Book Image

Tableau Desktop Specialist Certification

By : Adam Mico
Book Image

Tableau Desktop Specialist Certification

By: Adam Mico

Overview of this book

The Tableau Desktop Specialist certification is fundamental for any data visualization professional who works in the field with Tableau. This book gets you started by covering the exam format, Tableau basics, and best practices for preparing data for analysis and visualization. It also builds on your knowledge of advanced Tableau topics to get you up to speed with the essential domains and domain objectives. Although the guide provides an outline and starting point to key in on what needs to be understood before the examination, it also delivers in context to give you a strong understanding of each piece before taking the exam. Instructions on how to get hands on with examples, a common data source, and suggested elements are also included. Understanding the concepts will not only assist you in passing the examination, but will also help you work effectively with the tool in your workspace. By the end of this book, you'll be able to efficiently prepare for the certification exam with the help of mock tests, detailed explanations, and expert advice from the author.
Table of Contents (17 chapters)
1
Part 1: Introduction to Tableau
7
Part 2: Mastering the Exam
12
Part 3: The Final Prep

Connecting to data

As mentioned in Chapter 1, Tableau Desktop Specialist Certification Overview, you can connect to the data via a server (Tableau or another) or a file and can also connect to one or multiple data sources. On Tableau Desktop, you should try to connect with the same type of data source to get the highest performance. For example, if you’re using Microsoft Excel, other Excel files will work more effectively.

For the basic connection, I will connect to Sample – Superstore (see Figure 2.4), which is the default sample dataset from Tableau. It is what many tutorials and help guides from Tableau and the community are based on:

Figure 2.4 – Sample – Superstore default saved data source from Tableau Desktop

Figure 2.4 – Sample – Superstore default saved data source from Tableau Desktop

Simply select Sample – Superstore. Once connected, you will be taken to Sheet 1, where you can see all the tables and fields it contains (unless other data sources were added to the data pane before this...