Tableau may be like a Toyota Camry
Observations from Two Years of BI Madness
Our annual Business Intelligence Tournament has entered its final round and once ago Tableau has made it to the finals. Unfortunately, once again, its support is flagging in the final round. But perhaps that isn’t so surprising…
Tableau is popular, there is no doubt. I would hypothesize that more people have used Tableau then perhaps any other BI tool that is still popular today. I would love to present some data on that but it seems hard to come by. Tableau is easy. It is affordable. No one can go wrong buying Tableau as their first BI tool. It is a bit like a Toyota Camry.
Tableau is the sensible choice. It is easy to find parts for… err practitioners. It has everything you need for day to day reporting. But if I entered the Toyota Camry in a bracket competition for ‘best car’, it stands little chance of winning. Even if it is the car more people have bought and driven than any other.
Tesla has a waiting list. No one waits for a Camry. Jeep drivers prefer manual transmissions, Camry stopped offering them in the US entirely. A BMW is an impressive vehicle, if you are willing to pay for it. Similarly, Tableau installs fast, is easy to learn, and reasonably priced.
Personally, my second car is an Acura SUV — I need the space. So maybe Camry isn’t so perfect and reasonable. Neither is Tableau. Honda Accord is pretty popular, too. Perhaps Power BI is a Honda? There are other options.
Perhaps you think I am nuts? Perhaps you WOULD vote for a Toyota Camry if it were in a car tournament? I won’t tell you you’re wrong, but plenty of others understand where I am going with this. But if you are one of the many Tableau fans on the planet — then come vote!
Tell us your tool is better! Tell us it is more versatile! Tell us it is more reliable. Prove me wrong. Until you do, I will keep calling Tableau the Toyota Camry of reporting. Not that there is anything wrong with that…
