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Visual Analytics Fundamentals: Creating Compelling Data Narratives with Tableau

Learn to create visually stunning data analytics with Tableau to communicate insights that drive decisions and inspire action.

(VA-TABLEAU.AP1) / ISBN : 978-1-64459-458-2
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About This Course

In our Visual Analytics fundamentals course, you’ll learn how to master the art of data visualization and storytelling. This course is designed to give you skills to turn raw data into clear, visually engaging narratives that drive decision-making. You’ll cover key concepts such as data preparations, visualization best practices, dashboard creation, and interactive data exploration. Through hands-on labs, you’ll use Tableau’s powerful tools to create impactful visual analytics that not only organize data but also tell stories.

Skills You’ll Get

  • Install and use Tableau Desktop
  • Connect to and work with data sources
  • Perform basic data preparation using Tableau's Data Interpreter tool
  • Understand the difference between dimensions and measures
  • Create various fundamental visualizations including bar charts, scatter plots, tree maps, heat maps, and more.
  • Structure data and visual analytics stories using storyboarding techniques
  • Create dashboards for data storytelling
  • Determine the contrast between exploratory and explanatory data analysis.
  • Identify the target audience for data stories.

Download Course Outline

1

Preface

  • Three Core Takeaways
  • What You’ll Learn in This Book
  • Who This Course Is For
  • Assumptions
  • Why Tableau?
  • Installing Tableau Desktop
  • How to Use This Text
  • Supporting Materials
  • Contents of This Course
2

Acknowledgment

3

About the Author

4

Welcome to Visual Analytics

  • A Visual Revolution
  • The Evolution from Data Visualization to Visual Data Storytelling
  • A Brief Look at the State of the Industry
  • From Visual to Story: Bridging the Gap
  • Summary
5

The Power of Visual Analytics

  • The Science of Storytelling
  • The Power of Stories
  • Summary
6

Getting Started with Tableau

  • Using Tableau
  • Why Tableau?
  • The Tableau Product Portfolio
  • Getting Started
  • Installing Tableau Desktop
  • Connecting to Data
  • Adding and Replacing Data Sources
  • Basic Data Prep with Data Interpreter
  • Navigating the Tableau Interface
  • Understanding Dimensions and Measures
  • Summary
7

Keeping Visual Analytics in Context

  • Context in Action
  • Exploratory Versus Explanatory Analysis
  • Structuring Visual Analytic Stories
  • Audience Analysis for Storytelling
  • Summary
8

Fundamental Data Visualizations

  • The Bar Chart
  • The Line Chart
  • Pie and Doughnut Charts
  • The Scatter Plot
  • The Packed Bubble Chart
  • The Tree Map
  • The Heat Map
  • Summary
9

Fundamental Maps

  • Types of Maps
  • Summary
10

Design Tips for Curating Visual Analytics

  • Visual Design Building Blocks
  • Color
  • Color Effects
  • Pre-attentive Colors
  • Important Color Considerations
  • The Truth About Red and Green
  • Lines
  • Formatting, Shading, and Banding
  • Shapes
  • Summary
11

Structuring Analytics for Storytelling: Prep, Dashboards, and Stories

  • Basic Data Prep in Tableau: Data Interpreter
  • Storyboarding Your Visual Analytics
  • Summary
12

Beyond Fundamentals: Advanced Visualizations

  • Timelines
  • Bar-in-Bar Charts
  • Likert-Scale Visualizations
  • Lollipop Charts
  • Word Clouds
  • Summary
13

Closing Thoughts

  • Five Steps to Visual Data Storytelling
  • The Important Role of Feedback
  • Ongoing Learning
A

Appendix A. Tableau Services

  • eLearning
  • Instructor-Led Training
  • Tableau Help
  • Tableau Community
  • Tableau Knowledge Base

1

The Power of Visual Analytics

  • Creating a Story
2

Getting Started with Tableau

  • Creating a Connection in a New Workbook
  • Using the Show Me Card
3

Fundamental Data Visualizations

  • Creating a Bar Chart
  • Creating a Line Chart
  • Creating a Doughnut Chart
  • Creating a Pie Chart
  • Creating a Scatter Plot
  • Creating a Bubble Chart
  • Creating a Tree Map
  • Creating a Heat Map
4

Fundamental Maps

  • Creating a Choropleth Map
  • Creating a Hierarchy
5

Design Tips for Curating Visual Analytics

  • Using the PROPER() Function
  • Creating a Calculated Field
  • Using the Shape Marks Card
6

Beyond Fundamentals: Advanced Visualizations

  • Creating a Bar-in-Bar Chart
  • Creating a Divergent Stacked Bar Chart
  • Creating a Stacked Bar Chart
  • Creating a Lollipop Chart

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Tableau fundamentals are the building blocks for using Tableau software for data visualization. This includes connecting to data, creating basic charts (bar, line, pie, etc.), understanding data types (dimensions & measures), and cleaning data with tools like Tableau's Data Interpreter.

Tableau is a powerful data visualization tool that lets you create interactive charts, graphs, and dashboards. You can connect to various data sources, explore trends and patterns, and communicate insights effectively.  Tableau's drag-and-drop interface makes it user-friendly for beginners while offering advanced features for experienced users.

The four main visualization types are:

  • Bar charts: Great for comparing categories or showing changes over time.
  • Line charts: Ideal for showing trends and how data points connect over time.
  • Pie charts: Useful for displaying proportions of a whole, but limited to a few categories.
  • Scatter plots: Reveal relationships between two measures, highlighting correlations or clusters.

The benefits of this course includes high marketability, higher earning potential, improved problem-solving and data analytical skills.

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