Tableau Part 1
How do you use the analytics tab to add subtotals and grand totals to your visualization?
- Analytics pane: drag totals onto the canvas/crosstab (choose what you want- in this case subtotals) drop on the type you want *Subtotals: if you have categories *Grand Totals: On rows and/or columns - Analysis (on top headings) *Totals; Remove Subtotals; Remove Grand Totals
Understand why Tableau sometimes miscategorizes dimensions as measures...and how to fix that
- Can swap rows and columns (separate note) - Store # misconstrued for measure (count), but you can click on the down arrow and convert to Dimension (green to blue)
Learn to format. data display in a visualization... font, numeric font, display unit
- Click on the down arrow on the pill (under marks); Click Format; Change font, size, etc. - Numeric format: Format; Numbers; Currency (Custom)(decimal place; negative values; display units (thousands (k), millions (m), billions (b), etc.) DEFAULT AFFECTS EVERYTHING
Be able to explain continuous vs. discrete
- Continuous has infinite possible values (green in user interface) EX: Sales data for daily sales - Discrete has a finite set of values (Blue in User Interface) EX: Sales data on a yearly basis
Learn how to create a pie chart
- Dimension determines the colors of the pie - Measure determines the size of the pie slices - Use Show Me to convert it to Pie
Learn how discrete and continuous dates work differently in your cross tabs (and other visualizations)
- Discrete would be clicking on the Quarter (the first one you see), every. year, Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 (blue) (column headings were on top) - Continuous would be clicking on the lower set of date analysis (2nd quarter) (giving me each quarter of each year)(green)(formatted as axis on bottom of graph) change. the bar graph lines by going under Marks to "Automatic" and changing it to "Text"
Learn to create a bubble chart
- Duplicate sheet; show me; choose bubble chart EXAMPLE: Guitar Universe; State (row) and sales amount (column); bubble chart
Cards (also has pages)
- Filters - Marks (you can do by color, size, label, detail, and tooltip
Adding. labels, formatting labels (including "suffixes" to numeric formats), tool tips...
- Label the pie slices (drag class and grade to label) (Format grade to number (custom) 1 decimal place (suffix is %) - Drop other measures onto the detail marks card (drag number of records to detail) - Edit the tooltip (Change the number of records to number of students)
Learn how to manipulate the color marks car, including color palettes and stepped colors
- Mark Cards: color - Opacity - Border and Halo - Edit colors (Palette, stepped colors (how to divide the colors), reversed)
Learn how to build a highlight table- and why you might choose one instead of a cross tab. (Helps visualization) Learn how to use the Show Me tab
- Requirements: Show me (Top right hand corner): 1+ dimension, 1 measure - Build the crosstab - Click "highlight table" in show me
Learn to filter on discrete and continuous functions
- Simple filters - Filter on a discrete dimension - One "bin" per discrete value - Select the desired bin(s) - Show filter (to allow users to have functionality of their choice)
Learn to create a "Calculated Field"
- The basic process: how to use the table formula editor window - how it autofills the names of components as you type - The syntax of a filename in the Tableau calculated field editor - Remember your excel knowledge...PEMDAS, text functions, equations, etc. EXAMPLE: Click the down arrow on PartNumber, "Create Calculated Field", rename it. (Manufacturer), (use Excel formulas) (e.g. left([PartNumber], 2) Example: Click the down arrow on the Retail Price, "Create Calculated Field", rename it (DiscountPct), 1-([Discounted Price]/[Retail Price]), (it autofills the name as you type)
When might it be a bad idea?
- When you are using a TopN filter because the user can potentially mess up the results EXAMPLE: Josh is the top salesperson, but if he get unchecked, Danielle is now #1 and Amanda is #5 (Josh gets taken out of the top 5 salespeople) (so you may choose to. not show filter because the user could mess it up
Canvas
- Where you are going to paint your visualization (drop them in the Sheet 1 (z, y, and middle specifications)) (main blocks of space) - If you want to delete, click square bar chart with X on bottom right corner to clear sheet
What is the value of doing that?
Allows for interactive control
Learn to build a cross tab using drag-and-drop ... and also using double clock. Why does double click sometimes not create a cross tab (e.g. with "state")?
Building a simple cross tab - Drag and drop - Drag a dimension onto row or columns EXAMPLE: Drag salesperson to Row (Left side) - Drag a measure onto canvas EXAMPLE: Drag Sale amount to the right side of the row (where it says ABC) Double Click - Double click the desired dimension - Double click the desired measure PROBLEM: ABC will make appropriate cross table... The globe/geographic data dimension will make a map
Learn how to change analysis. from SUM to something else
Change Analysis Type (Click the down arrow; Measure; Whichever option you want) Sum Average Min Max Count Count (distinct)
Learn to sort the results of your crosstab
Click on the pill in the row/column shelf (e.g. row-Salesperson); Sort; Descending (highest to lowest); Sort by Field. Sale Amount Aggregation: Maximum; OK
Learn to connect to additional data sources in a Tableau workbook
Click the cylinder and add new data source
Shelves
Columns and rows above the main block of canvas
What is a CSV file?
Comma separated values
Making the pie chart bigger
Control Shift B
TopN Filters: How are they valuable?
Create visualization (focus on what is relevant, don't get stuck on all the details) E.G. Sales by salesperson
Learn how to build bar graphs
Creating a simple bar graph - Drop dimension on a shelf Row for horizontal bars and column for vertical bars - Drop measure on the other shelf
How is a discrete date dimension different from a continuous date dimension? How does that affect filtering? Filtering for continuous date ranges, relative dates, ranges of dates, starting and ending
Date Filters - Discrete: finite number of "bins" - Continuous: like an infinite series; no bins: Relative to a date, range of dates, beginning date>=, ending date<= BONUS: edit alias
Which divides data into buckets or bins?
Dimensions are qualitative- used to divide data into "buckets"
Learn to adjust column sizes in your crosstab
Drag in between the columns to how wide/narrow you want the column to be
Learn to split a field - automatic split and custom split... using delimiter characters and patterns
EXAMPLE: New Data Source (Cylinder); Simple Data Transformations; Rental Car Inventory; Click down Arron on Vehicle Description; Split (It automatically broke up data based on the commas); Rename them (Yr and Make, Cylinders, Transmissions), Click down arrow on Yr and Make and Split that as well (rename Yr,Make) OR EXAMPLE: Down arrow. on Vehicle Description; Custom Split
How are dimensions and measures different? Be able to decide whether a field should be categorized as a dimension or as a measure?
Example: State would be a dimension (qualitative); Revenues would be a measure (quantitative) Example: Number of bedrooms is a dimension (qualitative- you don't do the math on them); put the data into bins and see how much money we make within different amount of bedrooms (Measure-quantitative)
How do you configure TopN filter?
Filter on the dimension - General: Use all - Top: By field, Top "N" (e.g. top 5 by sale amount sum), select a measure to use for the TopN ranking - Optional: show filter
Why filter data?
Focus user's attention on just a portion of the data (filter is good to keep the good data and ignore the rest (to eliminate unwanted data)
Learn to use the "data pane". What do you do if it disappears?
Left hand side (Worksheet Name, Dimensions, and Measures); if it disappears (by clicking the up and down arrow on top), then click the up and down arrow on the bottom next to "data"
Which is used to do mathematical calculations?
Measures are quantitative- we do math on them
Pills
Oval shaped field that you dragged to the column shelf or row shelf; you can click on the down arrow and there are a variety of content appropriate options you can perform on that item
What information does a pie chart convey? A bubble chart?
Pie chart is a circle that shows wedges that represent a categorization of the data; Bubble charts display data based on multiple circles of different sizes
What is a dimension? How is it used?
Qualitative data; categorize and divide the data
What is a measure? How is it used?
Quantitative data items; fields which are aggregated (sum, avg, etc.) (to do math)
Learn to rename a field
Right click or double click
How do you show a filter to the user?
Show filter
What's the difference between a "packaged" workbook and a regular Tableau Workbook?
Tableau Workbook causes the file to be very small because it has to have access to the original data in its location; Tableau Packaged Workbook takes all those data sources, makes copies of the inside the Tableau Packaged Workbook, which means you can give it to someone else (like Professor Olson)
What does Mr. Olson mean by what happens in Tableau stays in Tableau?
We connect to external data, but we don't change it (we can access the data sources); any changes we make in Tableau are internal (it stays in tableau)