We have diverse use cases for Tableau for our clients who come different industries including manufacturing of ornamental stones, clothing and automotives. These clients have been using Tableau for tasks such as tracking leads, finances and stock management.
Senior Software Engineer - Salesforce at DataGo
Functional BI solution that can be used for reporting for clients across a broad range of industries
Pros and Cons
- "The best use case for us is the solution's integration with Salesforce because we are also partners of Salesforce."
- "Some of our clients are looking for better UI when using Tableau as they often work with this solution directly."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
Tableau makes it easy to build panels. The best use case for us is the solution's integration with Salesforce because we are also partners of Salesforce.
What needs improvement?
Some of our clients are looking for better UI when using Tableau as they often work with this solution directly.
The solution could be improved by facilitating integration with data lakes such as Google Cloud Platform. Some of our clients have around 1 billion lines in their tables and usually we need to scale them from MySQL to a Google Cloud Platform.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been partners with Tableau for three years and have been using the solution for four years.
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This is a scalable solution. We have databases from 1 million to 100 million roles that run very fast.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward.
What was our ROI?
Some of our clients have seen a ROI with Tableau within five to six months as they previously had no BI solution in place.
What other advice do I have?
When presenting Tableau to clients, we show them how Tableau works and how it integrates as a bundle with other partners such as Salesforce. These integrations make the management of data easier.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Business Intelligence Architect at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Dynamic tool that facilitates the visualization of a broad range of data types
Pros and Cons
- "Tableau has data relationships that can be applied to a data source which helps build out a directory which is helpful. Data blending has also been valuable to us."
- "The extraction, transformation and loading of data in Tableau takes a lot of time and we do not have confidence that Tableau is showing all the data we need."
What is our primary use case?
My client was initially using SAP BO as a reporting tool. This client added another entity to their organization and considered using Tableau for reporting purposes. The reason for choosing Tableau is because it is easy to use and we already had some developers with experience using Tableau. We have not done a complete migration from SAP BO to Tableau due to the volume of reporting still in SAP BO which Tableau cannot handle.
When creating reports for entities with less data, we make use of Tableau. We have trained 10 to 15 developers for this reporting. It took two to three months for them to master reporting in Tableau.
We use Tableau to create reports based on geographical maps to show the impact of natural hazards on the insurance industry. This solution offered us the flexibility and ability to visualize this type of information. We also use Tableau to host reports which are published on a weekly schedule to certain user groups.
What is most valuable?
Tableau has data relationships that can be applied to a data source which helps build out a directory which is helpful. Data blending has also been valuable to us.
What needs improvement?
The extraction, transformation and loading of data in Tableau takes a lot of time and we do not have confidence that Tableau is showing all the data we need. This is due to limitations on data extraction which needs to be improved.
We experience user restrictions using Tableau and require a more dynamic setup for extraction of data, configuration of reports and providing access to users.
Tableau useful for dashboard reporting, however, there are limitation on the number of rows of data you can view in a report. It is for this reason that we use Tableau alongside other reporting solutions. Tableau does not support any HTML coding in the same way Power BI does.
There is a maximum number of tables we can use in Tableau. This could be improved in a future release.
For how long have I used the solution?
I'm have been working with Tableau for seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Tableau is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This is a scalable solution.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We continue to use SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform.
What other advice do I have?
Tableau is a business intelligence tool. It allows you to extract specific insights and analyze data. It comes with many add ons and features including stories and dashboards. Our biggest challenge when using Tableau is the ETL size. It is for this reason we are switching to Power BI.
I would rate it an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Implementer
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Anonymous at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees
Provides good visibility, dependable and has adequate technical support
Pros and Cons
- "From my perspective, it enables clients to better understand our data and make better decisions based on that information."
- "I take a long time to process the hundreds of thousands or millions of records that must be processed every day."
What is our primary use case?
We use Tableau, to retract, and for visualizing data.
I primarily use it at my company, but I do some implementation as well, with a teammate.
Tableau is used to visualize analyzed data for our customers.
What is most valuable?
From my perspective, it enables clients to better understand our data and make better decisions based on that information.
What needs improvement?
I would look at Tableau's security and performance. I take a long time to process the hundreds of thousands or millions of records that must be processed every day. I am hoping that it can be improved very soon.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Tableau for the last three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Tableau is a stable product.
How are customer service and support?
I would say that the technical support is adequate. We are unsatisfied with the support because every time we have a new problem, it will go to tier 1, and the tier 1 will take several days to reply to us, and then the result is not very satisfying, as we are still stuck with the problem. It is then escalated to tier 2, or sometimes tier 3, which can take about two or three weeks, as an estimated length.
Definitely, technical support could be improved.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
In a previous company, I worked with IBM Cognos to focus on data, for instruction saving and loading that data in a very efficient way.
I also use other types of data extraction, such as Vanilla. It's a new software from France that is being used by a number of non-government organizations to restore data.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is quite complex.
What about the implementation team?
We completed the setup ourselves.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend that they install it using a virtual machine or Docker first, as they may encounter issues with other projects if they are running on the same server.
I would rate Tableau an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
MBA, MS Business Analytics at a consultancy with 1,001-5,000 employees
Complex, with long load time, but is good in terms of resources
Pros and Cons
- "When compared to Power BI, Tableau has more readily available resources."
- "People are migrating to Microsoft BI due to the speed, which is quite slow to load, and the lack of visualization options."
What is our primary use case?
It's similar to what we do with Power BI. It is used for dashboarding as well as a few analyses.
What is most valuable?
When compared to Power BI, Tableau has more readily available resources. In any kind of material, learning material, or if I find a new chart and decide I want to do it, Tableau is more easily available than Power BI.
What needs improvement?
It's a little more complicated than Power BI.
More visualization options, but not the same as in Power BI, where there are simply more options. I see very few options here. Many of these must be customized and custom-built, which is a lengthy process.
I would like to see more options in visualization customization.
People are migrating to Microsoft BI due to the speed, which is quite slow to load, and the lack of visualization options. There are a few default options in Power BI that Tableau does not have.
I would like to see the added visualizations and possibly an easier way to process data, which are useful now that we all have Power BI, there is a whole power query interface that directly links to Microsoft BI, whereas with Tableau, I would have to go through an entirely different process for it.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Tableau for one year.
We use the latest version.
It can be deployed both on the cloud and on-premises.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Tableau is very stable, but it takes too long to load.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability has been fine. So far, I believe it has served our purpose.
We have more than a hundred users in our organization.
It is being extensively used, but it is getting to be lesser now.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have also used Power BI.
We found Power BI to be more useful than Tableau.
How was the initial setup?
Tableau was already set up when I arrived.
What other advice do I have?
It is purely a visualization tool, as opposed to Power BI, which has connectivity to the entire Microsoft product suite, including your Excels and other tools, which Tableau does not.
I would rate Tableau, a five out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Data Management and Analytics Manager at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
Expert SQL skills not required, easy to use, and flexible
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is easy to use, flexible, our clients enjoy seeing the data on maps, and you do not need to be an expert in SQL to use it."
- "There could be improvements on the mobile application, it is lacking features."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution to allow management the ability to create dashboards for our data center.
What is most valuable?
The solution is easy to use, flexible, our clients enjoy seeing the data on maps, and you do not need to be an expert in SQL to use it.
What needs improvement?
There could be improvements on the mobile application, it is lacking features.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for approximately one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have found the solution to be stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good, we have 100 users using the solution in my organization.
How are customer service and technical support?
I am not satisfied at all with the support response, it takes a lot of time. Some tickets will take more than 10 days to have an answer, this is not helpful. There is some documentation that is very useful on their site. This is the worst support I have experienced, the support could definitely be faster.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were using Qlik Sense before this solution.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is straightforward. The time it took for the installation was approximately four hours. However, the configuration takes a lot longer but it is not a problem with this solution it is common for configurations to take a while.
What about the implementation team?
We did the deployment ourselves. We have a team of two administrators doing the maintenance for the solution and a team of four for the development of the dashboard.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is a license required, we pay an annual license which is priced fair.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend this solution to others. We are satisfied with the solution and are going to keep using it in the future.
I rate Tableau an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Manager Analytic & Insights at a hospitality company with 10,001+ employees
A powerful, secure, and flexible end-to-end analytics platform
Pros and Cons
- "Tableau is easy to use and it has great predictive features."
- "It would be nice if we could export more raw data. Currently, there is a limit as to how much data you can export."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution to process and create reports for management.
Within our organization, 10 people in marketing use this solution.
How has it helped my organization?
With Tableau, we can create our own reports which in turn, saves us tons of time as we don't have to wait for IT to do it.
What is most valuable?
Tableau is easy to use and it has great predictive features.
What needs improvement?
It would be nice if we could export more raw data. Currently, there is a limit as to how much data you can export.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Tableau for roughly three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Tableau is very stable.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is pretty good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is quite straightforward. It's not too complex.
What about the implementation team?
We deployed this solution on our own.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of this solution could definitely be lower. It's quite expensive. We're on a monthly subscription — I am not sure exactly how much we pay.
What other advice do I have?
Tableau allows us to go deep inside the data — other solutions, like Excel, don't allow you to do that.
As a BI tool, I would give Tableau a rating of eight out of ten — it's one of the easiest BI tools available; however, it's not that easy to manage orders. It's really user-friendly for individual users, but it may not be suitable for large organizations.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
Intuitive and user-friendly UI helps naive users easily click and connect, drag and drop, and build fantastic visualizations
Pros and Cons
- "It has been the best tool to work with from a self-service point of view."
- "Licensing and pricing options could be made better so that more users would be able to use it."
What is our primary use case?
This product is for non-technical users who know, or may not know, what they need but would like to automate their processes.
How has it helped my organization?
It has been the best tool to work with from a self-service point of view. The explorer capability in Tableau allows analysts to connect to data sources published on the tableau server, build their own product and customize reports.
What is most valuable?
The extremely intuitive and user-friendly UI helps naive users easily click and connect, drag and drop, and build fantastic visualizations. Of course, the back-end data structure needs to be strong for them to be able to do that, but it saves them a lot of time.
What needs improvement?
Licensing and pricing options could be made better so that more users would be able to use it. The biggest concern any organization has is its budget when trying to implement a new product. Tableau is an extremely powerful tool and hence expensive, but if there was a way to cut down the cost they would end up attracting more users.
For how long have I used the solution?
Seven years.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Director, BI & Analytics at a leisure / travel company with 10,001+ employees
If you're evaluating Tableau as a potential data visualization solution, consider these points.
Pros and Cons
- "Visualization attributes: Marks – Color, Size, Label, etc.. Easily Accessible and Intuitive."
- "Small multiples (a.k.a. Trellis charts) are possible only through very hacky means. Update: Still remains a challenge."
***We've upgraded to 2018.1 So I've updated the Pros and Cons accordingly!"
I've been working between Tableau and Qlikview (depending on use case) and have been jotting down Pros and Cons of each as I come across them. Many of these, but not all, are centered around some fairly specific UI functionality and limitations that I've come across while trying to deliver on various dashboard solutions. If you're evaluating Tableau as a potential data visualization solution, some of these points might help with your evaluation, or at least I'm hoping so! One caveat I will apply to the "Cons" section is some of these may in fact be resolved in the latest version, or may be achieved through some means that I'm just not aware of (though I do generally research pretty extensively before throwing in the towel).
Pros/Strengths
- Multi-dimension Graphs, side by side bars
- Formulas/Calculations are a familiar structure to many (IF..THEN.. ELSE)
- Visualization attributes: Marks – Color, Size, Label, etc.. Easily Accessible and Intuitive
- Very good Geo/Mapping capabilities
- Built in Table Calculations (% of Total, Rank, etc..) Update: Even more intuitive now.
- Publish to PDF. Despite trying to encourage users to interact with the live tool, there seems to always be some need for this.
- Story Creation for presentations.
- Free Tableau Reader – You can create ‘Packaged Workbooks’ and those with Reader can open the file and manipulate the dashboard. (No ability to refresh the data)
- Easy Cube Connection. Though it can still be quirky and limited relative to using other data sources. You can't for example, use LOD calculations. If you plan to use Cubes as a data source, be sure you thoroughly understand the limitations.
- Tool Tips (Hovers). Easy to add all kinds of additional data to hovers. Update: The Viz in tooltip feature is fully baked and in certain circumstances, very useful!
- Adaptive sizing based on display resolution. Also something Qlikview does not do - you must develop for particular display size/dimensions. Update: I've since learned that it generally makes life easier if you still used fixed dimensions for your dashboard.
- Drag and Drop Hierarchy creation
- Device Layouts (Mobile, Tablet, etc.). Update: Rumor has it Tableau is currently working on a better Mobile solution.
- URL Actions - Allow you to enable workflow between Tableau and other Applications through click-throughs and parameter insertion in URLs.
Cons
- Small multiples (a.k.a. Trellis charts) are possible only through very hacky means. Update: Still remains a challeng
- Sparkline Tables are not supported. There are tutorials on how to accomplish this, but as with small multiples, it is hacky and limited. Update: Still remains a challenge.
- Heavy data prep needed. Blending within the tool is clunky and causes performance hits. Some functions are limited or unavailable when using blended data (e.g. LODs) Update: Blending has improved but it is still generally a better practice to do all your data prep prior to ingestion. Tableau Prep now exists to help with this, but it is still very much in its infancy.
- Sorting on joined data requires hacks. Update: Unchanged
- No easy ‘Clear’ to remove applied filters and/or Exclusions/Keep Only, which makes it sometimes easy to lose sight of how exactly the data has been filtered. Update: Unchanged
- Combo charts unavailable without Date dimensions Update: Unchanged
- Dynamic column headers/aliases difficult and hacky. I find this limitation particularly frustrating. Example use case: I have two columns - Current Month, & Previous Month. As these will always be dynamic, I want them instead to display the actual Month as it changes (e.g. Apr-2016, Mar-2016). Update: Very unfortunately Unchanged.
- Can’t format a single measure column in a table (e.g. make one bold or conditional format) Update: I've heard rumors that this is now easier, but have yet to identify how.
- Image thumbnails in tables not supported. In my last two roles this has been a fairly large impediment. I'm likely not the only one. Qlikview, SSRS, & Even MS Powerview/PowerBI are able to support this. Update: Unchanged
- Large Table reports with many filters (our case was 14 columns, 300K rows, and about 8 quick filters) to narrow the data set – Don’t bother! It will be excruciatingly slow even on the server. Tableau will likely say this is not what it is intended for anyway (it's a Data Viz tool, not a Report tool), which is fair, but sometimes it's necessary as part of a larger solution. Update: This seems to have improved some though you still run into the limitation of 16 columns. Rumor has it, this will be done away with in future releases.
- Any questions, or comments? All feedback is welcome.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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