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What Is Tableau?

Tableau is the world’s leading AI-powered analytics and business intelligence platform. Easily connect to data stored anywhere, in any format. Seamlessly create reliable insights with built-in data preparation and governance features that promote transparency and uniformity. Quickly perform ad-hoc analyses to reveal hidden opportunities for your business. Drag and drop to create interactive data visualizations with advanced analytics. Then share your insights with anyone and make an impact on your business. From global enterprises to early-stage startups and small businesses, people everywhere start with data and move forward with Tableau. Learn More!

Who Uses Tableau?

Tableau empowers people throughout the organization to easily ask and answer questions of their data with intuitive, AI-powered tools to make better business decisions every day.

Tableau Software - Tableau report
Tableau Software - Tableau graphs
Tableau Software - Tableau data visualization
Tableau Software - Tableau daily sales dashboard

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Reviews of Tableau

Average score

Overall
4.6
Ease of Use
4.1
Customer Service
4.2
Features
4.5
Value for Money
4.2

Reviews by company size (employees)

  • <50
  • 51-200
  • 201-1,000
  • >1,001
Andres Ernesto
Andres Ernesto
Developer-Data specialist in Peru
Verified LinkedIn User
Computer Software, 10,000+ Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

My opinion

4.0 last year

Comments: My experience is average, before I used it more often, however, I use it less and less nowadays

Pros:

high support, tools, ease of integration and great community

Cons:

I have presented slowness with the tool and there are also other attractive options on the market, both in usefulness and price

Caroline
Caroline
Game Developer in US
Verified LinkedIn User
Computer Software, 1,001–5,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

User-friendly dashboard/report Tool

4.0 last year

Comments: Tableau is amazing software that has greatly aided our data analysis efforts. Tableau meets all of our needs for data analysis and dashboard creation. The nicest element is that direct use of ad hoc data needs is possible, with no dependencies.

Pros:

One of the most useful features of Tableau is the flexibility with which its dashboards may be filtered. Information that is simple to understand, demonstrate, and infer. Any group may quickly and simply extract useful data thanks to a drag-and-drop interface.

Cons:

Data syncing problems can cause the dashboards to malfunction. Notifications about impending outages would be greatly appreciated. however, that shouldn't be a deal breaker.

B.Naveen
Software Engineer in India
Information Technology & Services, 1,001–5,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Tableau- a reliable visualization tool.

3.0 last year

Comments: The best visualization tool on the market so far. I highly recommend this if you want to improve your dashboard.

Pros:

One of Tableau's most useful features is its flexibility in filtering dashboards. Information that is easy to understand, demonstrate, and derive. A drag-and-drop interface allows each group to quickly and easily extract useful data.

Cons:

There are limits to the external images that you can import into Tableau workbooks. Tableau can become very slow when processing heavy tables.

Joe
Associate Professor of Law in US
Higher Education, 201–500 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Empowered with superior AI tools, Tableau is a favourable analytics product.

5.0 3 months ago

Comments: Tableau has been for a while now our go to solution for generating the right insights from our data. It has helped us stay informed about our data by analyzing data from our different sources. The experience with Tableau has been efficient and very effective in deed. It has been a reliable source of true that guide us in making informed decisions.

Pros:

Tableau uses cutting-edge AI powered analytics functions that help us get precise and greatly informative insights from our data. It uses high level security features that ensures that our data remains safe and sound when analyzing them. It also has amazing reports visualization options that help us easily read and understand the insights contained in the reports. Tableau compatibility with most of our data sources makes it easy to collect data from everywhere in order to achieve more enhanced analytics.

Cons:

Tableau has lived true to its mark by answering every call we make. We find nothing in it that is difficult to like.

Kimani
Marketer in Kenya
Verified LinkedIn User
Accounting, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Data Visualization

5.0 last year

Comments: The overall experience is good. I have created many important visuals on the platform.

Pros:

I think Tableau is up there when it comes to data visualization. One is able to create complex data visuals as one wishes. Secondly, one is able to perform arithmetic on the data as you create the visuals. Tableau is the best platform for data analysts and the whole business community.

Cons:

When creating visuals, Tableau chooses the type of chart to use according to the type of data you have. For instance, one is not able to create a line chart unless data involving dates is used. This can be really annoying.

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Computer Software, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Revolutionary software in the field of data

4.0 2 years ago

Comments: Tableau is faster than other business intelligence tools. I'm sure Tableau can bring revolution in the field data. I recommend it.

Pros:

Superb software for those who work with data. If you are data engineer, data analyst , data scientist, teacher, student or business own you should try it once.

Cons:

Tableau has nothing dislike thing. It's amazing software. It can solve almost all problems related with data. Whether you want reporting or data processing. It can handle very easily.

Munavvar
Managing Director in India
Online Media, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: Free Trial
Reviewer Source
Source: SoftwareAdvice

Alternatives Considered:

Exceptional Data Visualization Tool & Dashboard

5.0 last year

Comments: Still Learning to create the dashboard & integrating BigData like Google's Big Query and its fun while building visualization. I enjoyed creating Visualization for one of the Clothing Brands in Surat, India.

Pros:

It supports Python, so customized visualization is possible (for Python programmers, it's easy) to create their own custom dashboard and visualization.

Cons:

It's a bit costly, where PowerBI is free.

Brian
Brian
Business administrator in US
Verified LinkedIn User
Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing, 1,001–5,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Modern platform

4.0 4 months ago

Comments: The data is clearer and more accessible to everyone, giving a better, more fluid analysis. It helps to have a faster explanation of the real data.

Pros:

Tableau uses artificial intelligence and makes all data easier to analyze and better understood by each user. Sometimes not all data is understood by everyone and what Tableau does is make its presentation easier to understand with its presentation design. Its integration of all data in a single platform helps make it more understandable and better organized.

Cons:

It has always worked well, there is nothing wrong at the moment or something to correct.

Mariia
Software Engineer in Canada
Computer Software, 10,000+ Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Top tool for data analytics and visualization

5.0 2 months ago

Pros:

Can be used on top of any data platform without locking into MS, AWS, GCP.

Cons:

No free desktop version which makes it harder to learn the tool for data engineer.

Chris
Self-employed in US
Financial Services, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Easiest way to turn data into visuals

4.0 3 months ago

Pros:

I like the ease of turning data into visualization. There is probably no better tool for that.

Cons:

For specific cosmetics and charts, workarounds tend to be necessary and can get complicated.

Nico
Network and Security Systems Administrator in Bahamas
Construction, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Specific, relevant and contextual tool that helps in identifying growth opportunities

4.0 8 months ago

Comments: Insightful experience. Best for turning data into actionable and strategic insights.

Pros:

Tableau helps us understand and appreciate data and what it means to the organization in improving operations and efficiency. Familiarizing ourselves with data filtering, grouping and segmenting. It is key in improving the process of data analysis by eliminating defects. It has eventually improved customer experiences, allows us to make better decisions and helps guide our marketing strategies towards success.

Cons:

Sending larger files especially to multiple destinations can end up catastrophic. It can stop and you end up losing your files.

Nsogbu
Assistant Hatchery and Early Stage Manager in UK
Farming, 501–1,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

What I Experience with Tableau in Data Visualization

4.0 6 months ago

Pros:

Manual data analysis is prone to errors and way too tedious. Tableau automate data modeling, preparation, cataloging and visualization.

Cons:

Some features on free version are weak compared to premium plan.

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Logistics & Supply Chain, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Tableau is Fantastic for Shippers

4.0 8 months ago

Comments: Overall I’ve really enjoyed the program. It puts data into visuals that we can then share with our carriers. We have the ability to use it for inside information or carrier facing information.

Pros:

As a shipper who is always looking for solid carriers this program provides unique visuals that we can show our carriers. A lot of carriers are used to just seeing the data in an Excel format, so having the visuals elevated their experience with us.

Cons:

Tableau can be a little tedious and has a less intuitive program than other systems. Once you overcome the learning curve it is a great system.

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Philanthropy, 1,001–5,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Very powerful tool

5.0 last year

Comments: We use Tableau as our data vis and reporting tool organisation wide. We pool data into our data lake from various sources and then pull into Tableau to create min-dashboards which track team level KPI's / objectives and then roll up into a organisation wide dashboard.

Pros:

Very powerful tool. We implement organisation wide and that has created consistency in approach and understanding. Very little tech knowledge needed to create a dashboard and if data is not available we have a workflow to the team who can investigate/solve this.

Cons:

I am not a tech person, however when we first adopted we had a real struggle pulling some of our existing data into the tool. We had to amend some of our organisational and system processes to ensure we were able to achieve the outputs we desired from the tool. This was teething pain however and therefore not a prolonged issue.

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Information Technology & Services, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Tableau: The powerful pack for data visulization

4.0 last year

Comments: My overall experience with Tableau is very positive. I like the data visualization tools as they are very easy to use and learn. Its drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to create charts, graphs, and dashboards. Only problem I found that It is very expensive for the individual user

Pros:

Drag and drop options for making interactive charts, graphs, and dashboards. The interface is very very user-friendly to technical and non-technical users. We can figure out various data using managing filters. We can connect Tableau from various data sources

Cons:

Limited charts, graph options. Limited connector options, high pricing

Filippo
Filippo
Senior Data Scientist in Italy
Verified LinkedIn User
Marketing & Advertising, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source
Source: GetApp

An amazing tool for data visualization

5.0 last year

Comments: We have realized a huge number of dashboard for our web platform, without writing a single line of code. This is the true power of Tableau

Pros:

Simple, easy to use and yet fully customizable. Tableau is a cheap solutions to visualize your data or to prepare shareable dashboard or event plots to be embedded in external websites.

Cons:

There is a limit on external images that you can import in your Tableau workbooks. Sometimes Tableau is quite slow when processing heavy tables.

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Marketing & Advertising, 1,001–5,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Make your life easy with Tableau

5.0 10 months ago

Pros:

1. Outstanding SQL command 2. UX is very clear 3. Easy to deploy 4. Very quick

Cons:

1. Not Mobile friendly 2. Needs frequent updates 3. Expensive

Sara
Sr Development Mgr in US
Museums & Institutions, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

I can see our status on multiple fronts so clearly!!

5.0 last year

Comments: Love it's capabilities. Wish it was easier for me to manipulate. I have to rely on a couple team members who are way more experienced in it than I am to create anything new.

Pros:

Great visualization capabilities helps me see how I am doing compared to this year's goals on multiple objectives and how we are doing year over year...without having to manipulate the raw data on my own. Being able to have Tableau refresh the data source with the most recent info each time I open the dashboard is so important!

Cons:

Takes awhile and a lot of practice to understand how to set up the worksheets so they answer the questions you are looking to answer. Dashboards are more so.

Lydiah
Student Association Leader in Kenya
Higher Education, 201–500 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Critical Tool for Qualitative Analysis of Big Dats

5.0 last year

Comments: For the few years I have now interacted with tableau in a class environment I really can't wait to get out there and use it's dynamic features for business intelligence. It comes with soo many features that I am sure would help any business deeply analyze market data that will help them gain the tricks, visualize and predict on the business trajectory and avoid most risks before they happen

Pros:

To be honest I have only used tableau in a classrooms setup for learning purposes. In my course there is a unit referred to Actuarial Modelling where we are deep data management and that is where I get to interact with Tableau. There is alot of features I appreciate about it. For me it didn't take me long to familiarize with it .Creating a dashboard is soo engaging and it's UX is straightforward. Accessing it from my mobile phone gives me the convenience of doing my data analysis assignment even away from school. On functionalities, it connect with data sources especially Excel CSV which is our main data harbor. From there I can now I can clean the data, use the bin function to categoriesit for simplified analysis, visualize it and descriptively explain the insights data in a natural language. Tableau also allows me to make prediction using the statistical elements such as the mean, mode, quartiles etc on likeliness of certain events in reference to the data Iam using.

Cons:

For novices it will take you time to unravel the complexity of Tableau to be able to enjoy each and every feature for deep analytics. But when you get to learn it, trust me you will like it

Nithin
Analyst in US
Information Technology & Services, 1,001–5,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Best data visualization tool out there

4.0 last year

Pros:

The fact that Tableau supports practically all connectors, including Teradata, Bigquery, Salesforce, SAP, Snowflake, and others, is one of its finest features. Furthermore, it can produce and support a wide variety of chart kinds, such as pie, donut, map, and Sankey charts. I am capable of creating engrossing dashboards that tell tales to inspire my audience.

Cons:

Tableau can be costly for individual users or small enterprises due to the high licensing prices associated with Tableau Desktop.

Rogers
Rogers
QA Engineer in US
Verified LinkedIn User
Financial Services, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Tableau as a tool to make analytical work

5.0 last year

Comments: I think it is not just an experience, it is a great tool to manage data for analysis in a daily basis

Pros:

Good choice to present, analyze data to make decisions

Cons:

You need to plan ahead to have enough computational power to import and analyze big amount of data

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Computer Software, 201–500 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Gets the job done but other tools have passed them

4.0 last year

Comments: It is a market leader because of its foothold and community. Not a bad option for teams but competitors have caught up and passed them.

Pros:

Customization options were nearly endless with time and resources.

Cons:

User adoption was difficult because it was not as intuitive as other products. Seemingly easy visualizations were quite difficult to set up resulting in time spent figuring out seemingly basic options where that time could have been spent elsewhere.

Mateusz
Senior Research Analytics Specialist in Poland
Management Consulting, 1,001–5,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Excellet story telling and analysis capabilities

5.0 11 months ago

Pros:

The ease of creating customizable dashboards to share with clients with the ability to create branded content.

Cons:

There is a competitive aspect to more and more clients transitioning to PowerBI due to the Microsoft suite "all in one" aspect.

Tungeti
job seeker in India
E-Learning, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Review on Tableau

5.0 12 months ago

Comments: Easy to analyse and visualize large amount of data.

Pros:

quick and advanced visualizations and dashboards. More productive.

Cons:

Need to have basic knowledge before using it, and also bit expensive to buy it.

Patrick
Regional Sales Manager in Canada
Food & Beverages, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Intimidating for amateurs but incredibly useful

5.0 last year

Comments: I used it first as a user viewing data in a retail environment. Reports were easy to keep updated and the data viewing choices meant different managers were able to customize the look of their data.
Now I have used it creating reports for myself. I enjoy using it more than salesforce reports as I get that extra level of customization and think that it simply looks better.

Pros:

The customization of your dashboards is unparalleled. The tools to get started help anyone, even those with basic or no sql skills to be able to put together basic reports. No better solution in my opinion for being a hub for KPI tracking across a company.

Cons:

The learning curve is steep. Imported data needs to be clean or you are going to struggle with larger datasets but that is true of all data visualization tool.