Logging in to Tableau Public

As you have been learning, Tableau is a powerful data visualization tool used by data professionals around the world. Tableau offers a free browser version of its software, Tableau Public, which allows learners like yourself to test out its capability in a limited capacity. Tableau Public is the software you will use throughout this course on data visualization. In this reading, you will be guided on how to sign up for Tableau Public, and you will be given troubleshooting resources for potential obstacles you may experience.

How to sign in to Tableau Public

Signing in with an existing account

If you already have a Tableau.com account, you can use your existing login credentials to sign into Tableau Public. Click here to learn more. If this is your first time signing in to Tableau Public with your Tableau.com account, you can set your account password by resetting your password. To do so, click “reset password.”

Signing in for the first time

The following instructions show you how to sign up for Tableau Public for the first time, without a pre-existing Tableau.com or Tableau Public account. First, go to the Tableau Public home page. If this link does not open to Tableau’s homepage, type public.tableau.com in your browser’s address bar.

Note: Tableau Public works best on Chrome (Windows, Mac, Android), Edge (Windows), Firefox (Windows and Mac), Safari (Mac and IOS).

Next, click the Sign Up button.

Fill in all the required fields and click Create My Account.

Navigating Tableau Public

The home page for Tableau Public contains resources and guides for helping data professionals learn more about and get inspired by data visualizations. You can explore any and all of the links on this landing page to help enhance your knowledge of Tableau. The most helpful place to start if you are new to Tableau is the Resources page, which has how-to videos, community resources and user forums.

How to start creating your own visualizations

During the instruction videos, the instructor will ask you to log in to Public Tableau and follow along in the creation of a data visualization. Click on the user symbol icon on the Tableau Public homepage and select My Profile to get started.

Get Started

Within your Tableau Public profile, you’ll find tabs for Vizzes, Favorites, Following, and Followers. At the bottom of the page, under the Vizzes tab, there will be two buttons, Create a Viz and Explore Sample Data. Using the Explore Sample Data is a great way to try out the tool on your own and test how the software works in a sandbox-like environment. At the instructors prompt, click Create a Viz.

Default to data drop

Once you’ve clicked Create a Viz, you will be directed to a screen that asks you to connect to data. Tableau Public needs data to work with, such as a spreadsheet, json, or csv file, for example. When prompted by the instructor, you will upload the data provided using this screen.

Once you’ve uploaded data, you are ready to start designing data visualizations. Happy designing, future Viz Whiz!

Key takeaways

Accessing Tableau Public and creating a profile will be your first step to learning how to design data visualizations like a data professional.

Resources for more information

To help you troubleshoot or to learn more, explore the following links:

• Tableau Public not working? Check out these Technical speculations and storage requirements
• The Tableau Public Discover page includes ‘Viz of the Day’ and other beautiful vizzes designed on the platform

Tableau resources

As you continue to explore Tableau and prepare to make your own dynamic dashboards, here are a few useful links within Tableau Public:

• Tableau Public Channels: Explore data visualizations created by others across a variety of different topics.
• Viz of the Day: Tableau Public features a new data viz every day; check back for new visualizations daily or subscribe to receive updates directly to your inbox
• Google Career Certificates page on Tableau Public: This gallery contains all the visualizations created in the video lessons so you can explore these examples more in-depth.
• Tableau Public resources page: This links to the resources page, including some how-to videos and sample data.
• Tableau Accessibility FAQ: Access resources about accessibility in Tableau visualizations using the FAQ; it includes links to blog posts, community forums, and tips for new users.
• Tableau community forum: Search for answers and connect with other users in the community on the forum page.
• Data Literacy Course: Build your data literacy skills in order to interpret, explore, and communicate effectively with data.

Visualizations in spreadsheets and Tableau

This reading summarizes the seven primary chart types: column, line, pie, horizontal bar, area, scatter, and combo. Then, it describes how visualizations in spreadsheets compare to those in Tableau.

Primary chart types in spreadsheets

In spreadsheets, charts are graphical representations of data from one or more sheets. Although there are many variations to choose from, we will focus on the most broadly applicable charts to give you a sense of what is possible in a spreadsheet. As you review these examples, keep in mind that these are meant to give you an overview of visualizations rather than a detailed tutorial. Another reading in this program will describe the applicable steps and process to create a chart more specifically. When you are in an application, you can always select Help from the menu bar for more information.

• To create a chart In Google Sheets, select the data cells, click Insert from the main menu, and then select Chart. You can set up and customize the chart in the dialog box on the right.
• To create a chart in Microsoft Excel, select the data cells, click Insert from the main menu, and then select the chart type. Tip: You can optionally click Recommended Charts to view Excel’s recommendations for the data you selected and then select the chart you like from those shown.

These are the primary chart types available:

• Column (vertical bar): a column chart allows you to display and compare multiple categories of data by their values.

• Line: a line chart showcases trends in your data over a period of time. The last line chart example is a combo chart which can include a line chart. Refer to the description for the combo chart type.

• Pie: a pie chart is an easy way to visualize what proportion of the whole each data point represents

• Horizontal bar: a bar chart functions similarly to a column chart, but is flipped horizontally.

• Area: area charts allow you to track changes in value across multiple categories of data.

• Scatter: scatterplots are typically used to display trends in numeric data.

• Combo: combo charts use multiple visual markers like columns and lines to showcase different aspects of the data in one visualization. The example below is a combo chart that has a column and line chart together.

You can find more information about other charts here:

• Types of charts and graphs in Google Sheets: a Google Help Center page with a list of chart examples you can download.
• Excel Charts : a tutorial outlining all of the different chart types in Excel, including some subcategories.

How visualizations differ in Tableau

As you have also learned, Tableau is an analytics platform that helps data analysts display and understand data. Most if not all of the charts that you can create in spreadsheets are available in Tableau. But, Tableau offers some distinct charts that aren’t available in spreadsheets. These are handy guides to help you select chart types in Tableau:

• Which chart or graph is right for you? This presentation covers 13 of the most popular charts in Tableau.
• The Ultimate Cheat Sheet on Tableau Charts . This blog describes 24 chart variations in Tableau and guidelines for use.

Types of visualizations in Tableau

In addition to more traditional charts, Tableau also offers some more specific visualizations that you can use in your dashboard design:

• Highlight tables appear like tables with conditional formatting. Review the steps to build a highlight table.
• Heat maps show intensity or concentrations in the data. Review the steps to build a heat map.
• Density maps illustrate concentrations (such as a population density map). Refer to instructions to create a heat map for density.
• Gantt charts demonstrate the duration of events or activities on a timeline. Review the steps to build a Gantt chart.
• Symbol maps display a mark over a given longitude and latitude. Learn more from this example of a symbol map.
• Filled maps are maps with areas colored based on a measurement or dimension. Explore an example of a filled map.
• Circle views show comparative strength in data. Learn more from this example of a circle view.
• Box plots, also known as box and whisker charts, illustrate the distribution of values along a chart axis. Refer to the steps to build a box plot.
• Bullet graphs compare a primary measure with another and can be used instead of dial gauge charts. Review the steps to build a bullet graph.
• Packed bubble charts display data in clustered circles. Review the steps to build a packed bubble chart.

Key takeaway

This reading described the chart types you can create in spreadsheets and introduced visualizations that are more unique to Tableau.

Hands-On Activity: Working with Tableau

Activity overview

The video you just watched showed you how to create a visualization in Tableau. Now, you can use the dataset and instructions in this activity to create the visualization yourself. Feel free to refer back to the previous video if you get stuck.

Earlier in this course, you were introduced to Tableau: a powerful, free-to-access software tool used for visualizing data. In this activity, you will practice the basics for creating and editing charts.

By the time you complete this activity, you will be able to create and customize visualizations in Tableau. This will enable you to share your hard work with others throughout your career as a data analyst.

What you will need To use the template for the dataset, click the link below and select “Use Template.”

Link to dataset: CO2

OR

If you don't have a Google account, you can download the spreadsheet directly from the attachment below.

CO2 Dataset

Create a chart

1. Log in to Tableau Public. If you have not created an account yet, refer to the earlier Reading: Logging into Tableau Public.

• Note: Tableau frequently updates its user interface. The latest changes may not be reflected in the screenshots presented in this activity, but the principles remain the same. Adapting to changes in software updates is an essential skill for data analysts, and it’s helpful for you to practice troubleshooting. You can also reach out to your community of learners on the discussion forum for help.

2. Go to your profile. Hover over the circle in the upper-right corner and click My Profile

3. Under the Getting Started header, click Create a Viz

4. This may bring you to the Connect to Data window. If so, go to the Files tab and open the CO2 dataset you downloaded earlier. If not, navigate to the Data tab at the top of Tableau Public interface. Under the dropdown, click New Data Source. Then open the CO2 dataset.

5. Once you have uploaded the data, you will notice the following display. Locate the sheets contained in the data file on the left side of the screen.

6. Double-click on the sheet CO2 Data Cleaned to load that sheet's data into the main part of the screen. You can also drag and drop the sheet into the area where it says Drag tables here.

Once this is done, the main display will appear like this:

The data in the table are listed in the bottom portion of the display above. By default, Tableau will only show the first 1000 rows in the table, but you can increase the number of rows in the settings above the data view.

Each row corresponds to a single data point, and each column represents a different feature.

Tableau interprets the type of data in each column. The following icons, which are above in the column name, refer to how Tableau interprets the data type in the column:

• #!: Numeric data
• Abc: String data
• Globe: Geographic data
• Calendar: Date data
• Calendar with a clock: Date and time data

In the image above, you can see that Tableau has interpreted the first two columns as geographic data, the third column as string data, and the last three columns as numeric data.

Create a visualization of CO2 emissions

Now that you have all of your data loaded into Tableau, you can use it to make visualizations. Create a visualization in which the CO2 emissions are displayed per country.

To do this, click on the Sheet1 tab in the lower-left of the display.

Clicking this tab will change the display to this:

Use dimensions and measures

On the far left of the screen is a banner with column names above a grey line. In Tableau, these are called the dimensions of the data. Below this line are the different measures that you can track for these dimensions.

Now, create a chart that displays the CO2 emissions per country. Double-click the Country Name dimension. The main display will show a map of the countries on the planet with dots indicating which countries are represented in the data.

The dots are all the same size because—with no measure selected—Tableau defaults to scale each country equally. If you want to scale by CO2 emissions, you need to include a specific measure.

Double-click (or drag and drop onto the sheet) the measure CO2 (kt). This will change the size of the dots to be proportional to the amount of CO2 emitted like the example below.

Tableau has a wide selection of options for depicting the measure for a given dimension. Most of these options are contained in the middle column between the main display and the column with dimensions and measures.

Customize a chart

If you drag and drop a measure on one of the option classes, such as Color, Size, and Label, you can change that aspect of the measure’s visualization on the chart.

For example, if you want to change the color of the CO2 measure, drag the measure CO2 (kt) to the box with the Color label. Then, click on this box to pull up a list of options for the colors you can use.

Play around with the different options here to learn what you can do. Don't worry about making a mistake. If you ever want to reverse a change you make to a Tableau sheet, you can hit the Back arrow button in the top-left corner of the screen:

There you go! You just created your first chart using Tableau.

Change dimensions and measures

Changing either the dimension or the measure on a chart is very easy to do. Suppose that instead of visualizing the CO2 per country, you want to chart the CO2 per capita per region. To do this, double-click on the dimension Region and then do the same for the measure CO2 Per Capita. This will result in a new chart like the example below:

Edit the title

Currently, the title of this chart is Sheet 1. To edit the title of the chart:

1. Hover the cursor over the title box. An arrow will show up in the upper-right of the box. If you do not see the arrow on the upper-right of the box, make sure to close any panels on the right of your screen or double-click Sheet 1 to change the title.
2. Click on this arrow to bring up a drop-down menu. Select Edit Title.

3. Enter any title you wish.

Delete a chart

If you want to delete a chart from the sheet, select the Clear Sheet button in the toolbar.

This will completely wipe out the chart and bring you back to an empty sheet. Don't worry if you do this by accident or change your mind. The Back button introduced earlier will bring the chart back.

If you want to delete a sheet in its entirety, all you need to do is right-click on the sheet's tab at the bottom of the screen and select Delete. Note that you will not be able to delete a sheet if it is the only sheet in your file.

Note: Unlike clearing a sheet, deleting a sheet altogether cannot be reversed!

Congratulations! The skills in this hands-on activity are all you need to get started visualizing your data. This is far from the end of the story, though. In follow-up activities, you will review more advanced tools in Tableau. Until then, this is enough to get you started.

Reflection

In this activity, you used Tableau to create a visualization out of a dataset. In the text box below, write 2-3 sentences (40-60 words) in response to each of the following questions:

• What elements can you change to customize a chart in Tableau?
• What other kinds of visualizations could you create in Tableau?

Explain: Congratulations on completing this hands-on activity! A good response would include how Tableau allows you to create in-depth visualizations for data and customize the colors, labels, sizing and more.

Moreover, some versions of the program are available at no charge. Because of these advantages, many data analysts use it extensively. With the information in this activity, you can prepare for upcoming activities where you will learn more about what you can do in Tableau.

Optional: Using Tableau Desktop

You have started exploring Tableau as a data visualization tool in business intelligence dashboards to convey insights with stakeholders. Throughout this program, you will continue to use and access Tableau—eventually using it to create your own dashboards. This reading will enable you to familiarize yourself with Tableau's interface and functionality.

Create a profile on Tableau Public

With Tableau Public, you can create and share visualizations. If you don’t already have an account, make one on the Tableau Public site. Note that trying to make an account from the main page will sign you up for a Tableau Free Trial rather than a Tableau Public account.

The difference between these two options is that a Free Trial lasts for 14 days, whereas Tableau Public gives you long-term access through the web version of the program. It has some limitations compared to the other versions of Tableau, but it is free to use and will enable you to complete the upcoming activities. You can also use your Tableau credentials to access Tableau Public if you already have an account! You are welcome to try the free trial or purchase Tableau, but it is not required for this program.

Complete the information in the signup form. When you click the Create My Profile button, you’ll be transferred to your profile page. This is where your Tableau Public visualizations can be made public to share with your peers. In the tabs on this page, you can access lists of visualizations you’ve made, visualizations you’ve favorited, authors you are following, and authors who are following you. By clicking Edit Profile, you can add additional information like your bio, title, organization, and links to social media accounts. This is also where you can enable Tableau Public’s Hire Me Button. The Hire Me Button will indicate to potential hiring managers that your Tableau skills are available for hire.

Optional: Download the desktop version

With the desktop application, you can use features from Tableau Public without connecting to the internet. It is free to use, just like Tableau Public’s online version. Keep in mind that this application cannot be used on the Chromebook operating system and is not required for this course. If you are using Windows or Mac OS, this desktop application will enable you to complete upcoming activities that use Tableau Public. To download Tableau Public Desktop Edition (this is optional), log into your account and review the system requirements for your operating system.

Loading and linking data

Tableau enables you to load in your own data and link it to other datasets directly in the platform. When you log in, choose to Create a Viz. This will open a new worksheet where you can upload data or connect to online sources, such as your Google Drive.

Once you upload data to your worksheet, it will populate the Connections pane.

You can add more connections to other data sources in order to build visualizations that compare different datasets. Simply drag and drop tables from the Sheets section in order to join tables and generate those connections:

Dimensions and measures

Tableau uses dimensions and measures to generate customized charts. For example, check out this chart focusing on CO2 emissions per country. The Country Name dimension can be used to show a map of the countries on the planet with dots indicating which countries are represented in the data.

The dots are all the same size because—with no measure selected—Tableau defaults to scale each country equally. If you want to scale by CO2 emissions, you need to include a specific measure. Here is the same chart with a measure for CO2 kiloton (kt). This changes the size of the dots to be proportional to the amount of CO2 emitted:

Tableau has a wide variety of options for depicting the measure for a given dimension. Most of these options are contained near the main display and the column with dimensions and measures.

Tableau allows you to customize measures with options such as Color, Size, and Label, which change those aspects of the measure’s visualization on the chart. As you customize measures in Tableau, you will want to consider accessibility for your audience. As a refresher, you can check out this video on accessible visualizations from the Google Data Analytics Certificate program.

Test your knowledge on getting started with Tableau

Question 1

As a business intelligence and analytics platform, Tableau enables you to do what with data? Select all that apply.

• Observe and understand data to make decisions
• Check and clean data in databases
• Create and share interactive dashboards with data
• Connect to data in databases, spreadsheets, or CSV files

Explain: Tableau enables you to observe and understand data to make decisions, connect to data in databases, spreadsheets, or CSV files, and create and share interactive dashboards with data.

Question 2

Compare Tableau to other data visualization software such as Looker and Google Data Studio. What feature is unique to Tableau?

A. Integration of multiple data sources

B. Connectivity to SQL databases

C. Desktop version for users

D. Drag and drop functionality to create visualizations

The correct answer is C. Desktop version for users. Explain: Tableau offers browser-based and desktop versions while Looker and Google Data Studio are strictly browser-based. Browser-based solutions are preferred by companies adopting cloud-based services while desktop solutions might be suitable for companies maintaining services on their private networks.

Question 3

Fill in the blank: When using Tableau Public, click the Gallery tab to access _____.

A. blog articles

B. public visualizations

C. sample data

D. how-to videos

The correct answer is B. public visualizations. Explain: Tableau Public’s Gallery features data visualization examples created by other Tableau Public users across the web.