Book Image

Getting Started with Tableau 2018.x

By : Tristan Guillevin
Book Image

Getting Started with Tableau 2018.x

By: Tristan Guillevin

Overview of this book

Tableau is one of the leading business intelligence tools used worldwide, in organizations of every scale. In its latest release, Tableau 2018 promises richer and more useful features related to visual analytics, reporting, dashboarding, and a host of other data visualization aspects. Getting Started with Tableau 2018.x will get you up and running with these features. The book starts with all the new functionalities of the different Tableau 2018 versions, along with concrete examples of how to use them. However, if you're new to Tableau, don't worry! The rest of the book will guide you through each major aspect of Tableau with examples. You'll learn how to connect to data, build a data source, visualize your data, build a dashboard, and share it online. In the final chapters, you'll also learn advanced techniques such as creating a cross-database join, data blending, and more. By the end of the book, you will have a firm understanding of how to effectively use Tableau to create quick, cost-effective, and business-efficient business intelligence solutions.
Table of Contents (21 chapters)
Title Page
Copyright and Credits
Packt Upsell
Contributors
Preface
Free Chapter
1
Catching Up with Tableau 2018
Index

Data connection


In this section, we'll see how to connect to different datasets (file or database). Of course, with more than 50 different connectors available, it's impossible to see each in detail. You can see, in the following screenshot, all the current available connections:

The goal when connecting to a dataset in Tableau is always the same:

  1. Choose your connection (File/Server).
  2. Connect by selecting the file or entering the login information.
  1. Reach the Data Source workplace and have at least one table in the framed area: 

Let's start by seeing how to connect to files, then to databases, and, in the end, Spatial files.

Connecting to a file

In this section, you'll see two examples of file connections: an Excel file and then a CSV file.

Excel files

If you want to connect to an Excel file, follow these steps:

  1. Click on Microsoft Excel in the list of available connections when you open Tableau.
  2. Search for your file in your computer, double-click on it, and Tableau automatically opens the file.
  1. The different...