Tableau - Simple Analytics for the Impatient
June 18, 2014

Tableau - Simple Analytics for the Impatient

Anthony Chou | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Software Version

8.1

Overall Satisfaction with Tableau Desktop

Tableau Desktop is being used to sort and organize data at the National Institutes of Health. We take metadata and create charts showing trends over time and check whether performance requirements are met through set benchmarks.

Pros

  • Tableau is a great introduction to SQL since it automatically generates a lot of the code for you. You will probably encounter blending errors sooner or later and fixing that depends on how well you understand your data.
  • Simple and quick to use. Drag and drop interface is fantastic and right clicking solves everything.
  • Lots of support, including forums. Easy to learn, challenging to master.

Cons

  • Calculated fields can be tricky, as are window calculations. You really need to understand your own data.
  • I had some issues with scrolling when the view I was making was too large for my laptop resolution.
  • Concatenating rows, combining fields, and other SQL jobs can also require some thought.
  • Definitely faster turnaround time on projects.
  • Shorter learning curve compared to programming software like R and Matlab
  • Easy formatting methods to make visuals easy on the eyes
Much easier to pick up. No programming experience necessary. QlikView was difficult to get started with since it looked more like a blank canvas without clear indications. Tableau gives you more direct drag and drop, and creates visuals much quicker.
We have permanent licenses already, so no need to renew. We enjoy its simple functionality and ease of use. It has a short learning curve and gets the job done for basic requirements, which we get daily.
Tableau is good for simple and quick visualizations that don't require heavy calculations. When you want more complex calculations and more technical charts, look elsewhere. Tableau to me, is a visualization tool aimed for quick and simple projects.

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