Resources
How-to videos
A buffet of materials to help get you started or take you to the next level.17. Creating stories (5:55)
Learn how to turn your data into a cohesive narrative using Story Points
Covers:
- See examples of data stories
- Learn how to create Story Points
Data: World Bank CO2 (.xlsx)
15. Adding interactivity to dashboards (4:30)
Learn how to add interactivity to your dashboards
Covers:
- See how to add filter actions
- See how to add highlight actions
Data: World Bank CO2 (.xlsx)
Viz: Adding interactivity to dashboards
18. Formatting Story Points (6:54)
Make your stories come to life with these formatting tips
Covers:
- Learn how to fit your dashboards to the story points
- See how to format the story points
- See how to add annotations to your story
Data: World Bank CO2 (.xlsx)
16. Dashboard formatting (4:05)
Make your dashboards functional and look fantastic with these formatting tips
Covers:
- See how to quickly globally format your dashboards
- Tips to add titles and instructions to your dashboard
Data: World Bank CO2 (.xlsx)
Viz: Dashboard formatting
19. Designing for mobile with the Device Designer (12:29)
Learn how to make your viz look great on any device with the Device Designer feature
Covers:
- Preview how your viz will look on multiple devices
- How to add a device-specific view
- Tips on fitting your viz to device sizes
Data: World Bank CO2 (.xlsx)
Viz: Device Designer dashboard
20. Publishing and embedding vizzes (4:01)
Once you have made your viz, see how you can share it
Covers:
- How to save a viz to the web
- Edit your viz details
- How to use the viz URL and embed codes
Data: World Bank CO2 (.xlsx)
7. Data preparation – The data interpreter (4:29)
See Tableau Public’s ideal data structure, and learn how to use the data interpreter to clean data
Covers:
- How your data should (ideally) be structured
- How to clean your data using the data interpreter
Data: World Bank CO2 (.xlsx)
6. Connecting to PDFs
Learn how to connect to data in PDFs directly in Tableau
Covers:
- Connecting to PDF data tables
- Union
- Cleaning up imperfect tables
- Dealing with null values
- Fixing headers and pivoting
- Re-aliasing members of a field
- Recreating groups and hierarchies
- Tips on working with PDFs
Files: Amazon stock prices (.pdf)
New Zealand: Water physical stock account 1995–2010 (.pdf)
8. Data preparation – Pivoting your data (4:54)
Learn how to pivot your data structure in Tableau
Covers:
- Why you might need to pivot your data structure
- How to use Tableau Public’s pivot function
Data: World Bank CO2 (.xlsx)
21. Adding a custom viz in tooltip (2:49)
Learn how to show a different level of detail with the Viz in tooltip feature
Covers:
- How to create a viz in tooltip
- Resizing your viz in tooltip
Data: World indicators sample data (.tde)
Viz: Viz in tooltip
9. Data preparation – Splitting your data (2:26)
Learn how to split a field into multiple fields in Tableau
Covers:
- Why you might need to split a field in Tableau Public
- How to use Tableau Public’s split function
Data: World Bank CO2 (.xlsx)
22. Edit vizzes on the web (2:45)
Once you have saved a viz to your profile, see how you can edit it from your browser.
Covers:
- Create a new sheet from a browser
- Create a calculated field from a browser
- Edit a dashboard from your browser
Viz: Global CO2 emissions
1. Tableau Public overview (7:10)
Learn the basics of creating visualisations with Tableau Public
Covers:
- Connecting to data
- Creating sheets and dashboards
- Publishing to the web
Data: World Bank CO2 (.xlsx)
Viz: CO2 emissions
10. Data preparation – Joins and unions (6:28)
Learn how to join multiple data sets together in Tableau
Covers:
- What are joins and unions?
- How to join two data sets together
- How to union multiple data sets
Data: World Bank CO2 (.xlsx)
2. Connecting to Excel and text files (4:32)
Learn how to connect to data in Microsoft Excel and CSV files
Covers:
- Connecting to data in Excel
- Connecting to data in CSVs
Data: World Bank CO2 (.xlsx)
11. Creating your first chart (2:34)
Find out how to create your first chart in Tableau Public
Covers:
- How to create a chart by double-clicking on fields
- How to add extra levels of information to your viz
Data: World Bank CO2 (.xlsx)
3. Connecting to Google Sheets (3:15)
See how to connect to data in Google Sheets, and how to enable auto-update on your viz
Covers:
- Connecting to data in Google Sheets
- Enabling Google Sheets viz auto-update
Data: World Bank CO2 (.xlsx)
12. Using the Show Me toolbar (4:15)
Find out how to create multiple visualisation types using the Show Me toolbar
- The Show Me tool
- Overview of chart types
Data: World Bank CO2 (.xlsx)
4. Connecting to web data connectors (2:16)
Learn how to connect to web data connectors
Covers:
- What a web data connector is
- How to connect to web data connectors
Data: World Bank CO2 (.xlsx)
13. Understanding the logic of charts (5:05)
Learn about the logic of how Tableau Public creates charts
Covers:
- Overview of dimensions and measures
- Overview of columns and Rows shelf
- Overview of the Marks card
Data: World Bank CO2 (.xlsx)
5. Connecting to spatial files (6:03)
See how to build maps with spatial files
Covers:
- How to connect to spatial data
- Create a map with a spatial file
- How to join other data sets to a spatial file
Files: River basin spatial file
London boroughs spatial file
Carbon emissions (.xlsx)
14. Combining sheets on a dashboard (5:27)
See how to combine your visualisations together on a dashboard
Covers:
- How to combine sheets on a dashboard
- How to re-arrange and add items to a dashboard
Data: World Bank CO2 (.xlsx)
Viz: Combine sheets on a dashboard
Sample data
Where can you find data for your next visualisation project? Here are some options to get you started. Download one of the data sets below and connect to it from Tableau Desktop.
Netflix Movies and TV Shows |
This dataset consists of tv shows and movies available on Netflix as of 2019. Source: Kaggle
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Dataset (xlsx) |
FIFA World Cup Match Results |
Matchups and results of FIFA World Cup matches from 1930 - 2014. Source: data.world
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Dataset (xlsx) |
2018 FIFA World Cup Rosters |
Goals, caps, club, and date of birth for players on 2018 FIFA World Cup rosters. Source: data.world
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Dataset (xlsx) |
FIFA 18 Player Ratings |
17k+ players, 70+ attributes extracted from FIFA 18. Source: https://sofifa.com
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Dataset (csv) |
ATP Top-Ranked Singles Tennis Players |
Association of Tennis Professionals' (ATP) Men's and Women's top-ranked players from 1973-2018. Source: Wikipedia
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Dataset (csv) |
Wimbledon Champions |
Men's and Women's championship matchups from 1877-2016. Source: Wikipedia
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Dataset (csv) |
Tour de France Statistics |
Dataset (xlsx) |
Airbnb Listings in New York City |
30,478 Airbnb listings in New York City. This data was compiled from Inside Airbnb.
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Dataset (xlsx) |
FAA Wildlife Strikes, 2015 |
This is a cleaned table of wildlife strikes from 2000-2015 in the United States. Visit the FAA Wildlife Strike Database which contains records of wildlife strikes reported by airlines, airports, pilots, and other sources.
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Dataset (xlsx) |
University Advancement, Donations, and Giving |
This is a table of donations made to Universities in the United States. The donation amounts and locations in this data set are not real as they are intended for training purposes only.
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Dataset (xls) |
Worldwide Undersea Communications Cables, June 2016 |
This is a consolidated list of undersea communications cables, last updated in June 2016. Data is from http://www.cablemap.info/, and a complete change log and listing of cables is on that site as well.
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Dataset (zip) |
New Zealand: Water Physical Stock Account 1995–2010 |
Water is a valuable resource. The New Zealand Government provides information on national and regional water balance (inflows, outflows, and changes in storage size) from 1995-2000.
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Dataset (pdf) |
U.S. Construction Spending, by value and category, 2002-16 |
The Value of Construction Put in Place Survey provides monthly estimates of the total dollar value of construction work done in the U.S. The survey covers construction work done each month on new structures or improvements to existing structures for private and public sectors. Data provided by Enigma.io from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
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Dataset (csv) |
Consolidated Screening List for Export Controls - U.S. |
The consolidated screening list is a list of parties for which the United States Government maintains restrictions on certain exports, reexports or transfers of items. Includes entity names, addresses, associated vessels, and dates. Data provided by Enigma.io from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
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Dataset (csv) |
U.S. Home Sales, 1963-2016 |
National and regional data on the number of new single-family houses sold and for sale. Also provides national data on median and average prices, the number of houses sold and for sale by stage of construction, and other statistics. From the U.S. Census, Economic Time Series Indicators. Data provided by Enigma.io from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
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Dataset (csv) |
Star Wars Character Details |
Details of Star Wars characteristics including weights, hair colour and birth planets via Github. |
Dataset (json) |
Data sources
Explore other data sets which are publicly available. Don't forget to check that the data is well structured!
- data.world
- Data is plural
- UN data
- Data.gov
- Kaggle
- NOAA
- World Fact Book
- UN Environmental Data Explorer
- World Health Organization
- Pitney Bowes
Web data connectors
Directly connect to your own data sources that you already use and love! Right-click, copy and paste the link below into Tableau's web data connector to start.
- English Premier League
- Fitbit
- Runkeeper
- Blockspring
- import.io
- USGS Earthquake Data
- Currency exchange rates
- UK street crime
- Tumblr
- Read about data.world's WDC
Learn more about using web data connectors
Additional resources from Tableau Public
The 14 Peaks, also known as the Eight-Thousanders, are 14 of the highest mountains on earth. Check out this #VOTD to see how Ervin Vinzon—based in the Philippines— visualizes the height, location, summit, and death rate of these mountains.
How to get ready for the next Iron Viz competition
With Iron Viz 2021 in the history books, we invited Sarah Bartlett to offer her guidance on the best ways to participate in the next Iron Viz competition. She is uniquely qualified to advise you a...
Community & resources
Explore resources to help you get started, or kick your visualisations up a notch.
Learn moreCommunity & resources
Don’t go it alone. Participate in fun challenges with the Tableau community, connect with others to learn new tricks and get helpful feedback to improve your Tableau and data viz skills, or just tune in to the conversation! The following is an evolving list of some of the most popular initiatives and resources.
Virtual challenges
Iron viz
Iron viz is Tableau’s own data visualisation contest, which consists of a series of topic-themed virtual qualifier competitions that determine the finalists, who advance to a live, on-stage championship at either Tableau Conference Europe or Tableau Conference. Find out about the schedule and more here:
Get started
Makeover Monday
Get started with Makeover Monday and join a community dedicated to helping you learn and improve your analysis and visualisation skills! Every Sunday, a data set is posted for anyone around the world to try their hand at visualising it. Each following Wednesday, Tableau Zen Master Eva Murray and long-term Makeover Monday members Sarah Bartlett and Charlie Hutcheson host a webinar to discuss participant submissions and what could be done better. See what people are creating on Tableau Public by exploring the hashtag #MakeoverMonday, or start participating by following instructions here:
Get startedWorkout Wednesday
Every Wednesday, leaders of Workout Wednesday share a viz, challenging anyone around the world to attempt replication and to test and grow their knowledge of useful Tableau techniques. Currently run by Tableau Zen Masters Ann Jackson and Luke Stanke, as well as Tableau Ambassadors Lorna Eden and Curtis Harris, see what people are creating on Tableau Public by exploring the hashtags #WorkoutWednesday2019 and #WorkoutWednesday, or start participating by following instructions here:
Get started
Throwback Data Thursday
Once a month, Throwback Data Thursday provides a historical data set for you to explore, along with details on the provenance of the data source. This initiative is run by David Velleca. Vizzes are typically tagged #ThrowbackDataThursday on Tableau Public. See this Data.World profile for the data:
Get startedSports Viz Sunday
Is sports data your thing? The community has you covered. Once a month, Simon Beaumont, Spencer Baucke and James Smith host a data visualisation challenge based on a topical sports theme, regularly sharing updates from the sports visualisation world and providing rich datasets across a wide range of sports. Be sure to explore the hashtag #SportsVizSunday on Tableau Public. To find out more and to download the latest sports data, visit the Sports Viz Sunday website:
Get startedProject Health Viz
The right challenge for those who are interested in health data. As part of this initiative, Lindsay Betzendahl regularly shares fascinating health-related datasets on Data.World. Vizzes can be found by searching for #ProjectHealthViz on Tableau Public. See the project website for more information, and Lindsay’s Data.World profile for the data.
Get startedViz for Social Good
Would you like to practice your data viz skills while working on a real-world project and making a real impact? Join one of the Viz for Social Good projects that are run together with different NGOs and mission-driven organisations from around the world. Founded by Chloe Tseng, the initiative is run by a global team of enthusiastic board members, dedicated volunteers and local chapter leads. Vizzes can found on Tableau Public via the hashtag #VizForSocialGood.
To find out more, visit the Viz for Social Good website:
Get startedIron Quest
Iron Quest is a monthly data visualisation challenge that follows a similar format to the Tableau Iron Viz feeder competitions and that aims at making people more confident with sourcing their own data and building vizzes that focus on the Iron Viz judging criteria (design, storytelling and analysis). Participants have a calendar month to find a suitable data set and then design, build and submit a data visualisation. You can opt in to receive feedback from organiser Sarah Bartlett and other guest hosts. You can keep track of submissions via this dashboard or by searching for the hashtag #IronQuest on Tableau Public. Instructions on how to participate can be found on Sarah’s blog:
Get startedPreppin' Data
Before you can look for a story in the data and then publish a visualisation to Tableau Public, you will often have to clean, transform or aggregate your data first. Carl Allchin and Jonathan Allenby set a new challenge every week that helps you learn more about self-service data preparation using Tableau Prep Builder. Find out more about Preppin’ Data on their blog:
Get started#SWDchallenge
The #SWDchallenge is a monthly challenge where you can practice and apply data visualisation and storytelling skills. Participants have a week to find data, and create and share their visual and related commentary. #SWDchallenge is organised by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic and the team at storytelling with data. On Tableau Public you can find related vizzes with the hashtag #SWDchallenge. Go to the storytelling with data website to get started:
Get startedPodcasts
Tableau Wannabe podcast
Hosted by Tableau Ambassadors Matt Francis and Emily Kund, the Tableau WannaBe podcast features interviews and discussions with members of the Tableau community. Aired typically on a monthly basis.
Listen nowDatasaurus-Rex
In this podcast, David Murphy interviews guests from the data viz community to get to know them and their top data visualisations a little better. You’ll pick up their tips & tricks, learn what motivates them, how they’ve improved and have some fun.
Listen now#Analytics
Hosted by Tableau Zen Masters Ann Jackson and Luke Stanke, this bespoke video podcast focuses on all facets of analytics and data as a profession. During each episode, Ann and Luke home in on a specific topic, be it Tableau Public's Iron Viz contest, a special guest or challenges faced in their day jobs.
Listen nowAdditional resources from Tableau Public
The 14 Peaks, also known as the Eight-Thousanders, are 14 of the highest mountains on earth. Check out this #VOTD to see how Ervin Vinzon—based in the Philippines— visualizes the height, location, summit, and death rate of these mountains.
How to get ready for the next Iron Viz competition
With Iron Viz 2021 in the history books, we invited Sarah Bartlett to offer her guidance on the best ways to participate in the next Iron Viz competition. She is uniquely qualified to advise you a...
Community & resources
Explore resources to help you get started, or kick your visualisations up a notch.
Learn more
Social media & more
Tableau Zen Masters & Ambassadors on Twitter
Much of the data conversation happens on social media! If you’re on Twitter, you can follow this list of Tableau Zen Masters and this list of Tableau Ambassadors.
Tableau Follow Friday
The #TableauFF hashtag is used by the Tableau community on Twitter to help highlight and recognise new Tableau Public authors and their work, encouraging others in the community to follow.
Best of the Tableau web
Many Tableau users share their insights, learning and personal development along their Tableau journey on their own personal blogs. There are too many to list here, but a good starting point is this selection by Tableau’s Technical Evangelist, Andy Cotgreave.