Tableau

Tableau is an analytics solution that allows users to connect, analyze, and share their data. The software started as a visualization tool, growing into an enterprise platform with several deployment options until they were acquired by Salesforce in 2019.

Tableau is most known for its wide range of data visualization capabilities and is often used interchangeably with other traditional BI tools. Analysts use it to examine data with SQL and build data solutions for business decision-makers, who in turn use it to analyze data without having to code.

Some common use cases for Tableau?

Business stakeholders commonly use Tableau to see standard KPI reporting for marketing, sales, and customer success. Especially since Salesforce Data Cloud brought Tableau’s visualizations into the greater fold of their customer 360 Platform, it’s a staple for teams who need quick access to departmental metrics. With Tableau, business users can build a wide variety of vizualizations to see trends or filter and drill down into data. 

Analysts also work with business stakeholders to create reporting and dashboards for their use cases. They often use SQL to manipulate data in Tableau, but if they want to use Python or any other language, they have to work in another tool.

Products and features do Tableau offer

Tableau provides several products and offerings designed to help with data analytics and visualization. These include:

• Tableau Cloud: The new version of Tableau Online offers a fully hosted, cloud-based analytics solution. Customers can use it to prepare, author, analyze, publish, and share data in one place. It comes as part of the Tableau Creator package, which also includes Tableau Desktop and Tableau Prep Builder.

• Tableau Desktop: The same visualizations and data tools are offered in a more controlled environment that’s great for companies with strict governance and security policies that don’t want to work fully in the cloud. 

• Tableau Prep Builder: A tool that helps to prepare your data for analysis by combining, shaping, and cleaning your data. It's included as part of the Tableau Creator license.

• Tableau Server: This is a self-hosted solution, ideal for organizations with IT resources that want to host Tableau within their own IT infrastructure.