Introduction To Tableau

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Introduction to Tableau

This workshop will introduce the most basic functions of Tableau Public such as connecting to a dataset and building sheets, dashboards, and story’s. This session will also cover how to publish your work to Tableau Public Online and how to share and download it from there.

No prior experience with Tableau is needed for this workshop.

Estimated workshop length: 2.5 hours

Setup Instructions

In preparation for this workshop, you will need to download and install the latest version of Tableau Public which can be done using the link below (keep in mind that you may need to contact your institution for permission to install programs).

Download Tableau Public

You will also need to download the two excel workbooks used in this workshop by using the links below:

Dataset 1 - Mahogany Mary Sales Data

Dataset 2 - Customer Satisfaction Data

Lastly, you will need to sign up for a free Tableau Public account if you do not already have one. You can sign up for a new account Here

Workshop Tasks

Task Set 1

  1. Open Tableau Public and use the Excel connector to connect to the Mahogany Mary 2018 Sales Data
  2. Add the Customer Satisfaction data to your connections and drag the table into the join window
  3. Adjust the datatypes on your tables to match the data in each column (Remember to set Order Number to string!)
  4. When completed type “DATA PREPPED” into the chat

Task Set 2

  1. Drag a measure and a dimension onto the worksheet to make a visualization
  2. Clear the worksheet using the “Clear Sheet” button and drag a different measure and dimension onto the worksheet
  3. Make a new sheet using the “New Worksheet” button
  4. Open the “Show Me” menu and look at the pieces needed to make different visualizations
  5. Hold CTRL (or CMD on mac) and select some measures and dimensions then click on one of the highlighted visualizations in the “Show Me” menu to make it
  6. Try selecting different highlighted visualizations and notice of which one has the orange border around it
  7. When you are done type “KNOWLEDGE AQUIRED!!!!” into the chat

Task Set 3

  1. On a new sheet, create a scatterplot that compares Tip and Satisfaction Rating by adding those two measures to the Columns and Rows shelf
  2. Display a data point for each individual order by adding the Order Number dimension to the details mark
  3. Add Country to both the color mark and the shape mark to add some more layers of information to the data
  4. Adjust visibility to your liking by clicking on the size mark and using the slider to adjust the point size of your visualization
  5. Add a country filter to the filters tab and make it visible to add checkboxes to the right side of your visualization
  6. Add Order Date to the pages area and try adjusting the “Show History” settings for different kinds of experiences
  7. Feel free to try adjusting various setting to see what changes occur, keeping in mind that Tableau has infinite undo’s so you don’t need to worry about wrecking your visualization.
  8. When you are done type “VISUALIZATIONS MASTERED!!” in the chat

Task Set 4

  1. Make 3 new sheets and name them “Raw Sale Total”, “No Tax Sale Total”, and “True Total”
  2. On the “Raw Sale Total” sheet make a bar chart showing Sale Total by Product and add a visible Country filter
  3. Make a calculated field called “No Tax Sale Total” that removes your local tax rate from the values. (Sales Tax in Ontario Canada is 13%)
  4. On the “No Tax Sale Total” sheet make a bar chart showing No Tax Sale Total by Product
  5. Make another calculated field called “True Total” by adding No Tax Sale Total to Tip
  6. On the “True Total” sheet make a bar chart showing True Total by Product
  7. Once you are done type “CALCULATIONS COMPLETE” into the chat

Task Set 5

  1. Make a new dashboard, pick a size for it, and name it
  2. Add the three worksheets made in the last task to the dashboard (Floating or tiled is up to you)
  3. Set filters to affect all worksheets and set at least one visualization as a filter as well
  4. Add some aesthetic elements of your choice (Title, Explanation text, webpage box)
  5. Once completed type “DASHBOARD MASTERED!!!” into the chat

Task Set 6

  1. Make new story that contains at least one dashboard and one worksheet
  2. When done type “ULTIMATE STORYTELLER!!!” in the chat

Task Set 7

  1. Save your story to Tableau Public
  2. Go to Tableau Public online and get the share link for your story
  3. If you are comfortable doing so, post the share link in the chat. Regardless, type “WORKSHOP COMPLETE!!!” in the chat to let me know you are done.

This workshop is brought to you by the Brock University Digital Scholarship Lab. For a listing of our upcoming workshops go to Experience BU if you are a Brock affiliate or our Eventbrite page for external attendees. For additional inquiries, contact DSL@Brocku.ca