If you want to jump right in to working with Tableau you may want to skip this post and go right into the next series of posts. The first post is called Getting Started with Tableau.

A sheet is a singular chart or map in Tableau. A sheet is where you will see your visualization. You build one visualization per sheet. You can create new sheets for your other visualizations.

The Data pane is the default left pane that lists your open data sources and the dimensions and measures contained in the selected data sources. Sets and Parameters are also listed here. All your fields from your data sources are listed here. The Data pane actually has two parts: Data and Analytics shown as tabs at the top of the Data pane.

The Big Picture

A dashboard is a canvas for displaying multiple sheets at a time and allowing them to interact with each other.

A container is a layout frame on a dashboard that can house sheets, images, filters/parameters, and text boxes. Containers can be horizontal (objects placed go side-by-side) or vertical (objects placed are on top of one another). Double-click any sheet on a dashboard by the center “grip” marks to select the container that the sheet sits in.

A story is a viewing portal that contains a sequence of worksheets or dashboards that work together to convey information. Each individual sheet in a story is called a story point. A story is a group of dashboards or worksheets assembled together into a presentation that does not require that you be with the audience. The audience has the ability to find their own story. A story in Tableau is like an interactive PowerPoint document. Any filters, comments, or annotations you do within a story are not reflected in the original dashboard and are specific to the story.

A workbook is the entire Tableau file containing your sheets, dashboards and stories. MS Excel also calls their file a workbook.

A packaged workbook is a single zip file with a .twbx extension that contains a workbook along with any supporting local file data sources and background images. Use this format to package your work for sharing with others who don’t have access to the data.

The Visualization

The Marks card is the tool used to create a sheet that controls most of the visual elements in a sheet. Using the Marks card, you can switch between different chart types (bar, line, symbol, filled map, and so on), change colors and sizes, add labels, change the level of detail, and edit the tool tips.

The Rows shelf and the Columns shelf is where you determine which variables will go on what axis. Put data you want displayed along the X-axis on the Columns shelf and data you want displayed on the Y-axis on the Rows shelf.

The Small Picture – Data

Tableau divides all the data fields of a dataset into two broad data types: dimensions and measures.

A dimension is a categorical variable from the dataset that is used to slice and dice the data into different categories. Dimensions are qualitative data values used to categorize and group data to uncover it’s characteristics. Dimensions are often discrete data. Examples include country, gender, student ID, and name. When a dimension is pulled into your sheet, it takes the form of a blue pill.

A measure is a variable from the dataset that is meant to be aggregated. This means it should be a number that it makes sense to do aggregations with: sum, average, and so on. Measures are placed in calculations. Measures are often continuous data. Examples include GPA, sales, quantity, quota, height, and salary. When a measure is pulled into your sheet, it takes the form of a green pill. Continuous measures (or dimensions) have an infinite and uncountable number of outcomes. Discrete is a measure (or dimension) that has a finite and countable number of outcomes.

An interactive visualization allows the user to change what data they want to see. For example, they may apply a filter based on a condition.