Complete Guide to Tableau for Data Scientists

10h 31mIntermediate2024-09-27

Authors

Matt Francis

Loves data and using Tableau

Course details

If your work requires any sort of graphical visualization of data, chances are you’ve run into Tableau. If you’ve been using Tableau but want to learn how to really harness its full power for data science, join expert Matt Francis in this course as he shows you how to take your skills to the next level. Matt starts with one of the most important features in Tableau: the difference between the green and blue pills (discrete and continuous data) and how this affects every single action Tableau performs. He then shows how to connect to and combine data from different data sources, how to create different charts to make sense of data, ways to transform your data with calculations, and how to create interactive maps. Finally, Matt details ways to present data effectively and how to make engaging dashboards. Whether you want to learn more about Tableau as a whole, or if you just want to improve your knowledge of a single subject, this course will help up your Tableau game.

Learning objectives
1. Differentiate between continuous and discrete data, and understand how Tableau treats them differently when visualizing data.
2. Connect to various data sources, including Excel files, Google Sheets, PDFs, databases, and web data connectors, and bring the data into Tableau.
3. Join multiple data tables using different join methods (inner, left, right, outer), unions, and cross-database joins to combine data from multiple sources.
4. Create and optimize Tableau Data Extracts (TDE) for faster performance, and manage data extracts by limiting, refreshing, and editing them as needed.
5. Construct advanced visualizations, such as combined axis charts, dual axis charts, bar-in-bar charts, crosstabs, scatter plots with trend lines and animations, and box plots.
6. Build complex calculations using Tableau's calculation editor, including table calculations, level of detail (LOD) calculations, date calculations, and logical calculations with the IF function.
7. Design interactive dashboards using layout containers, tiled and floating layouts, device-specific dashboards, and actions (filter, highlight, URL, set, and parameter actions) to enhance user engagement.

Skills covered

TableauTableau SoftwareData Science FoundationsData VisualizationBusiness AnalyticsData AnalysisData ScienceBusiness Analysis and StrategyBusiness Software and ToolsOne-Off

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - The power of Tableau for data scientists
02 - What you should know
03 - Tableau UI tour
04 - Tableau order of operations
05 - Welcome to the Langdon Hotel

1. Green and Blue Fields, What Do They Mean

06 - Understand the difference between green and blue fields
07 - How do green and blue fields affect rows and columns
08 - How do green and blue fields affect filters
09 - How do green and blue fields affect colors
10 - How do green and blue fields affect dates
11 - Challenge - Green and blue
12 - Solution - Green and blue

2. Connecting to a Source of Data

13 - How to connect to Excel sheets
14 - How to clean Excel data with the Data Interpreter
15 - How to connect to Google Sheets
16 - How to connect to PDF files and extract tables of data
17 - Setting up the default properties of your data source
18 - Saving your data sources for future use
19 - Challenge - Creating a data source
20 - Solution - Creating a data source

3. Combining Data

21 - Combining data using relationships
22 - What are the different ways of joining data
23 - How to join tables in the same data connection
24 - How to join tables in two using a cross database join
25 - How to append one data source to another using unions
26 - Challenge - Combining data, part 1
27 - Solution - Combining data, part 1
28 - Challenge - Combining data, part 2
29 - Solution - Combining data, part 2

4. When and How to Create Data Extracts

30 - What are the pros and cons of using a data extract
31 - How to create a data extract.
32 - How to limit the data in a data extract
33 - How to edit a data extract to include more data

5. Comparing Measures

34 - What are measure names and measure values
35 - Creating a combined axis chart
36 - Creating a dual axis chart
37 - Creating a bar-in-bar chart
38 - Creating a multiple measure crosstab
39 - Comparing two measures using a scatter plot
40 - Challenge - Comparing measures, part 1
41 - Solution - Comparing measures, part 1
42 - Challenge - Comparing measures, part 2
43 - Solution - Comparing measures, part 2

6. Transform Your Data with Calculations

44 - How do calculations work in Tableau
45 - Understanding the order of operations in calculation
46 - Manipulating strings using string functions
47 - Manipulating dates with date functions
48 - Creating logic calculations using IF functions
49 - How do table calculations work
50 - Table calc directions
51 - What are Level of Detail (LOD) calculations
52 - EXCLUDE LOD calculations
53 - INCLUDE LOD calculations
54 - FIXED LOD calculations
55 - Using calculations in a join
56 - Challenge - Calculations
57 - Solution - Calculations

7. Mapping Your Data

58 - Just because you can, should you create a map
59 - How to create an area map
60 - How to create a symbol map
61 - Customizing the look of your maps
62 - Create locations from coordinates
63 - Create lines to connect locations on a map
64 - Analyzing distances using buffer calculations
65 - Analyzing spatial data using intersect calculations
66 - Challenge - Mapping
67 - Solution - Mapping

8 . The Analytics Tab

68 - What is the Analytics pane
69 - Create a constant reference line
70 - Create a dynamic average reference line
71 - How to create box plots
72 - Adding totals and sub-totals to a view
73 - Adding a forecast to a view
74 - Adding a trend line to a view
75 - Looking for clusters of data in a view
76 - Creating a reference band
77 - Challenge - Analytics, part 1
78 - Solution - Analytics, part 1
79 - Challenge - Analytics, part 2
80 - Solution - Analytics, part 2

9. Using Parameters for Viewer Input

81 - How are parameters different compared to filters
82 - How to use parameters in a calculation
83 - Create dynamic reference lines using parameters
84 - Use a parameter to select dimensions and measures
85 - Use a parameter to search free text fields
86 - Top N analysis
87 - Dynamic parameters
88 - Challenge - Parameters
89 - Solution - Parameters

10. Dashboard Actions and Design Tips

90 - Introducing the dashboard UI
91 - How to create a tiled dashboard
92 - How to create a floating dashboard
93 - How to use filter actions
94 - How to use highlight actions
95 - How to use URL actions
96 - Navigating between dashboards using go to sheet actions
97 - How to use set actions
98 - A deeper look at containers
99 - Challenge - Dashboards
100 - Solution - Dashboards
101 - Solution - Dashboards, continued

11. Analysis Tips and Tricks

102 - How to create bar charts
103 - How to use colors to highlight data
104 - How to create timelines
105 - How to create small multiple timelines
106 - How to create month-over-month or year-over-year charts
107 - How to create a combined axis bar chart
108 - How to create a combined axis timeline
109 - How to create a dual axis timeline
110 - Two ways to create a crosstab
111 - Enhance a crosstab using colors to create a highlight table
112 - How to turn a crosstab into a heatmap
113 - How to create an area chart
114 - What's the difference between line charts vs. area charts
115 - How to create 100 area charts
116 - How to create stacked bar charts
117 - How to create a 100 stacked bar chart
118 - How and why to add a running total to a line chart
119 - How to show the difference between values in a line chart
120 - How to create a scatter plot and a bubble chart
121 - How to create a connected scatterplot to show changes over time
122 - How to create a bar-in-bar chart and a candlestick chart
123 - How to create a symbol map
124 - How to create a filled area map
125 - How to create pie charts
126 - How to create Gantt charts

Conclusion

127 - How can I grow my data science and Tableau skills