Go beyond spreadsheets and tables and design a data presentation that really makes an impact. This practical guide shows you how to use Tableau Software to convert raw data into compelling data visualizations that provide insight or allow viewers to explore the data for themselves. Ideal for analysts, engineers, marketers, journalists, and researchers, this book describes the principles of communicating data and takes you on an in-depth tour of common visualization methods. You’ll learn how to craft articulate and creative data visualizations with Tableau Desktop 8.1 and Tableau Public 8.1. Present comparisons of how much and how many Use blended data sources to create ratios and rates Create charts to depict proportions and percentages Visualize measures of mean, median, and mode Lean how to deal with variation and uncertainty Communicate multiple quantities in the same view Show how quantities and events change over time Use maps to communicate positional data Build dashboards to combine several visualizations

Go beyond spreadsheets and tables and design a data presentation that really makes an impact. This practical guide shows you how to use Tableau Software to convert raw data into compelling data visualizations that provide insight or allow viewers to explore the data for themselves. Ideal for analysts, engineers, marketers, journalists, and researchers, this book describes the principles of communicating data and takes you on an in-depth tour of common visualization methods. You’ll learn how to craft articulate and creative data visualizations with Tableau Desktop 8.1 and Tableau Public 8.1. Present comparisons of how much and how many Use blended data sources to create ratios and rates Create charts to depict proportions and percentages Visualize measures of mean, median, and mode Lean how to deal with variation and uncertainty Communicate multiple quantities in the same view Show how quantities and events change over time Use maps to communicate positional data Build dashboards to combine several visualizations

"Designing, developing, and delivering data visualizations"--Cover.

Avoid data blunders and create truly useful visualizations Avoiding Data Pitfalls is a reputation-saving handbook for those who work with data, designed to help you avoid the all-too-common blunders that occur in data analysis, visualization, and presentation. Plenty of data tools exist, along with plenty of books that tell you how to use them—but unless you truly understand how to work with data, each of these tools can ultimately mislead and cause costly mistakes. This book walks you step by step through the full data visualization process, from calculation and analysis through accurate, useful presentation. Common blunders are explored in depth to show you how they arise, how they have become so common, and how you can avoid them from the outset. Then and only then can you take advantage of the wealth of tools that are out there—in the hands of someone who knows what they're doing, the right tools can cut down on the time, labor, and myriad decisions that go into each and every data presentation. Workers in almost every industry are now commonly expected to effectively analyze and present data, even with little or no formal training. There are many pitfalls—some might say chasms—in the process, and no one wants to be the source of a data error that costs money or even lives. This book provides a full walk-through of the process to help you ensure a truly useful result. Delve into the "data-reality gap" that grows with our dependence on data Learn how the right tools can streamline the visualization process Avoid common mistakes in data analysis, visualization, and presentation Create and present clear, accurate, effective data visualizations To err is human, but in today's data-driven world, the stakes can be high and the mistakes costly. Don't rely on "catching" mistakes, avoid them from the outset with the expert instruction in Avoiding Data Pitfalls.

For self-service data preparation, Tableau Prep is relatively easy to use—as long as you know how to clean and organize your datasets. Carl Allchin, from The Information Lab in London, gets you up to speed on Tableau Prep through a series of practical lessons that include methods for preparing, cleaning, automating, organizing, and outputting your datasets. Based on Allchin’s popular blog, Preppin’ Data, this practical guide takes you step-by-step through Tableau Prep’s fundamentals. Self-service data preparation reduces the time it takes to complete data projects and improves the quality of your analyses. Discover how Tableau Prep helps you access your data and turn it into valuable information. Know what to look for when you prepare data Learn which Tableau Prep functions to use when working with data fields Analyze the shape and profile of your dataset Output data for analysis and learn how Tableau Prep automates your workflow Learn how to clean your dataset using Tableau Prep functions Explore ways to use Tableau Prep techniques in real-world scenarios Make your data available to others by managing and documenting the output

Whether you have some experience with Tableau software or are just getting started, this manual goes beyond the basics to help you build compelling, interactive data visualization applications. Author Ryan Sleeper, one of the worldâ??s most qualified Tableau consultants, complements his web posts and instructional videos with this guide to give you a firm understanding of how to use Tableau to find valuable insights in data. Over five sections, Sleeperâ??recognized as a Tableau Zen Master, Tableau Public Visualization of the Year author, and Tableau Iron Viz Championâ??provides visualization tips, tutorials, and strategies to help you avoid the pitfalls and take your Tableau knowledge to the next level. Practical Tableau sections include: Fundamentals: get started with Tableau from the beginning Chart types: use step-by-step tutorials to build a variety of charts in Tableau Tips and tricks: learn innovative uses of parameters, color theory, how to make your Tableau workbooks run efficiently, and more Framework: explore the INSIGHT framework, a proprietary process for building Tableau dashboards Storytelling: learn tangible tactics for storytelling with data, including specific and actionable tips you can implement immediately

If you want to understand your data using data visualization and don't know where to start, then this is the book for you. Whether you are a beginner or have years of experience, this book will help you to quickly acquire the skills and techniques used to discover, analyze, and communicate data visually. Some familiarity with databases and data structures is helpful, but not required.