How do I get started using Tableau?

There are several resources to help you get started using Tableau. The single best place to start is the How to Use Tableau page in the Tableau Support Center. There are some fantastic resources there, including animated tutorials. Alternatively, select Help on Tableau’s Help menu for a range of getting started options.

Is there an easy way to add fields to the view other than dragging each one?

Double-click the fields in the schema you want to analyze. Tableau automatically adds these fields to an appropriate shelf using “best fit” rules. The order that you click fields determines the type of view created. For instance, if you click a measure and then a dimension, the result is a bar chart. If you click, a dimension and then a measure, the result is a cross-tab. For a complete description refer to “Add to Sheet: Double-Click” in the online help.

What is the difference between the Personal and Professional editions of Tableau Desktop?

The personal and professional versions of Tableau Desktop both contain the same analysis features. However, the Professional Edition supports more databases. The Personal Edition connects to Excel, Access, text files. The Professional Edition also supports these databases plus SQL Server, Oracle, DB2, MySQL, PostGreSQL, Firebird, Netezza, SQL Server Analysis Services, and Hyperion Essbase.

Is Tableau a charting package?

Tableau is a program for analyzing and exploring data visually. Although it can generate charts and graphs, it’s not a charting package as conventionally defined. In fact, Tableau is unlike anything you have ever seen. Some specifics:

• Tableau is used to investigate and analyze data. In contrast, charting programs are largely used for presenting results that have already been uncovered. Tableau allows you to browse, pivot, drill-into, zoom-into, sort, calculate and explore datasets and databases. We call this process visual query and analysis. In fact, Tableau is a fully-featured front-end for databases and spreadsheets.


• Tableau offers both textual (e.g., cross-tabs) and graphical analyses. So it's not just about graphical representations of information. On a related note, Tableau is not based on charting templates or query wizards. Rather, Tableau is a free-form discovery interface limited only by your imagination.

Give it a try – we are pretty sure you’ll be impressed.

How many chart types does Tableau support?

Tableau can support an infinite number of chart types. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination. Here's why: Tableau is built on a database visualization language called VizQL. What is VizQL? It's like SQL. The development of SQL led to a revolution in database technology. Suddenly, complex queries were easily described as readable text. What SQL did for data interactions in text form, VizQL does for data interactions in visual form. Sophisticated visualizations are described by declarative VizQL statements. The standard approach when developing analysis systems is to provide a set of pre-canned objects - bar chart objects, scatter-plot objects, etc. This legacy approach is similar to selling a database with six "pre-approved" queries rather than with a complete query language like SQL. Because all drag & drop actions in Tableau are based on VizQL, there is no limit to the number of chart types you can generate.

Does Tableau support Database Joins?

Yes. You can use Tableau to analyze joined data in a relational data source. When you connect to a data source you are given the option to connect to a single table or multiple tables. There you can create simple or complex joins.

Can I create calculations in Tableau?

Yes, you can create many different types of calculations. There are preconfigured calculations like percentages, totals, and bins, which you can turn on wiht one click. However, you can also create your own calculations. Select Analysis > Create Calculated Field to see the list of calculations. Also refer to the “Calculations” section in the Tableau Help to learn more about calculations.

Can I rearrange the labels / headers in a table?

Yes. Drag the header from one position to another within the table. This action is called manual sorting. For example, let’s say your table lists six product categories in alphabetical order starting with furniture and ending with technology. If you want to compare furniture and technology information side by side, you can simply drag technology from the bottom of the list to just below furniture in the table. For more information on manual sorting refer to “Manual Sorting” in the online help.

How well does Tableau perform?

Tableau can be used with data of all shapes and sizes, from the smallest spreadsheets to the largest data warehouses. Some customers use Tableau as a front-end to databases containing hundreds of millions of rows of data. Others use Tableau as a front-end to enormous corporate OLAP cubes. Others just use Tableau with their favorite little text files containing interesting data sets. When dealing with very large databases, Tableau’s performance is largely limited by the performance of the database containing your data. For instance, if your Oracle or SQL Server database is slow, it will likely respond slowly to Tableau’s queries.