what is tableau? why do I need to learn Tableau?
so, what is Tableau anyway?
Tableau is a software that helps you with your data visualization and it is interactive. No codes, no functions, just drag and drop. Well, you do need some adjustments to make your desired graphs. You can do sorts of things with this software.
so, what's the public for?
It’s a free version of Tableau Visualization Software.
so, why Tableau public?
It’s free, easy to use, and perfect for someone like me who wants to learn more about Business Analysis, Data Analysis or simply out of curiosity.
Hi,
My name is Andhika Mahesa, I am a Data Science Student. I’m here to talk about how easy it is to use Tableau Public for your Data Visualization.
so how?
of course, you first need to download your Tableau Public at
“sign-up” for your Tableau Public account to have access to the download file and also to save your workbook later on. Let’s dive in.
Once you’ve installed Tableau Public, go ahead and open the program. You will encounter a home page something like,
this.
First, you need to find out what kind of data source you want to connect to Tableau Public. In my case, I will be using an Airbnb Dataset Bangkok. It is easier to use a cleaned dataset, I already have mine. If the dataset is not cleaned and is not ready for visualization, there will be some inaccuracy in the graphs and you don't want any of it.
You should now be on a page where you can see the data you’ve connected to. This is the start page where you can do some cleaning beforehand, since I did mine, let’s just jump into it and select “ sheet1 “.
From here, it's just drag-and-drop. Drag variables from the left side Data bar to Columns and Rows at the top of the sheet. Now I’m going to show an example to make a simple bar graph by just doing drag-and-drop.
That empty middle part of the sheet is called the view, you can also drop variables to the view or the Marks card so they can show up in the view.
Also, Tableau Public gives us small details that are very helpful to infer the type of data based on a column’s contents. It provides helpful little symbols next to each variable name to represent numeric, string, geo, boolean, and date data types. Tableau splits your data columns into dimensions and measures.
Dimensions are qualitative (categorical) variables — they include strings and dates. They are discrete, by default. Discrete variables are coloured blue.
Measures are quantitative (numeric) variables that you can sum and average. They are continuous, by default. Continuous variables are coloured green.
Tableau will assume you want to sum measures any time you use them, by default. You can change the aggregation function with a right-click on that variable.
The Filters card is for filtering the data you want to visualize, you can choose the data you want manually or by using conditions.
I’m going to filter the data manually, go to the custom value list and type your data from there. I’m going to choose the Top 5.
Like so.
Tableau Public will show your chosen data in the view.
The Marks Card control a lot of visualization aspects, this particular part of Tableau Public helps you with how you want your data visualization to look. Drags the variable from the left side bar to the Marks card to control colour, text, tooltips, and more.
That Is all about the basics of Tableau Public, you can explore further by watching tutorials on YouTube or going through forums online. Pretty sleek no? Easy to use, efficient and interactive.