Tableau

You can read a mark as a claim about data, not as decoration.

1. 1Dimensions versus measuresYou can apply this in a live incident: Dimensions slice; measures aggregate.12m30xp
2. 2Discrete versus continuousYou can apply this in a live incident: Discrete fields draw headers; continuous fields draw axes.12m30xp
3. 3Reading the aggregation on a pillYou can apply this in a live incident: The aggregation on the pill is the claim the mark makes.12m30xp
4. 4Viz granularityYou can apply this in a live incident: The combination of dimensions on the view sets the grain of each mark.12m30xp
5. 5Filter order of operationsYou can apply this in a live incident: Extract filters run first, then context, then dimension, then measure.12m30xp
6. 6Context filtersYou can apply this in a live incident: Add to Context promotes a dimension filter above top-N and FIXED LOD.12m30xp
7. 7Quick table calculationsYou can apply this in a live incident: Table calcs compute on the marks already in the view, not on the data source.12m30xp
8. 8Row-level calculated fieldsYou can apply this in a live incident: A row-level calc runs per row before aggregation.12m30xp
9. 9FIXED level of detailYou can apply this in a live incident: FIXED computes an aggregation at a declared grain, independent of the view.12m30xp
10. 10Dashboard actionsYou can apply this in a live incident: Filter actions pass selected marks as filters to target sheets.12m30xp

You can choose live versus extract and keep a published workbook honest.

1. 1Live versus extractYou can apply this in a live incident: Live queries the source on every interaction.12m30xp
2. 2Joins versus blendsYou can apply this in a live incident: A join happens in the data source before the view.12m30xp
3. 3Relationships (noodles)You can apply this in a live incident: Relationships keep tables at their native grain until a viz needs them.12m30xp
4. 4Geographic and date rolesYou can apply this in a live incident: A geographic role tells Tableau which geocoding table to use.12m30xp
5. 5Publishing and permissionsYou can apply this in a live incident: Publishing uploads the workbook and optionally the extract to Tableau Server or Cloud.12m30xp

You can connect Excel, CSV and SQL without silently changing grain.

1. 1Connecting Excel and CSVYou can apply this in a live incident: Text files need the correct delimiter, charset and header row.12m30xp
2. 2Unions of like tablesYou can apply this in a live incident: A union appends rows from tables with compatible columns.12m30xp
3. 3Custom SQL connectionsYou can apply this in a live incident: Custom SQL is sent to the source as written.12m30xp
4. 4Data InterpreterYou can apply this in a live incident: Data Interpreter looks for the real header row in messy Excel.12m30xp
5. 5Pivot and splitYou can apply this in a live incident: Pivot turns columns into rows so a measure can live in one field.12m30xp
6. 6Extract filters and hide unusedYou can apply this in a live incident: Extract filters reduce what is stored in Hyper.12m30xp
7. 7Extract performance knobsYou can apply this in a live incident: Single-table extracts can be faster than multiple tables for some models.12m30xp
8. 8Multiple connections in one sourceYou can apply this in a live incident: One data source can hold more than one connection.12m30xp
9. 9Extract refresh schedulesYou can apply this in a live incident: Server and Cloud refresh on a schedule independent of opening the workbook.12m30xp

You can alias, group and hierarchy fields so the viz says the names the business uses.

1. 1AliasesYou can apply this in a live incident: An alias is a display name for a dimension member.12m30xp
2. 2GroupsYou can apply this in a live incident: A group combines dimension members into a new field.12m30xp
3. 3SetsYou can apply this in a live incident: A set is IN or OUT for each member.12m30xp
4. 4HierarchiesYou can apply this in a live incident: A hierarchy defines drill paths in the viz.12m30xp
5. 5Folders and default propertiesYou can apply this in a live incident: Folders organise the data pane; they do not change queries.12m30xp
6. 6Nested sortsYou can apply this in a live incident: A nested sort orders a dimension within each pane of a higher dimension.12m30xp
7. 7Creating parametersYou can apply this in a live incident: A parameter is a workbook-scoped value the user can change.12m30xp

You can pick a mark type that matches the question instead of defaulting to bars.

1. 1Bar and line chartsYou can apply this in a live incident: Bars compare magnitudes at a grain.12m30xp
2. 2Scatter plotsYou can apply this in a live incident: A scatter needs two continuous measures.12m30xp
3. 3Symbol and filled mapsYou can apply this in a live incident: Filled maps colour polygons; symbol maps place marks at geocoded points.12m30xp
4. 4Dual axisYou can apply this in a live incident: Dual axis draws two independent axes on one chart.12m30xp
5. 5Combined axisYou can apply this in a live incident: Measure Values is a combined axis of measures you include.12m30xp
6. 6Highlight tablesYou can apply this in a live incident: A highlight table encodes a measure on colour over a text table.12m30xp
7. 7Histograms and binsYou can apply this in a live incident: A histogram bins a measure and counts rows (or another agg) per bin.12m30xp
8. 8Treemaps and when not to pieYou can apply this in a live incident: Treemaps compare parts to whole with area, for many members.12m30xp
9. 9Box plots and GanttYou can apply this in a live incident: Gantt uses a date on Columns and duration on Size.12m30xp
10. 10Show Me limitsYou can apply this in a live incident: Show Me enables chart types based on the current field mix.12m30xp

You can use the Analytics pane without treating a model as a fact table.

1. 1Trend linesYou can apply this in a live incident: Trend lines fit a model to the marks in the view.12m30xp
2. 2ForecastYou can apply this in a live incident: Forecast uses exponential smoothing on a date axis.12m30xp
3. 3Reference lines, bands and boxesYou can apply this in a live incident: Scope of a reference line is table, pane or cell.12m30xp
4. 4ClusteringYou can apply this in a live incident: Tableau clustering is k-means on the measures you include.12m30xp
5. 5Totals and subtotalsYou can apply this in a live incident: Totals can be automatic, average or a custom aggregation.12m30xp
6. 6INCLUDE level of detailYou can apply this in a live incident: INCLUDE computes an agg at the view grain plus named dimensions.12m30xp
7. 7EXCLUDE level of detailYou can apply this in a live incident: EXCLUDE computes as if named dimensions were not in the view.12m30xp
8. 8Analytics pane objects versus calcsYou can apply this in a live incident: Analytics pane objects belong to a worksheet.12m30xp

You can address table calcs and publish dashboards that survive devices and permissions.

1. 1Addressing versus partitioningYou can apply this in a live incident: Addressing fields are the ones the calc walks.12m30xp
2. 2Rank and running calculationsYou can apply this in a live incident: RANK assigns order within the partition.12m30xp
3. 3LOOKUP and WINDOW functionsYou can apply this in a live incident: LOOKUP fetches a value from another mark offset along addressing.12m30xp
4. 4Dashboard layout containersYou can apply this in a live incident: Tiled layout uses containers; floating uses exact coordinates.12m30xp
5. 5Device previewYou can apply this in a live incident: Device preview can add Phone and Tablet layouts.12m30xp
6. 6Legends, filters and highlightersYou can apply this in a live incident: A filter can apply to selected worksheets or related data sources.12m30xp
7. 7StoriesYou can apply this in a live incident: A story is a sequence of captioned points.12m30xp
8. 8Server and Cloud permissionsYou can apply this in a live incident: Permissions are project, then workbook or data source, then user or group.12m30xp
9. 9Subscriptions and data-driven alertsYou can apply this in a live incident: Subscriptions email a snapshot of a view on a schedule.12m30xp
10. 10Web edit and revisionsYou can apply this in a live incident: Web edit saves a new revision on Server or Cloud.12m30xp