Data Analyst

Tableau

Karen Hovhannisyan

2025-11-12

Overview

This session introduces the foundations of Tableau — the leading tool for interactive data visualization and business intelligence.
Students learn how to connect to data, explore the Tableau interface, and create their first simple dashboard.

By the end of the class, you should be able to connect to common data sources, understand Tableau’s data model, and build your first visualizations using key chart types.

What Is Tableau?

Tableau is a data visualization and analytics platform designed to help people see and understand their data.
It transforms raw datasets into meaningful visual stories that support data-driven decision-making.

Tableau connects easily to spreadsheets, databases, or live cloud data, enabling analysts to explore data visually without writing complex code.

Tableau Products

Each Tableau product serves a distinct purpose within the analytics lifecycle.

Product Description
Tableau Desktop Authoring tool for building visualizations and dashboards.
Tableau Server On-premise platform for sharing dashboards securely within an organization.
Tableau Cloud Cloud-hosted version of Tableau Server — no infrastructure required.
Tableau Public Free, cloud-based platform for publishing dashboards publicly.
Tableau Prep Tool for cleaning, combining, and reshaping data before analysis.
Tableau Next Experimental module for automated insight generation and trend detection.

💡 Tip:
Tableau Public is ideal for practice and portfolio building. Use Tableau Desktop Public Edition to create and publish dashboards online.

Download Tableau Public
Access Sample Datasets

Dataset used in class: airbnb.xlsx

Connect to Excel

Tableau File Types

File Type Extension Description
Workbook .twb XML file storing visualizations and connections.
Packaged Workbook .twbx Workbook + data files (used for sharing).
Data Source .tds Metadata definition for a connection.
Packaged Data Source .tdsx .tds plus data extract.
Extract File .hyper Optimized local data extract.
Bookmark .tbm Stores a single sheet.

Tableau Interface Overview

The Tableau interface is divided into several main components that allow you to manage data, build visuals, and combine them into dashboards.

Section Function
Data Pane (A) Contains all fields (dimensions, measures, parameters).
Shelves (B) Control how fields are displayed in a view (Rows, Columns, Filters).
Marks Card (C) Manages visual elements such as color, size, shape, and labels.
Filters Shelf (D) Restricts data displayed in a worksheet.
Dashboard Pane (E) Combines multiple sheets into one unified view.
Toolbar & Buttons (F) Provides shortcuts for key actions (undo, redo, sort, save).

Tableau Interface

Core Tableau Concepts

Dimensions vs Measures

  • Dimensions are qualitative fields used to categorize data (e.g., Region, Category, Date).
  • Measures are quantitative fields that can be aggregated (e.g., Sales, Profit, Quantity).
Example Type
Customer Name Dimension
SUM(Sales) Measure
AVG(Profit) Measure

Discrete vs Continuous Fields

  • Discrete fields create headers and categories (blue pills).
  • Continuous fields create axes and ranges (green pills).
Type Example Visualization Effect
Discrete Region, Category Creates labels or categories
Continuous SUM(Sales), Date Creates an axis for measurement
Continuous Discrete
Continuous Discrete

Tip: You can convert between discrete and continuous by right-clicking a field and selecting Convert to Continuous or Convert to Discrete.

Creating Your First Visualization

Step 1: Connect to Data

  • Go to Data → Connect to Data
  • Select Excel or Text File
  • Choose airbnb.xlsx and drag the sheet into the workspace.

Step 2: Explore Data Types

Observe the data pane to identify: - Number fields (decimal or whole) - Date fields - String (text) fields - Geographic fields (automatically assigned roles like City, Country)

Step 3: Build Basic Charts

Chart Description Example Fields
Bar Chart Compare values across categories Region vs SUM(Sales)
Line Chart Show trends over time Month vs SUM(Profit)
Pie Chart Show proportions Category vs SUM(Sales)
Scatter Plot Display relationships between two measures SUM(Sales) vs SUM(Profit)
Bar chart Line chart Pie chart Scatter plot
Bar Chart Line Chart Pie Chart Scatter Plot

Step 4: Apply Filters, Groups, and Sets

Function Purpose Example
Filters Focus analysis on specific data subsets [Region] = "East"
Groups Combine similar categories Group small cities into “Other”
Sets Create dynamic subsets based on conditions Customers with Sales > 5000
Sorting Arrange data by ascending/descending value Sort by Profit descending
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.

Preview of Next Class

In the next session, we’ll explore data connections and relationships in Tableau — including joins, blends, and unions — and learn how to combine multiple data sources effectively..