Book Image

The Tableau Workshop

By : Sumit Gupta, Sylvester Pinto, Shweta Sankhe-Savale, JC Gillet, Kenneth Michael Cherven
Book Image

The Tableau Workshop

By: Sumit Gupta, Sylvester Pinto, Shweta Sankhe-Savale, JC Gillet, Kenneth Michael Cherven

Overview of this book

Learning Tableau has never been easier, thanks to this practical introduction to storytelling with data. The Tableau Workshop breaks down the analytical process into five steps: data preparation, data exploration, data analysis, interactivity, and distribution of dashboards. Each stage is addressed with a clear walkthrough of the key tools and techniques you'll need, as well as engaging real-world examples, meaningful data, and practical exercises to give you valuable hands-on experience. As you work through the book, you'll learn Tableau step by step, studying how to clean, shape, and combine data, as well as how to choose the most suitable charts for any given scenario. You'll load data from various sources and formats, perform data engineering to create new data that delivers deeper insights, and create interactive dashboards that engage end-users. All concepts are introduced with clear, simple explanations and demonstrated through realistic example scenarios. You'll simulate real-world data science projects with use cases such as traffic violations, urban populations, coffee store sales, and air travel delays. By the end of this Tableau book, you'll have the skills and knowledge to confidently present analytical results and make data-driven decisions.
Table of Contents (12 chapters)
Preface

Quick Table Calculations

Quick table calculations, as the name suggests, allow you to quickly apply frequently used table calculations to the view using the most typical settings for that calculation type. They save you the effort of using the column fields from data to create calculations. They have inbuilt logic , so you can use them directly in the view. Some of the most commonly used table calculations are as follows:

  • Running Total
  • Difference
  • Percent of Total
  • Percent Difference
  • Percentile
  • Rank
  • Moving Average

You will start by learning how to apply quick table calculations, using the Sample - Superstore dataset. This file can be found by following the Documents | My Tableau Repository | Data Sources system path, and then opening the Sample - Superstore.xls file.

To begin, create a view that shows Category against YEAR(Order Date) and SUM(Profit), as follows:

Figure 8.2: Initial view

Table calculations only work with...