Item: Tableau Desktop
Rating: 10
Author: Christopher Penn

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Tableau Desktop is our default basic data visualization and exploration tool when we need to examine data visually.

Before we hard-code our data and software like Python or R, we do our exploration in Tableau Desktop. It's used across the organization and we find a very helpful for understanding the basic parameters of a data set and look for obvious anomalies.

Pros and Cons

Visualization of data
Basic trend analysis of time series data
Basic exploration of data
Sharing data via Tableau dashboards

Lacking more sophisticated statistical tools
Difficult to integrate with code environments
Expensive, especially Tableau Server

Return on Investment

Positive ROI in client work
Ease and speed to first analysis
Professional outputs

Alternatives Considered

Microsoft Power BI

Tableau [Desktop] is substantially easier to use the Microsoft Power BI because its interface is easier, it is a native desktop app, and does not have the burdensome, sometimes complicated Integrations that power bi requires in order to do its job.

Key Insights

Do you think Tableau Desktop delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Tableau Desktop's feature set?

Yes

Did Tableau Desktop live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Tableau Desktop go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Tableau Desktop again?

Yes

Usability

Tableau [Desktop's] interface is clean, minimalistic, and does a good job of hiding more complicated features so that the average user can get to work quickly and easily. As users become more proficient with the software, more features and customization become available, but they don't have to interact with those Advanced features from the get-go. Some scripting is available as well; the one area where this is week is in variable assignment.

Support Rating

On the rare occasions we've needed support, it has been available and efficient.

Likelihood to Recommend

Tableau Desktop is good for business users and junior level data analyst who are exploring data sets and trying to draw some initial conclusions from data. It is not well suited for environments that are high code environments that require substantial integration with custom code; it struggles to pass data back and forth well. It is less appropriate for organizations that do not have the money to spend on the software subscription. In the early days, you could purchase Tableau as a one-time expense, but it has moved to a subscription model, making it a consistent expense.

Tableau Desktop: A Solid Data Exploration Tool

Overall Satisfaction with Tableau Desktop