What is Tableau: Uses and Applications?

Tableau is a powerful and rapidly growing data visualization and analytics tool.  It helps users see and understand their data. In simple words, users will observe their raw data transformed into a highly productive and understandable format. 

The business intelligence industry has found data analytics to be essential for its sustenance.  Tableau is a simple tool that non-technical users can infer and create a customized dashboard. No high-tech coding or technical skills are required to use this tool. The interactive data visualization interface provides immense help to organizations in solving their data problems. 

The massive demand for Tableau experts has made Tableau certification  widely popular. Many organizations require their employees to have undergone a Tableau course so that they have a grip on the tool. 

Tableau has many consulting options and applications. Tableau provides many products. Let us take a look at them one by one

Tableau Desktop

Tableau desktop is highly facilitating. Any simple user can create the reports and dashboards on the server. The system browser hosts all the charts and data. Tableau desktop uses various types of data and converts it into simple Tableau reporting. The software is accessible through mobile devices as well. Connectivity is the defining factor of the Tableau desktop. 

Tableau Desktop Professional

This is very much similar to the Tableau desktop. It is apt for those who wish to publish their work on the Tableau server. The main difference lies only in the fact that online publication is possible and there is access to all data types. Tableau training is better when using this version. 

Tableau Desktop Personal

The development features of this are similar to the Tableau desktop. This version keeps all the work private and allows limited access. Therefore it is only distributed in Tableau public or offline.

Tableau public 

This version targets money-saving individuals. As the word public suggests, the workbooks are not saved locally but are shared on a public cloud.  There is no privacy since anyone is able to access and download the files.  This version is used by those who wish to learn Tableau and are willing to share their data. 

Tableau online

This is an online sharing tool for the Tableau. In this version, the administrator Tableau server handles access to the servers. The administrator is in charge of privacy and data protection.  However, the data is stored on a server which a Tableau group can also manage. This version allows the Tableau dashboards to be shared on Tableau online. The data is available on any forum. This boosts up the chances of interactive visualizations and opens the gateway for many hidden opportunities. 

Tableau server

Organizations share workbooks through this version. In order to share the data, the workbooks first have to be published on the Tableau desktop. Only licensed users will be able to access the uploaded material. 

The licensed users don’t need to have a Tableau server installed on their machines. The login credentials will be enough to gain access through a simple web browser. The security level is high in the Tableau server so organizations can trust this version. 

Tableau reader

This is a free tool. You can access the workbooks published on the Tableau desktop or Tableau public for free.  Modification and editing are not allowed in this version but you can filter out data. The security level is zero in this version as anyone can access it. If you wish to share your dashboards, then make sure the receiver has a Tableau reader to access the document.

To put it simply, data visualization is incomplete without Tableau since this platform has transformed the way we collect and portray data.