Today I’ll take you through a broad range of navigational features, which are available in Tableau. When we open our tableau desktop, that shows us the menu at the top of the window that shows all the commands we’ll come across while working with Tableau. Let’s understand various relevant features in detail by opening a blank workbook.
On closing the started window, you get the primary interface with all the available Menu commands. These commands represent the extensive set of features available in Tableau. Various parts of the menu seen in the diagram below where you can see some details of each list.
File Menu
The file menu option in Tableau, like in any other software, gives you options to create a new Tableau workbook and open the existing workbooks present in your system and also from the tableau server. Some key features in this menu are:-
- Workbook locale- allows you to select the language as per the project requirement.
- Paste – adds sheet in the current workbook, which is a copy from another workbook.
- Export packaged workbook- creates a packaged workbook to let it get easily shared with other users.
Data Menu
The Data menu is to create a new data source to fetch the data for analysis and visualization. It also Lets you replace or upgrade the existing data source.
The key features in this menu are as follows −
- New Data Source- this option allows us to view all the types of connections available and choose from it.
- Refresh All Extracts- it refreshes the data from the source.
- Edit Relationships- this option defines the fields in more than one data source for linking.
Worksheet Menu
It can generate new worksheets along with various display features such as showing the title and captions, etc.
The essential options available in it are as follows
- Show Summary– This lets us view the summary of the data used in the worksheet such as count, etc.
- Tooltip- Displays the tooltip when hovering above various data fields.
- Run Update– This feature updates the worksheet data or filters used.
Dashboard Menu
This menu is to make a new Tableau dashboard along with new and innovative display features, for example, showing the title and exporting the image, etc.
The key options in this menu are as follows −
Format– it sets the view in terms of colors and sections of the Dashboard.
Actions– this feature links the dashboard sheets to external URLs or other worksheets.
Export Image– this option exports an image of the Dashboard
Story Menu
It is to create a new story that has several sheets or dashboards with related data.
Essential features in it are as follows −
Format- this feature fixes the layout in terms of colors and sections of the story.
Run Update- it updates the story with the latest data from the data source.
Export Image- this option exports an image of the story.
Analysis of Menu
It is for analyzing the data available on the sheet. Tableau provides many exotic features, such as calculating the percentage and performing a forecast, etc.
Few essential elements in this menu below −
Forecast– this makes a forecast based on available data.
Trend Lines- show the trend line for a series of data. Time plays a very important in a trend line.
Create Calculated Field- feature creates additional fields according to specific calculation on the existing fields.
Create Calculated Field-feature creates additional fields according to certain calculations on the existing fields.
MAP
This dropdown is for creating map views in Tableau. We can assign geographic roles to fields in our data.
The critical features in this menu are listed: −
Map Layers- it hides and shows map layers, for example, street names, country borders, and adds data layers according to the LODs required.
Geocoding– it creates new geographic roles and assigns them to the geographic fields in the data.
Format Menu
This menu is for applying the various formatting options to enhance the view and ease of understanding the dashboards created. It provides features such as colors, borders, alignment, etc.
The essential options in this menu are as follows −
Title & Caption– it assigns a title and Caption to the reports.
Cell Size– optimizes the size of the cells displaying the data.
Borders– apply borders to the fields shown in the report.
Workbook Theme– applies a theme to the entire workbook.
Server Menu
It is used to login to the Tableau server if you have access, and publish your reports to be used by other users. Also, it is to access the workbooks published by others.
The key options in this menu are as follows −
Publish Workbook– publishes the book on the server so that others can use it.
Publish Data Source– publishes the source data that was actually in the workbook.
Create User Filters– it creates filters on the worksheet to be applied by various users while accessing the report
Try answering these Tableau multiple-choice questions quiz and exams to test your skills in the Tableau.
- Tableau Desktop Specialist Practice Questions for Global Certification (Practice quiz)
- Tableau Desktop Specialist (Practice Exams)
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