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 (12 chapters)
8
8. Deeper Analysis – Trends, Clustering, Distributions, and Forecasting

Creating and editing calculations


A calculation is often referred to as a calculated field in Tableau. This is because, when you create a calculation, it will either show up as a new measure or a dimension in the data pane (unless it is an ad hoc calculation). Calculations consist of code that references other fields, parameters, constants, groups, or sets, and use combinations of functions and operations to achieve a result. Sometimes this result is per row of data and sometimes it is done at an aggregate level. We'll consider the difference shortly.

There are multiple ways to create a calculated field in Tableau:

  1. Navigate to Analysis | Create Calculated Field... from the menu.

  2. Use the drop-down menu next to Dimensions in the data pane:

  3. Right-click an empty area in the data pane and select Create Calculated Field.

  4. Use the drop-down menu on a field, set, or parameter in the data pane and select Create | Calculated Field....

  5. In Tableau 9.0 or later, double-click an empty area on the Rows, Columns...