tableau beginner
bootcamp
Welcome to a hands-on, high-energy introduction to visualizing data with Tableau! With its drag-and-drop interface and dynamic output, this is a tool every data enthusiast should have in their kit.
tableau beginner
Start
Here
This page is a handy companion guide for our workshop. All the resources we use today are here, from our data set to our finished Tableau workbook.
GET STARTED
This is a hands-on workshop, which means we’ll spend the majority of our time together building visualizations in Tableau. If you haven’t done so already, go ahead and download the data set and Tableau Public below.
POPULATION DATA
This workshop explores population data from the United Nations. If you need the data set, just click to download the Excel spreadsheet. The original data as well as its documentation can be found here.
TABLEAU PUBLIC
We create all of our data visualizations using Tableau Public, which is free! You can download the software here. Just enter your email and click “Download the App”. Then install the software and launch Tableau Public.
WHAT MAKES A VISUALIZATION?
The basic pieces of nearly all data visualizations can be broken down into three kinds of marks: points, lines, and areas. From there, we use position, size, color, and shape to tell multiple marks apart. Check out how these fundamental components are leveraged in these great examples from Tableau Public.
HARRY POTTER SPELLS
Skyler Johnson
HOME RUN RECORDS
Curtis Harris
NEW YORK CITY TREES
Ann Jackson and Josh Jackson
US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
Jacob Olsufka
ENDANGERED ANIMALS
RJ Andrews
dashboards
This workshop is all about getting comfortable with Tableau’s drag-and-drop user interface. As we explore Tableau’s essential functionalities, we’ll build these three dashboards.
DASHBOARD 1
We’ll start by building a treemap accompanied by a summary number, which are both controlled by a single filter. This dashboard dives into the table calculation percent of total, as well as three different types of highlight functionalities: a color legend, a search box, and a dashboard action.
DASHBOARD 2
Our second dashboard features a single visualization: the bump chart. Great for visualizing how rankings change over time, this bump chart explores the rank calculation and comes equipped with a filter to adjust which of the 201 ranked places we want to show at any given time.
DASHBOARD 3
Our final dashboard stitches together three unique visualizations into a cohesive story for each continent. We’ll create a map, an area chart, and series of donut charts that explore the flexibility and functionality of dashboard layout in Tableau.
interactive workbook
Here is the complete Tableau workbook we use during the workshop. You can download your own copy here. Or just go to the bottom right hand corner of this frame, click the download icon, and select Tableau Workbook. Then you can deconstruct each visualization we built with a fresh version.
keep learning
Strengthening your Tableau skills is just like learning a new language, instrument, or sport: it’s all about routine practice. Here are some great resources to help you keep on learning.
HELPFUL LINKS
Tableau has created a bunch of helpful resources for folks learning how to use their incredible software. Check out their comprehensive documentation, sample data sets, and online videos. Here at Data Dozen, we have our very own YouTube channel with full dashboard tutorials and a Tableau Public account you can follow.
INSPIRATION
There are so many good places to go when you need that spark of data visualization inspiration. The Tableau Public Gallery is a great place to start. Other favorites include the collaborative analogue project, Dear Data, and the full-scale implementation of Tableau found in Purdue University’s Data Digest.
MORE DATA DOZEN
If you want to keep learning with Data Dozen, we’d love to have you join us for a future workshop! With the Beginner Bootcamp under your belt, there are so many options before you. From chart type samplers to advanced techniques, there’s so much to explore. You can sign up for an upcoming workshop here.
Surprise, surprise…we’re collecting data too! We’d so appreciate your help answering a few questions about today’s workshop. We’re always looking to improve. Just click here.
