Book Image

Learning Tableau 10 - Second Edition

Book Image

Learning Tableau 10 - Second Edition

Overview of this book

Tableau has for some time been one of the most popular Business Intelligence and data visualization tools available. Why? Because, quite simply, it’s a tool that’s responsive to the needs of modern businesses. But it’s most effective when you know how to get what you want from it – it might make your business intelligent, but it isn’t going to make you intelligent… We’ll make sure you’re well prepared to take full advantage of Tableau 10’s new features. Whether you’re an experienced data analyst that wants to explore 2016’s new Tableau, or you’re a beginner that wants to expand their skillset and bring a more professional and sharper approach to their organization, we’ve got you covered. Beginning with the fundamentals, such as data preparation, you’ll soon learn how to build and customize your own data visualizations and dashboards, essential for high-level visibility and effective data storytelling. You’ll also find out how to so trend analysis and forecasting using clustering and distribution models to inform your analytics. But it’s not just about you – when it comes to data it’s all about availability and access. That’s why we’ll show you how to share your Tableau visualizations. It’s only once insights are shared and communicated that you – and your organization – will start making smarter and informed decisions. And really, that’s exactly what this guide is for.
Table of Contents (17 chapters)
Learning Tableau 10 Second Edition
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface

Managing data source metadata


Data sources in Tableau are a definition of the connection(s). In addition to storing information about the connection (such as database server name, database, and/or file names), the data source also contains information about all the fields available (such as field name, data type, default format, comments, aliases, and so on). Often, this data about the data is referred to as metadata.

Right-clicking on a field in the data pane reveals a menu of metadata options. Some of these options will be demonstrated in the following exercise, others will be explained throughout the book. The following are some of the options available via right-click:

  • Rename the field

  • Hide the field

  • Change aliases for values of a dimension (other than date fields)

  • Create calculated fields, groups, or sets

  • Split the field

  • Change the default use of a date or numeric field to either discrete or continuous

  • Redefine the field as a dimension or a measure

  • Change the data type of the field

  • Assign a geographic...