Tableau Session 01: Introduction To Tableau

Workbooks, Data Types, Fields, Basic Charts, Filtering

tableau

Introduction to Tableau

This chapter sets the foundation for working with Tableau — from connecting to data, through building your first visuals, to publishing a simple dashboard.
You’ll learn core concepts (dimensions, measures, discrete/continuous), get oriented in the interface, and apply best practices while creating your first views.

By the end of the class, you should be able to connect to common data sources, explain Tableau’s core data concepts, and publish a simple, well-structured dashboard with basic interactivity.

What Is Tableau?

Tableau is a visual analytics platform that turns data into insight through interactive charts and dashboards.
In practice, Tableau bridges raw tables and business understanding, enabling you to explore, explain, and share findings quickly.

The typical Tableau workflow follows five stages:

  1. Connect – link to files (Excel/CSV), databases, or cloud sources.
  2. Prepare – profile fields, set data types, create relationships/joins, and fix quality issues.
  3. Visualize – build views on shelves with Marks (color/size/label/shape).
  4. Compose – assemble sheets in dashboards; add filters, actions, and layout.
  5. Publish & Share – deliver to Tableau Public, Cloud, or Server for feedback and decision-making.

This flow is iterative: each visualization raises new questions — adjust, test, and refine.

Business Applications of Tableau

Tableau supports decision-making across multiple industries:

  • Telecommunications: network KPIs, churn monitoring, device mix, and customer segmentation.
  • Retail & E-commerce: category performance, retention cohorts, and funnel analysis.
  • Finance: credit risk dashboards, revenue tracking, portfolio monitoring.
  • Marketing: campaign attribution, A/B test results, and media mix performance.
  • Healthcare & Public Sector: patient outcomes, resource management, and geographic analytics.

Unifying theme: Tableau accelerates how analysts move from questions → visuals → decisions.

Tableau Products

Product Description
Tableau Desktop The primary tool for creating visualizations and dashboards.
Tableau Prep A data preparation tool for cleaning and reshaping data before visualization.
Tableau Server On-premises platform for sharing dashboards securely within organizations.
Tableau Cloud Cloud-based alternative for publishing and managing dashboards without server setup.
Tableau Public Free, web-based platform for publishing dashboards publicly.
Tableau Next A new feature for automated insight generation and trend detection.

Download: Tableau Public
Sample Datasets: Sample Data

Dataset used: airbnb.xlsx

Connect to Excel

Tableau File Types

File Type Extension Description
Workbook .twb Contains worksheets, dashboards, and connections (without data).
Packaged Workbook .twbx Workbook + embedded data and images (portable).
Data Source .tds Contains metadata and field properties.
Packaged Data Source .tdsx Data source + data extract (portable).
Extract .hyper Optimized extract of data for faster performance.
Bookmark .tbm Saves a single worksheet for reuse.

Data Types in Tableau

Type Example Description
Number (Decimal) Price Quantitative data with decimals.
Number (Whole) Host ID Integer data without decimals.
Date / Date & Time Host Since Temporal data.
String Property Type Textual or categorical values.
Geographic Role Zip Code Fields that can be mapped geographically.
Boolean True/False Logical values used in filters or calculations.

Dimensions vs. Measures

  • Dimensions contain qualitative fields (categories such as names, dates, or geographic data).
    → Used to group, filter, and categorize data.
  • Measures contain quantitative, numeric fields.
    → Used to aggregate and analyze data (SUM, AVG, COUNT).

Discrete vs. Continuous Fields

Concept Description Example
Discrete Distinct categories, shown as separate labels or headers. Customer Name, Region
Continuous Numeric or time fields forming an unbroken scale. SUM(Sales), Order Date

Tip: You can convert measures or dimensions between discrete and continuous using the field dropdown.

Continuous Discrete
Continuous Discrete

Tableau Interface Overview

Section Function
A. Data Pane Contains all fields (dimensions, measures, parameters).
B. Shelves Control how fields appear in the view (Rows, Columns, Filters).
C. Marks Card Controls visual elements (Color, Size, Label, Shape, Tooltip).
D. Filters Shelf Limits the data shown in the visualization.
E. Dashboard Pane Combines multiple sheets into a single interactive view.
F. Toolbar & Buttons Quick access to tools (undo, redo, sort, swap, etc.).

Worksheet

Creating Basic Charts

Bar chart Line chart Pie chart Scatter plot
Bar Chart Line Chart Pie Chart Scatter Plot

Filters, Groups, Sets, and Sorting

Filters Groups Sets Sorting
Filters Groups Sets Sorting

Assignment

Create a simple Tableau dashboard using the Airbnb dataset.

  1. Connect to airbnb.xlsx
  2. Build at least three visualizations (bar, line, scatter, or pie)
  3. Add a filter or group for interactivity
  4. Publish your dashboard to Tableau Public
  5. Include a short reflection (2–3 sentences) on what your visualization shows.