4 Courses to Start Your Tableau Journey
Authored by Gordon Thomas, Edited by Gina Bremer, Image by Ethan Norgard
WHAT WE DID
This article marks the conclusion of our series dedicated to analyzing and reviewing introductory online courses for data visualization tools. For a better understanding of our approach and methodology behind these analyses, check out our previous entries on Google Data Studio and Microsoft Power BI. To summarize, we selected four online courses in each of our preferred data viz tools and evaluated them based on their overall quality. They all have a price-point below $50, are highly-rated on their respective platform, and can be completed in roughly 10 hours or less.
For the finale of this blog series we dug into Tableau; the most widely adopted data visualization tool on the market. Compared to Microsoft Power BI and Google Data Studio, Tableau is the most mature and comprehensive tool in terms of features and customization. We love Tableau for its ease-of-use relative to its powerful capabilities. What may take complex DAX calculations and interwoven table relationships to accomplish in Power BI can often be done with a few clicks in Tableau. Tableau utilizes a simplistic alternative for creating formulas and calculated fields. Data Studio does as well, however the features available in Data Studio’s toolbelt are dwarfed by those in Tableau. Lastly, although Tableau advertises many different pricing packages ranging from $100’s to $1000’s a year, they offer a free version called ‘Tableau Public’ which contains the majority of capabilities found in a paid license. If you’re able to make your data public, this is an attractive option.
WHAT WE FOUND
The complete rubric can be found at the end of this post.
TABLEAU DESKTOP 2022 - A COMPLETE INTRODUCTION
Platform: Udemy | Lectures: 10.5 hours | Cost: $14.99
VOTED “BEST INTRODUCTION TO TABLEAU”
We chose this course as our overall winner for best introductory course. The combination of its structure, quantity of the content, and the instructor’s ability to convey the information made this course our number one choice. By the end of the course you will have built a complete dashboard utilizing every feature that was introduced. We recommend this course for anyone looking for a comprehensive introduction to Tableau.
We liked this course for how thoroughly it covered all aspects of Tableau. While many courses offer a specific angle or appeal to a particular group, this course was general and meant to introduce the full scope of Tableau. We decided on 67 features that we felt were important for any beginner to be able to use in Tableau, and this course covered 54 of them. An equal amount of time was dedicated to each of our three main categories: data prep, data modeling and calculations, and data visualization. This course is composed of six modules with four activities/assignments and lectures on both theory and review of the material. These activities both reinforced the learning objectives and kept the content engaging.
TABLEAU FOR BEGINNERS: GET DA CERTIFIED, GROW YOUR CAREER
Platform: Udemy | Lectures: 6.5 hours | Cost: $14.99
VOTED “BEST FOR DATA ANALYTICS”
In contrast to the previous course, this course has a targeted audience and purpose. It’s designed to prepare someone for the “Tableau Desktop Certified Associate Exam” and those interested in data analytics. Due to that fairly narrow scope, a significant portion of time is dedicated to calculations and analytical concepts such as trendlines and forecasts. Because of its focused approach, this course is our recommendation for anyone interested in becoming a data analyst or Tableau developer.
This course occupies a unique space. Although it spends a lot of time on certain concepts that other courses did not, it still introduced more features than any other. In 6.5 hours of lectures, 56 out of 67 features were introduced making it the most comprehensive Tableau class we took. However, introducing a new concept or feature is not the same as demonstrating it; something we account for in our evaluations. The topics the instructor does demonstrate are easy to consume and understand since they are taught within the frame of learning real data analytics skills. The instructor uses practical examples to convey the lessons. Another great aspect of the course was how many opportunities there were for applying your knowledge. There were numerous quizzes, practice problems, and exams throughout. We felt this greatly enhanced our comprehension and enjoyment of the material.
TABLEAU TUTORIAL FOR BEGINNERS
Platform: YouTube | Lectures: 1.5 hours | Cost: Free
VOTED “BEST HIGH-LEVEL OVERVIEW”
This was our shortest Tableau course, clocking in at 1.5 hours. There were 5 sections each focusing on a different aspect of Tableau and culminating in a guided project where a full dashboard is built. Covering 32 out of the 67 core features in just 90 minutes, this was also the most dense course we took. This course would be great for anyone wanting to learn the essentials of building a Tableau dashboard as quickly as possible.
Truly an introduction into Tableau, this course focused on the essential components needed to build a dashboard. Some of the courses had a tendency to include so much detail that it overwhelmed and made learning Tableau daunting. This instructor was more cognizant of the challenges of teaching a new subject in a short amount of time, contrary to other courses of similar duration. The approach in other courses of this length tended to be “quantity over quality”, or they lose focus and spend more time than necessary on certain features. The structure and pacing here was well thought out and gave our reviewers just enough of the ‘right’ information to get their footing.
LEARN TABLEAU IN 6 HOURS | TABLEAU TRAINING FOR BEGINNERS
Platform: YouTube | Lectures: 6 hours | Cost: Free
VOTED “BEST RESOURCE”
The last course in our roundup was the most rigorous YouTube course we’ve taken as well as the most unconventional. The course is composed of a series of tutorials featuring many different instructors seemingly “spliced” together. Another peculiar aspect was the amount of dedicated time spent on number and string functions, many of which are only used in trigonometry and other very specific use-cases. Our reviewer noted that this course thoroughly covered Tableau developer responsibilities and interview questions. We recommend this course for those interested in becoming a Tableau Developer and wanting an emphasis on mathematical functions.
The structure of this course is a string of seemingly independent tutorials connected together to form a whole. The series of tutorials was taught by multiple instructors, each with their own cadence and teaching-style. Our reviewer for this course noted the difficulty in having to adjust to new instructors. This broke up the flow and even meant that material was sometimes repeated. Although not clearly stated, this course seemed to have a specific theme for its lessons, since it spent a significant amount of time on the roles and responsibilities of being a Tableau developer as well as the advanced mathematical functions that might be necessary. This course is offered as an introduction into Tableau, yet spent very little time on the basics of calculated fields, formatting visualizations, and creating complete dashboards.
WHAT WE LEARNED
After three rounds of reviews and analyses; continually updating and improving our methodology and strategy, we’ve learned that determining the content and quality of an online course is not an easy feat. On the surface, each of the courses we chose were well-reviewed and claimed to teach an introduction into the topic, yet varied greatly in the specific material that was presented.
This undertaking has taught us so much about the challenges in selecting an effective and valuable online course. Although we never uncovered an algorithm for finding the perfect one, we think our research can at least narrow the field and point you in the right direction. We hope our findings here keep you moving forward on your journey and save some time and money along the way.
If you want comprehensive foundational knowledge, we recommend investing the time to complete the Tableau Desktop 2022 - A Complete Introduction course on Udemy.
If you are looking to focus your learning towards data analytics, or if you just prefer a more school-like curriculum, we recommend enrolling in the hands-on Tableau for Beginners: Get DA Certified, Grow Your Career course on Udemy.
If you are interested in trying out Tableau and want a great high-level overview, we recommend watching the Tableau Tutorial for Beginners course on YouTube.