Tableau is easy to use.
Vice President at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
It's easy to install and use
Pros and Cons
- "Tableau is easy to use."
- "Tableau has so many functions, so sometimes it's hard to find the right solution quickly. I have to search multiple menu bars to find the right command."
What is most valuable?
What needs improvement?
Tableau has so many functions, so sometimes it's hard to find the right solution quickly. I have to search multiple menu bars to find the right command.
For how long have I used the solution?
I started working with Tableau two years ago.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In some projects, Tableau isn't stable. Sometimes it calls automatically.
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Tableau is scalable. Right now, 200 to 300 people at my company use it.
How are customer service and support?
Their web-based tech support is okay.
How was the initial setup?
Setting up Tableau is easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Tableau's price should be lower so more people can access this application.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Tableau eight out of 10.
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 BI Manager at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
Good dashboards, analytics, and automation capabilities
Pros and Cons
- "You can create attractive dashboards that inform users using Tableau."
- "They need a write-back; that is what is missing. If they get the write back to the database, they will be fully automated, but for the time being, they are not."
What is our primary use case?
We use Tableau to provide analytics and dashboards. We also use it to automate manual work.
What is most valuable?
You can create attractive dashboards that inform users using Tableau.
What needs improvement?
They must have a write-back solution. You must have the ability to write back into the database, otherwise, it prevents full automation.
That's one reason why people still need their own Excel sheets and other tools where they can interact with data that's already in the database. You win completely the moment you load that in, in a central way. You could say that you are completely automated.
They need a write-back; that is what is missing. If they get the write back to the database, they will be fully automated, but for the time being, they are not.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Tableau for two and a half years.
We are using version 2021.3.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a fairly stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Tableau is a scalable solution.
Tableau is used by approximately 90 people in our organization.
We do not intend to increase our usage. I've asked for reports on how many users we get on a daily basis, as well as how many people use it and then don't use it for weeks. How long do they stay if they come in, and what are they looking at?
We are attempting to purchase a tool that will provide us with that information. We know which dashboards are popular, which are not, and why the popular ones are popular while the unpopular ones are not. We need to get an add-on that will tell us exactly what makes the dashboard sticky and what keeps people coming back to use it.
How are customer service and support?
We use technical support, but I don't interact with them directly. Our IT support team is the one who helps us. Our IT support team works with Tableau support to resolve issues, opening tickets and tracking them.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Prior to using Tableau, I used Power BI.
How was the initial setup?
We don't do a lot of installation. Once you have a server license, you can literally create it in the server now that you have a server license. There are no issues with installation.
The installation does not require a lot of time.
We have one or two engineers who maintain this solution.
What about the implementation team?
We have a server team to deploy this solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We are paying an annual licensing fee.
What other advice do I have?
I believe it is a good tool, and I would recommend it to others.
I would 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.
Buyer's Guide
Tableau
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about Tableau. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Manager - Customer Success at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Stable, flexible, but scalability needs improvement
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is configurable and flexible. We can customize the dashboards and configure the interface the way that we want. The data can be manipulated and arranged in different ways, such as columns."
- "The solution could improve the scalability, it is difficult to make changes."
What is our primary use case?
Tableau is a data visualization tool similar to Microsoft Power BI.
What is most valuable?
The solution is configurable and flexible. We can customize the dashboards and configure the interface the way that we want. The data can be manipulated and arranged in different ways, such as columns.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for a year and a half.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Tableau is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution could improve the scalability, it is difficult to make changes.
We have more than 50 people using this solution in my organization.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have evaluated Microsoft Power BI.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Tableau a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Performance and Business Intelligence Specialist at a transportation company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Good visualization features and reasonably-priced, but the ETL process is time-consuming
Pros and Cons
- "Compared to other products, visualization features are really good."
- "To be the best in the market, Tableau has to improve its user interface and also look into developing implementing the best machine learning algorithms."
What is our primary use case?
We use Tableau for working with data.
What is most valuable?
Compared to other products, visualization features are really good. When it comes to data availability and visualization, some tools like PowerBI give 20% to the visualization and 80% to the data. With Tableau, it gives 80% to the visualization and 20% to the data.
What needs improvement?
All of the BI tools have graphical interfaces but when it comes to the learning environment, not every tool has everything. To be the best in the market, Tableau has to improve its user interface and also look into developing implementing the best machine learning algorithms.
Including data storage capabilities would be helpful.
During the data crunching phase, it takes time for Tableau to connect, integrate, and download the data. In general, it takes a lot of time for the ETL process.
Increasing the trial period to six months would allow people to better learn and assess the tool to determine whether it suits their needs.
Given the price of BI tools, Tableau should consider giving a scholarship to people so that they can learn how to work with the tool. It would be helping some of the people who lost their jobs during this pandemic. If the users learn and become certified on Tableau, it would help to get more people interested in the tool.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Tableau for approximately five years.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of Tableau is reasonable compared to other products. One thing to keep in mind is that price is not the only thing to consider. The first time that you want to test any BI tool, you have to give the user some time to work with it and learn it. This means that the trial period should be as long as possible.
Many startups can't afford most of the BI tools, so they are looking for open-source platforms.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We are currently focused on building a data lake. Whether it is ultimately a data lake, data warehouse, or other data storage, we will require tools. There are several that we are looking into now. It is a collective effort with the data and the tools that we have, and what BI tools are necessary and required. Some of the solutions we are looking at are Alteryx, Azure, and Qlik Sense, in addition to Tableau.
With Qlik Sense, there is an ETL component and there is also a data storage option.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Operations Manager at iWantGreatCare
Good filters for data security, but reports should be downloadable as PDFs
Pros and Cons
- "This solution has improved insights into quantitative data."
- "Reports should be downloadable as PDF files."
What is our primary use case?
I used this solution for providing dashboard analytics from MySQL data.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution has improved insights into quantitative data.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are the user filters for data security and subscriptions to distribute images of reports.
What needs improvement?
The cost of the solution should be improved.
Reports should be downloadable as PDF files. Emails containing images of dashboards can be scheduled, but there is still demand for creating printable PDF snapshot views of dashboards. UPDATE - In fairness to Tableau, with the right design, dashboards that are downloadable can be created ad-hoc.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Good
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Good - by licebnse model can be replaced by an enterprise model solution for large numbers of licenses.
How are customer service and technical support?
Good - customer success program is a great service
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've looked briefly at Google Data Studios (good basic solution) and Amazon QuickSight which also looks good.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Check that you need the functionality that you pay for - Tableau is not cheap.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
No
What other advice do I have?
None
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
SVP Technology at Tesco
The most valuable feature is the 3D charting, though they need to improve the bar chart position and width
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is the 3D charting."
- "They need to improve the bar chart position and width."
What is our primary use case?
We use it for dashboard designing.
How has it helped my organization?
It has improved our organizational departments, like sales, HR, etc.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the 3D charting.
What needs improvement?
They need to improve the bar chart position and width.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
VP at EON group
End users no longer have to wait for the IT department to develop data visualizations.
Valuable Features
Easy visualization, with only drag & drop, double-click!
Improvements to My Organization
Yesterday: Excel -> pivot table -> graph ....think...think...think and re-work because of no insight.
Today: Double-click or drag & drop and see....see...find insight.
Room for Improvement
- Korean geographic map at the detail level
- Polygon map is a hot requirement from end users
Korean users want the Tableau default map function to be one more detailed level
when they would visualize Korean territories.
----------------
Country : South Korea
Great area(OOO-do) : Seoul city, Busan city, KyungKi-do, Chungchung-do,...
County(XXX-gu): Mapo-gu, Seocho-gu,.Gangnam-gu these are covered by Tableau 10.
It needs more detailed level (GGG-dong) that is Seocho-dong, Minrak-dong, Woomyun-dong as these are not covered yet.
Use of Solution
I have been using Tableau for six months.
Deployment Issues
DB speed, but it's a complicated issue that could be caused by Oracle? Excel? Tableau? N/W? etc...
Customer Service and Technical Support
I rate the level of customer service and technical support 9/10.
Initial Setup
Initial setup was easy: Download the software and drag an DB file(i.e. excel) onto the Tableau icon.
That's it. There is no easier way to get started.
Implementation Team
End users should "study" the software.
Do not wait for the IT department any longer.
Do it yourself.
ROI
Return = time saving, efficiency.
Investment = license fee & study time.
When you consider how much time is wasted on DB work, including visualization, the license fee is a small issue.
Unfortunately, many people are concerning only "the cost of software".
They miss "the hidden in-efficiency".
Other Advice
At first, buy one or several copies (not 10's or 100's).
Be an information worker who see and understand data by yourself without waiting an IT department support.
Then, expand later
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Data Warehouse Consultant Sr at a consultancy with 1,001-5,000 employees
It has good community support and useful training videos.
What is most valuable?
- Very easy and fast to build dashboards, compared to many other BI tools
- Has connectivity options to various data sources
- Good community support and very useful free training videos
How has it helped my organization?
Clients are pleased with the beautiful and interactive dashboards. They are also happy with the noticeable shortening in time to production.
What needs improvement?
If it had a semantic layer, it would be great. I know Tableau is not meant for data modeling but the data warehouse is not always perfect. Without a semantic layer, we need to reach out to the ETL team for even small data model changes.
Also, a semantic layer would have allowed for building 'subject areas' by grouping tables and defining joins. This would then allow users with appropriate permissions to build ad-hoc reports without having to worry about table joins.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used it for 1.5 years.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
We did not have any issues with deployment, stability and scalability. We deployed Tableau Server in the AWS cloud.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have contacted customer support few times and the support team always came back with solutions / work-arounds promptly. So, customer service and technical support is good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We evaluated a few other solutions, but we chose Tableau because of the speed with which we can build reports, the simple deployment (cloud), easy scalability and the cost factor.
How was the initial setup?
Initial setup was straightforward and in fact very simple.
What about the implementation team?
An in-house team implemented it, but we went for AWS cloud-based deployment, which was not complex.
What other advice do I have?
Try the trial versions and explore all of the features before going in; it is very useful. Also, the training videos on their website are good.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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