Tableau 8 Review
Updated April 17, 2015
Tableau 8 Review
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Software Version
8
Overall Satisfaction with Tableau Server
Tableau server provides central access to interactive business intelligence. Specifically, Tableau server delivers interactive insight into company performance using web browsers, tablets and mobile devices. Tableau server is the preferred Data Visualization engine.
- The advances in computer CPU and Memory have left most software titles behind. Tableau Server 9 took the first step toward leveraging the advances in computer hardware. From leveraging multi-core CPUs to parallel request processing, the performance improvement will be noticeable to all Tableau Server 8 users.
- Previous Tableau Server versions have suffered from an ability to be categorized as Enterprise Ready. Tableau Server 9 improves on this gap in the following areas. Improved cluster configuration, a new Cluster Controller, standby Repository capabilities and a new File Store process which resolves the previous restrictions on the number of Data Engine Nodes allowed in a cluster.
- The web interface of Tableau Server 9 has been totally overhauled in an effort to boost access to dashboards. The new interface accomplishes this through an improved workflow, easier access to resources and an improved management interface. Tableau Server 9 presents the user with entry points to the main features of Tableau server in one screen, not a trivial accomplishment. In my opinion, well designed user interfaces invite users to explore. Tableau server 9 excels at this.
- Tableau Server 9 has a lot of room to improve it's Administrative Views. For Tableau to be such a powerful Data Visualization engine, the Administrative Views out of the box have much to be desired.
- Tableau Server 9 would also benefit greatly from an enhancement to it's dashboard scheduling and distribution capabilities.
- Tableau Server 9 would also benefit greatly from threshold alerting. This would deliver actionable insight as opposed to just insight.
IBM COGNOS Insight and Qlik View
- This is quite simple. From my perspective, time to insight is measured in the man hours it takes to connect to data, begin exploring the data and finally sharing insights with peers and decision makers. The rate of return is immediately quantifiable and undeniable unlike any other Data Visualization offering I've tested.
- Hierarchies in data are another immediate exercise that has consumed major resources, from a Data Warehouse perspective, that can easily be implemented by non-technical analysts on the fly.
- Blazingly fast proto-typing. For customers who really don't know what they don't know, my experience has proven that the sooner you put visual results using real data in front of the customer, the more likely you are to avoid low production adoption.
Using Tableau Server
25 - Marketing, Information Analysts, Operations
1 - BI developer with experience troubleshooting software and operating systems issues.
- Optimize the consumption of enterprise data warehouses. In most large organizations, the enterprise data warehouse is where most of the companies information assets can be accessed for consumption. However, one of the common stumbling blocks is the overwhelming volume of data. Tableau Server can prospectively be a solution to assist in this area. With regularly scheduled data extracts, Tableau server delivers optimized timely data important to the user.
- Data Discovery - I'm almost embarrassed to acknowledge the number of reporting or BI projects I've participated in where neither he customer nor IT really had a handle on the data sources required to be successful. Tableau is an excellent tool to use to understand and discover insights about UNKNOWN data in advance of establishing requirements for reporting or BI projects. Being able to easily perform data discovery exercises on UNKNOWN data sources really empowers analysts to proactively contribute to requirement gathering and agreement on BI project deliverables. In addition, with Tableau data discovery is almost effortless and doesn't require building new data structures to discover the ins and outs of new data sources.
- Proto-typing - If I had a buck for every customer that agreed to a report mock-up only to change their mind once the mock-up contained LIVE data. After a few trips around this bush it became clear that proto-types are really only as good as they are close to the finished deliverable. Tableau helps users quickly deliver near-to-prod proto-types using real data without having to build new data architectures for BI projects.
- Rapid Insight - Speed to Insight is the differentiator of the next 50 years. Tableau empowers users to easily and quickly connect to the data important to them in order to discover insights not seen in Excel like or static historical reporting.
- Optimizing Tableau Workbooks - It seems rather circular, but it's true. Tableau Server inherently empowers users with the tools to test, validate and tune the performance of their dashboards. This is yet another unsung feature of Tableau. Many BI suites require engaging DBA, server hardware, network and architecture professionals to performance tune BI solutions. Tableau empowers the user with this ability right on their desktop and on Tableau Server.
- Parameters - Using parameters on Tableau Dashboards we were able to deliver Dashboards that were configurable at run-time by those accessing Dashboards via Tableau Server. Bi solutions have possessed the ability to filter Dashboard content for many years now, however, presenting a totally different visualization on the same Dashboard using parameters, this is a first to my knowledge.
Evaluating Tableau Server and Competitors
Tableau 7
- Price
- Product Usability
Usability was the number one factor and price a close second. Usability was primary due to the technical skill levels of the intended audience, which were business and data analysts. Many times with new software the learning curve becomes the mass adoption inhibitor. Price was secondary due to the broad set of existing BI tools already in the enterprise. When a company faces BI self-service challenges, it can be difficult to justify new BI acquisitions unless the benefits outweigh the total cost of ownership. With Tableau's quick ROI story, IT procurement conversations are much less painful.
Evaluation of BI tools is an exercise that demands circumspect analysis. With more than 10 years of BI experience in the enterprise environment, there's nothing I would change. However, I would offer a word of wisdom to those embarking on the journey. Involve your business customers early and often in the evaluation process. Doing this will avoid costly adoption abandonment issues as the result of BI tools not meeting customer needs.
Tableau Server Implementation
- Implemented in-house
Tableau Server Training
- Self-taught
Yes, Tableau provides an outstanding set of free instructional videos and online resources. Couple this with the phenomenal ease-of-use, these resources alone are enough to equip the average non-technical user.
Tableau Server Support
No - The tool comes with a year of support and we haven't had a need to use even standard support to date.
Using Tableau Server
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Like to use Easy to use Technical support not required Well integrated Consistent Quick to learn Convenient Feel confident using Familiar | Unnecessarily complex |
- Deploying Dashboards to Tableau Server - Once a Tableau Author produces the final version of a Dashboard, publishing the Dashboard to the server for mass consumption happens in a few clicks. Intuitive and not overly complicated. The advanced publishing features (refreshing extracts and security) require training, but even these features are easily understood.
- Dashboard Search - Tableau Server 8 includes empowers with a search feature that makes it easy to locate Dashboards important to the user.
- Online Dashboards Analysis - The new Dashboard Edit feature available with Tableau Server 8 is unprecedented and unique among BI suites. The ability for a user to create custom views of a published Dashboard is phenomenal. How many analysts have seen a report and wanted to ask additional questions based on the results on a Dashboard? This feature empowers the user to ask deeper questions of any Dashboard right in the web browser without having Tableau Desktop installed on their computers.
- Shared Data Sources - Tableau Server offers a capability known as Shared Data Sources. These are commonly referred to as Symantec Layers in traditional BI circles. However, in Tableau Server, these can be pure symantec layers or actual Tableau Data Extracts optimized for data analysis. This prevents IT from repeatedly having to make data extracts available to business users. In addition, this feature also is an added bonus when used with existing information systems. Instead of creating yet another data mart, Tableau Server administrators can deploy shared data sources that maximize the investment in existing information systems as opposed to moving and duplicating data.
- NONE
Yes - The mobile interface for Tableau works very well whether accessed via mobile device or tablet. Usually mobile interfaces suffer from capability scale backs that don't make them very helpful. However, Tableau Servers mobile interface doesn't suffer from this. The mobile and touch interface is just as engaging as the desktop web browser interface.
Tableau Server Reliability
Integrating Tableau Server
- Teradata, SQL Server, SaleForce.com, Google Analytics, Microsoft Excel, ODBC data sources
Accessing data from all of the systems listed was as simple as one-click and providing DBMS credentials.
Relationship with Tableau
We had no negotiations. Being aware of price points for other BI offerings, the retail price was affordable.