Tableau's visual environment allows a rapid and iterative process of exploring and analyzing data visually. You took your first steps in understanding how to use the platform. You connected to an Access database and used it to explore and analyze the data using some foundational visualization types, such as bar charts, line charts, and geographic visualizations. Along the way, you focused on learning the techniques and understanding key concepts such as the difference between measures and dimensions and discrete and continuous fields. Finally, you put all the pieces together to create a fully functional dashboard that allows an end user, such as management, to understand your analysis and make discoveries of their own.

In the next chapter, we'll explore how Tableau works with data. You will be exposed to fundamental concepts and practical examples of how to connect to various data sources. Combined with the foundational concepts you just learned about building visualizations, you will be well equipped to move on to more advanced visualizations, deeper analysis, and telling fully interactive data stories.