Preface

When Tableau was first introduced, it was a dramatic paradigm shift away from clunky reports and endless data integration projects that often produced results long after relevant decisions could have been made. Tableau disrupted the paradigm for visually interacting with data. It made it easy and intuitive (and fun!) to be hands-on with the data, to receive instant visual feedback with every action, and to ask questions and uncover insights in a natural flow of thought and interaction. The result is an ever-growing #datafam, a community that loves Tableau for its simplicity, beauty, and its ability to make working with data fun!

Tableau continues to expand and evolve in ways that make seeing and understanding data easier and more powerful. New features such as the Tableau Data Model, set and parameter actions, ever-growing geospatial support, animations, and new dashboard objects expand what's possible and make it easier than ever to gain and share insights from data.

The continued evolution of Tableau Prep brings the same intuitive instant feedback to data prep and cleansing that Tableau Desktop brought to data visualization, greatly extending the analytical platform of Tableau. We'll cover these new features (and more) in the chapters of this book!

We'll look at Tableau through the lens of understanding the underlying paradigm of how and why Tableau works, in the context of practical examples. Then, we'll build on this solid foundation of understanding so that you will have the tools and skills to tackle even the toughest data challenges!