This lesson is in the early stages of development (Alpha version)

Introduction to Tableau

Setup

Overview

Time: min
Objectives
  • Install and authenticate Tableau subscription

  • Install and setup Zoom if needed

  • Download data files for this workshop

Software setup

Tableau

There are three steps to take for installing Tableau Desktop Version. First, you must request a free student license (access lasts one year) and then install Tableau software and activate it for use using the student license.

Getting a Student License for Tableau

For activating the tableau with Free student key, you will need to register on the below link using university ID: https://www.tableau.com/university-students
Click on Get Student License for free.

Instructions to Download Tableau Software

We can install the Tableau Desktop version from the link below: https://www.tableau.com/support/releases

  1. Open the Product Downloads and Release Notes(Link opens in a new window) page and select Tableau Desktop or Tableau Prep Builder from the list on the left side of the page.
  2. Click on the version you want to install.
  3. In the Download Files section of the page, click on the installer for your operating system to download it. Select Windows or mac according to your requirements.

Activating Tableau

After installation is complete, you will need to activate and register the product to begin using it. Fill out the fields on the registration form and then click Activate Tableau. Or, activate with a product key: Use this option if you are activating using the user interface and have a product key from Free student version product key.

All set you should be set to use Tableau Desktop version.

Run the installer and follow the prompts.

Open the Disk image file (.DMG) and double-click the installer package (.PKG) to start the installation.

Install the videoconferencing client

If you haven't used Zoom before, go to the official website to download and install the Zoom client for your computer.

Set up your workspace

Like other Carpentries workshops, you will be learning by "coding along" with the Instructors. To do this, you will need to have both the window for the tool you will be learning about (a terminal, RStudio, your web browser, etc..) and the window for the Zoom video conference client open. In order to see both at once, we recommend using one of the following set up options:

This blog post includes detailed information on how to set up your screen to follow along during the workshop.

Data files:

Please download the following file(s) to particpate in the workshop:

Link to Data Set: https://uofi.box.com/s/6q4p6u601z28b5iacmmydbuw3p6r0ezm

Link to Tableau File: https://uofi.box.com/s/fxios6tbtzg5r3xsr4uzl5ykwsop96ce

About the Data Used in this Workshop:

The dataset used is a sample dataset from Tabelau. It is a basic data collection of US supermarkets.

Let us understand the attributes of this data set:

Key Points


Data Visualization Basics

Overview

Time: 15 min
Objectives
  • To get a fundamental grasp of data visualization.

  • The audience will be introduced to the tableau platform in general, as well as basic charts and visualizations in tableau.

  1. What is Data Visualization?
  1. Why Data Visualization?

Data Visualization helps in data interpretation in the most efficient way possible. The history of data visualization goes back to the 17th century where maps and graphs were used to understand the data better. One notable example of it is the map of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia. The map depicted the size of the army as well as the path of Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow – and tied that information to temperature and time scales for a more in-depth understanding of the event.

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Advantages of using Data Visualization –

3.Good / Bad Visualizations

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b. Too much information in one graph

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c. The x-axis scale is not consistent

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Good Visualizations: Simple, easy on the eyes and informative graphs

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Key Points

  • Introduction to Tableau Desktop, Tableau Basics explained in subsequent lessons.


Intro to Tableau Desktop

Overview

Time: min
Objectives
  • Demo of Tableau Desktop. Connecting to dataset and working with Sheets.

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Key Points


Tableau Basics

Overview

Time: min
Objectives
  • Introduction to Data Types, and Types of Charts in Tableau.

Data Types in Tableau

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Sometimes, tableau might interpret the data type wrong. For example, it might consider the date type as integers as it has numbers in it. You can always change the data type of the field.

Key Points


Basic Charts

Overview

Time: min
Objectives
  • Introduction to Profit mix, bar and Trend Charts.

Basic Charts

a. Sales and Profit mix

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b. Sales Trend

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Key Points