Visualizing data

A new connection to a data source is an invitation to explore. At times you may come to the data with very well defined questions and a strong sense of what you expect to find. Other times, you will come to the data with general questions and very little idea of what you will find. The data visualization capabilities of Tableau empower you to rapidly and iteratively explore the data, ask new questions, and make new discoveries.

The following visualization examples cover a few of the foundational visualization types. As you work through the examples, keep in mind that the goal is not simply to learn how to create a specific chart. Rather, the examples are designed to help you think through the process of asking questions of the data and getting answers through iterations of visualization. Tableau is designed to make that process intuitive, rapid, and transparent. Far more important than memorizing steps to create a bar chart is understanding how and why to use a Tableau to create a bar chart and then adjust your visualization to gain new insights as you ask new questions.