 Minutes
  • 3
    Understanding the Length and Breadth of Tableau
    • Navigating the Tableau Interface Part 1
    • Navigating the Tableau Interface Part 2
  • 4
    Getting Started with Tableau
    • Connect to the Data
    • Data Visualizations
  • 5
    Different Types of Charts in Tableau
    • Net Statistics
    • Net Statistics Part 2
    • Line Chart
    • Pie Chart
    • Map Chart
    • Scatter Plots
  • 6
    BONUS: Other Functionalities in Tableau
    • Filters
    • Trend Line
  • 7
    What's Next?
    • What's Next?

Instructor(s)

Common Questions Beginners Ask about Tableau

Why should you use Tableau?

Tableau, as we mentioned above, is the gold standard in analytics and business intelligence. It is a widely used tool in the industry, both in big firms as well as startups. Tableau helps us create effective, impactful and beautiful dashboards and stories that our clients and stakeholders love.

There are a ton of job vacancies for Tableau professionals in the industry so this is a great time to get started.

 

Tableau Desktop or Tableau Public - which one should I choose?

Tableau Desktop and Tableau Public are two of the many offerings by Tableau. Tableau Desktop is the premium version of Tableau Public. It is used by organizations worldwide for their analytics and business intelligence projects. You will be working with Tableau Desktop in the industry.

Tableau Public, on the other hand, is a free platform to learn Tableau. It was created with the purpose of making the broader audience comfortable with Tableau and how it works. Tableau Public offers almost all the features of Tableau Desktop (except you can’t save your work on your local machine - it will be uploaded to Tableau’s public gallery).

You can perform all the work provided in this course in Tableau Public.

 

What are the different tools under the Tableau umbrella?

Tableau offers a variety of tools catering to different organizations and solutions:

  • Tableau Desktop
  • Tableau Public
  • Tableau Prep
  • Tableau Server
  • Tableau Online


And many other tools you can check out on Tableau’s official website.

 

Where can you learn about the intermediate-level of Tableau?

Excellent question! We recommend taking the ‘Mastering Tableau from Scratch: Become a Data Visualization Rockstar’ course to deep dive into Tableau. You will learn how to quickly convert your data into actionable insights, create dashboards to impress your clients, and learn Tableau tips, tricks and best practices in your day-to-day role.

 

Can I use Tableau for time series forecasting?

Yes, you can. Tableau has an in-built feature for forecasting where you can use the concept of moving average to build forecasts. But keep in mind that this is a crude feature and might not be reliable for your business. Time series is a complex topic and has advanced beyond moving average.

However, Tabelau’s forecast feature does give you a rough idea of what to expect and might work for small businesses or if you’re looking for a quick idea of what to expect from your sales numbers, for example.

 

Do you need to know programming to learn Tableau?

Not at all. Tableau thrives as a drag-and-drop tool (for the most part). That’s the beauty of Tableau to be honest, you can quickly get started and build awesome visualizations without having to get into any coding or programming.

But knowing simple Excel formulas, such as IF-ELSE, will help you with feature engineering in Tableau. And that is a critical part of a business intelligence analysts skillset.

 

What kind of projects can you perform using Tableau?

You can take up all sorts of analytics projects next. We suggest heading over to the DataHack platform and picking up any project that catches your interest. Load the dataset into Tableau and get going!

FAQ

Common questions related to the Tableau for Beginners course

  • Who should take the Introduction to Tableau for Beginners course?

    This course is for anyone who is curious about Tableau and wants to understand how it works. We have designed the course especially for beginners in Tableau (and data visualization). We even cover the what and why of data visualization before we dive into Tableau - so it’s all from scratch!

  • I have worked with visualizations but have no background in analytics or business intelligence. Is this course right for me?

    Absolutely! As we mentioned earlier, this is a “from scratch” course. We do not assume any prior knowledge about analytics or business intelligence or Tableau. Our aim is to provide you with the knowledge of how to operate and work with Tableau to build impactful and effective visualizations in the analytics and BI industry.

  • What is the fee for the course?

    This course is free of cost! All you need to do is sign up and get started with Tableau.

  • How long would I have access to the “Tableau for Beginners” course?

    Once you register, you will have 6 months to complete the course. If you visit the course 6 months after your initial registration, you will need to enroll in the course again. Your past progress will be lost.

  • How much effort do I need to put in for this course?

    You can complete the “Tableau for Beginners” course in a few hours.

  • I’ve completed this course and have a good grasp on the basics of Tableau. What should I learn next?

    The next step in your journey is to build on what you’ve learned so far. We recommend taking the popular “Mastering Tableau from Scratch: Become a Data Visualization Rockstar” course.

  • Can I download the videos in this course?

    We regularly update the “Tableau for Beginners” course and hence do not allow videos to be downloaded. You can visit the free course anytime to refer to these videos.

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