Book Image

Data Modeling with Tableau

By : Kirk Munroe
Book Image

Data Modeling with Tableau

By: Kirk Munroe

Overview of this book

Tableau is unlike most other BI platforms that have a single data modeling tool and enterprise data model (for example, LookML from Google’s Looker). That doesn’t mean Tableau doesn’t have enterprise data governance; it is both robust and highly flexible. This book will help you effectively use Tableau governance models to build a data-driven organization. Data Modeling with Tableau is an extensive guide, complete with step-by-step explanations of essential concepts, practical examples, and hands-on exercises. As you progress through the chapters, you’ll learn the role that Tableau Prep Builder and Tableau Desktop each play in data modeling. You’ll also explore the components of Tableau Server and Tableau Cloud that make data modeling more robust, secure, and performant. Moreover, by extending data models for Ask and Explain Data, you’ll gain the knowledge required to extend analytics to more people in their organizations, leading to better data-driven decisions. Finally, this book will guide you through the entire Tableau stack and the techniques required to build the right level of governance into Tableau data models for the correct use cases. By the end of this Tableau book, you’ll have a firm understanding of how to leverage data modeling in Tableau to benefit your organization.
Table of Contents (22 chapters)
1
Part 1: Data Modeling on the Tableau Platform
4
Part 2: Tableau Prep Builder for Data Modeling
9
Part 3: Tableau Desktop for Data Modeling
14
Part 4: Data Modeling with Tableau Server and Online

Extending the Tableau data model with calculations, folders, hierarchies, grouping, and descriptions

When creating data models, Tableau allows us to extend and enhance our models for easier and more robust analysis by adjusting the metadata in the model and adding calculations. Let's create a calculation for Profit Margin %:

  1. Open Tableau Desktop. From the connect pane, under the To a File section, select Text file. Locate the Superstore Sales 2022.csv file and click Open. Click on Sheet 1. Right-click on Profit and select Create | Calculated Field from the menu, as seen in Figure 10.24:
Figure 10.24 – Creating a calculated field

Figure 10.24 – Creating a calculated field

  1. In the calculation dialog box, give your calculation the name Profit Margin % and enter SUM(Profit)/SUM(Sales) as seen in Figure 10.25. Then, click OK to finish creating the calculated field:
Figure 10.25 – Calculated field

Figure 10.25 – Calculated field

  1. Next, we will add a description...