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Founder and CEO at Information Age Consulting
Real User
User-friendly and flexible with a good interface
Pros and Cons
  • "The ability of filtering and segmentation of the data makes it very flexible compared to other tools."
  • "I would like to have the product be more flexible in terms of creating online shared dashboards."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for data visualization and data analytics. I normally use it for analyzing data from social media, for social media analytics, mainly Twitter and data from the Twitter API. I use it to analyze what is being said on social media and also to look at the interaction on social media on specific topics. 

I also use it for educational purposes. I analyze the data from student information systems to check about their student progress and provide visualizations about this data.

I create a lot of dashboards, mainly using these tools. 

How has it helped my organization?

Tableau helped our organization to provide our ckients organizations with cloud-based  Data Analytics service. Through using the Tableau's anilities in the field of Data Analytics, and Data Preperation & Transformation, and Data Visualization
we collect, cleanse, transform client’s data and discover insights and patterns in this data. Using Tableau, we help our ckients to improve the way data is utilized to support the decision-making process, enhance strategy implementation, and apply KPI monitoring within the business process. Tableau helped us to provide our clients with data driven decision making power through utilizing high quality  data analytics and vizualization so that they can continue to comply with the standards and best practices in teir field of business.

What is most valuable?

The solution is very flexible. The ability of filtering and segmentation of the data makes it very flexible compared to other tools.

The ease of use is great. It's a good platform from an ease of use point of view. It's easy to use and easy to learn. The learning curve is not difficult to grasp. 

The user interface is very friendly. The onscreen help, and also the resources that Tableau provides, including training videos, a support website, and knowledge base, are very helpful. 

I use the Tableau training portal and I found it very enlightening. It provided me with online training and certifications. I use it mostly for strengthening my abilities in Tableau.  

I like the way it integrates with multiple data sources. The data blending aspect of Tableau, in which I can blend and merge data from multiple sources, is great. I found that the things that I was doing previously, such as using SQL or other tools over the course of hours I can do in Tableau within minutes. Instead of doing my job using SQL with multiple queries and instructions, now I can do it in Tableau in minutes.

Its ability to handle large amounts of data is very important. 

The initial setup is easy.

What needs improvement?

I would like to have the product be more flexible in terms of creating online shared dashboards. When I need to publish a public dashboard, I use Tableau Public. However, I don't find it flexible compared to Tableau Online, which is the paid version. Tableau Public is a free Tableau portal in which I can publish my data, however, Tableau Public doesn't provide the flexibility that I find in Tableau Online. If we compare this with other tools, such as Zoho Analytics, for example, publishing web-based shared dashboards is more flexible, in terms of publishing web-based shared dashboards.

If they can add the feature of machine learning and the predictive analysis to Tableau, it would be very helpful. After Salesforce acquired Tableau, they have been merging Salesforce with Tableau, in terms of machine learning. That said, in this case, I need to use two products - Salesforce and Tableau. I want to have the Einstein tool, which is available now in Salesforce, be integrated into Tableau, so I don't have to use Salesforce for machine learning, to use the Einstein tool, and I can use Tableau for the product. If the Einstein tool for machine learning is integrated into Tableau, that would be very good for us.

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For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for around four years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability has been good. In general usage cases, it's reliable andhere are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. But we face some stability (crash or freezsing) and performance (slowness) issue with large datasets especially when we export our Tableau visualization to Tableau Public.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Basically, I'm the one using it. However, others consume what I make. I create the dashboard, I create the analytics, and I give my analytics as a shared dashboard or as reports to the decision-makers and other employees. Normally they consume what I do, however, for the creation of dashboards, creation of analytics, I do the job. I'm the main user in that sense. 

It's very scalable, especially if you choose the online option.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support has been great.

How was the initial setup?

The implementation process is not difficult. It's very easy. When I use Tableau Online, it is given as software as a service, which means I don't need to deploy anything. I just give the username and password, and I use it directly without any issue. For the Tableau Desktop, I need to install the software. It's a very normal installation and happens without any issue.

What about the implementation team?

We handled the implementation process ourselves. It's pretty easy. therefore, we didn't need outside assistance. 

What was our ROI?

The return on investment from Tableau is very high.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing of the solution is very good. We find it much cheaper than other options.

What other advice do I have?

I'm just a customer and an end-user. I have tried several times to have a partnership with Tableau, however, it seems a little bit difficult getting the partnership. This is maybe a negative aspect in terms of having a partnership program. It's not easy to have a partnership or a fellowship relationship with Tableau.

I'm using Tableau Online, as software as a service, and I'm also using Tableau Desktop. I use it on my machine.

I really recommend it for any organization that wants to have data visualization with a tight budget.

I would rate the solution at a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1521363 - PeerSpot reviewer
Digital Strategy Manager at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Good visualization with great features and good stability
Pros and Cons
  • "The best part about Tableau is the visualization."
  • "The pricing is a bit expensive."

What is our primary use case?

We just created the data visualization and analytics models and the complete setup file was sent to the client for deployment in their own premise as that was their client policy. We just created the solution and the solution was transferred to them.

We were trying to create a dashboard for the contractors in an oil and gas plant. It's for a million-dollar company. That was the level one priority. The use case involved a pilot project meant to drill down the visualization of each contractor and the sub-KPIs at a sub contracting level, plus the geographies involved. Tableau is a data visualization tool with analytics involved in it. The art was to create a set of dashboards that were geography-specific plus contractor-specific. Along with that, there were some common KPIs against which the visualization was supposed to cover as well.

What is most valuable?

The best part about Tableau is the visualization. 

Tableau has some amazing features. We can have some additional UI features that act like a skin. You can get it to really customize to your needs and then you can incorporate items as a plugin in your Tableau version and the user interface.

The graphics are quite good.

The solution can scale.

Technical support was helpful.

We found the solution to be quite stable.

What needs improvement?

Tableau is good, however, it lacks a bit on the integration side if you compare it to Power BI, for example. Power BI has quite a good amount of connectors. Even though Tableau does have some, Power BI works well with the Microsoft environment and most of the firms are in granular detail. That's where Microsoft shines. Maybe Tableau can collaborate with other bigger, well-recognized solutions in order to get an edge in the market the way Power BI does with Microsoft. 

The pricing is a bit expensive.

There's a bit of a learning curve for those new to implementing the solution.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using the solution for less than a year so far. In the last eight months, we've developed and deployed the solution. We haven't been using it as long as, for example, Power BI.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's a reliable solution. There's no doubt about it. The solution is stable. It does not crash or freeze. There are no bugs or glitches.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

For deployment, the capacity was increased. It required really strong contractors also. That was easily manageable. It is quite scalable.

We had a team of around 20 developers who are working on the solution.

How are customer service and technical support?

We only dealt with technical support once or twice. There wasn't a lot of interaction in the time we used Tableau. That said, they were always helpful and responsive. We were happy with their amount of assistance. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We are also using Power BI. We use both products currently.

How was the initial setup?

For us the solution's initial setup was complex as we were just aware of how to use Power BI previously. It was a completely new solution. We had to get an instructor to get the things in place.

I'd say it was about an eight-month installation process for the particular software. In-app work was one month and then seven months of development everything and all over the board.

What about the implementation team?

We had an instructor assist us in the implementation process. and show us how to use the product.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We bought a monthly license as we were not able to continue with it long-term. It was simply a specific client requirement that was not needed forever.

The pricing of Tableau is a bit on a higher side compared to Power BI, however, for us, it didn't matter much as we were charging it to the client. That said, for a normal end-user, it would be considered a bit pricey compared to Power BI.

What other advice do I have?

For Tableau we have been using only for a specific team within that also was for the external clients. That experience was only around eight months. However, it was a pretty good experience. Up to that point, we had been strictly using Power BI. Adding Tableau was for a specific client who just wanted the Tableau licenses created and developed for them.

We were using the latest version. It was not a cloud version. It was the desktop on-prem version we were using.

The solution would work well for small, medium, or large enterprises. It caters to all different sizes of companies.

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten overall. We've mostly been quite happy with it.

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.
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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.
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Product Manager at Rabita Software
Reseller
Enables us to visualize our raw data
Pros and Cons
  • "It's very user-friendly. It's not like Power BI, Tableau is very user-friendly. Anybody can use Tableau. It's very easy to adopt things. I can visualize the stats."
  • "In the next release, I would like to be able to have the option to see more raw data that I'm converting on the dashboard."

What is our primary use case?

Tableau is an analytics tool so we use it to feed the data. I get the raw data. We use it for business problems. If I want to see what is happening in the market I have Tableau's raw data. I'll make sure that I take all that data and feed it into Tableau.

What is most valuable?

It's very user-friendly. It's not like Power BI, Tableau is very user-friendly. Anybody can use Tableau. It's very easy to adopt things. I can visualize the stats.

It's one of the fastest-growing data visualization and data analytics tools. It aims to help people see the data. You can simplify and convert raw data into a very understandable format. That's the good thing about Tableau. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Tableau for two years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is good. It's easy to use. It's user-friendly. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is quite flexible. It designed to give a more flexible scaling experience. It's quite easy to add users. The Tableau server can support 200 users.

How are customer service and technical support?

I get good support from the Tableau team. If I have any issues, they're able to solve my issue within 24 to 48 hours. If I create an issue, they resolve it between 24 to 48 hours. If I have an issue, I'll just send in a form in the Tableau portal. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was easy. My IT team took care of setting up the licensing part. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is expensive. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We also evaluated Power BI and Qlikview. I'm more comfortable with Tableau, it's user-friendly.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Tableau a nine out of ten. 

It's a good thing that I'm able to visualize my raw data. In the next release, I would like to be able to have the option to see more raw data that I'm converting on the dashboard.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1384707 - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
A user-friendly and intuitive interface with good community support
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the interface, which is user-friendly and intuitive."
  • "The charts in Tableau are quite limited."

What is our primary use case?

We use Tableau for BI reporting.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the interface, which is user-friendly and intuitive. Even for somebody new, who has no idea of how a BI tool is supposed to function from a technical standpoint, it is very intuitive. You simply import the data and then use the drag-and-drop capabilities.

What needs improvement?

Data cleansing and data transformation functionality need to be improved. Tableau is not a full-stack BI tool, like Sisense. Including this type of functionality would add flavor to the tool.

The main point is that Tableau requires the data to be in a certain format for the end-user, in order for them to create charts. If it's not in a certain format, or in a certain structure, then the user will have to manipulate it.

The charts in Tableau are quite limited.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Tableau for a few years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Tableau caters to a lot of databases and flat files, which means that you can connect to multiple data sources. In this regard, I would say that it is quite scalable.

We have between 40 and 50 users in the company.

How are customer service and technical support?

We are quite satisfied with community support. It is always there if you need any help and I am pretty happy with it.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have worked with other BI tools including Spotfire and Power BI. There are not as visually appealing as Tableau and I would stay that purely from the UI perspective, Tableau definitely has the upper hand.

Conversely, Power BI has some capabilities that are missing in Tableau. Examples of this are charts and graphs. If you want to create something that's customizable, it's a very difficult and tedious task in Tableau. This is unlike Power BI or Sisense. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very easy. Once you download it, it is a typical setup with a series of screens where you just press the Next button. Anybody can install it in a few minutes.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I am currently researching Sisense to get an idea of what the pros and cons of the different BI tools are. Sisense is a more complete tool that includes data cleaning, data transformation, and ETL capabilities right in the tool.

Tableau, on the other hand, is used for visualizations, dashboards, and storytelling. Their data has been cleaned or preprocessed in an SQL database beforehand.

What other advice do I have?

Tableau is a product that I recommend.

I would rate this solution 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.
PeerSpot user
Program Manager at a non-profit with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
It allows us to understand and evaluate our numbers in an expedient manner.
Pros and Cons
  • "It allows us to basically understand and evaluate our numbers in an expedient manner."
  • "It is a stable solution."
  • "I would like to be able to set the parameters in a more specific manner."

What is our primary use case?

We have used it for our program correspondence, basically, so how to program report to satisfaction of different programs. It helps us obtain information. We also use it for visualization.

How has it helped my organization?

It allows us to basically understand and evaluate our numbers in an expedient manner. It doesn't require us to need a huge number of data bases that we need to manage. This solution sets everything up for us. It has a good ease-of-use.

In the past, we were using several different solutions, and the packages were insufficient for our needs. We used a lot of different software solutions, and extreme Excel, but it wasn't enough for our needs. We were also looking for something that was a bit more user-friendly. 

What is most valuable?

One of the most valuable features are the different visualizations. It makes it much easier for us to represent what the data is showing. The dashboard is great, and the visualizations are really what we focus on. 

It's as powerful if you know how to use it, so it's made as much as we know how to use it. It's enough, but there's much more of a need to understand what you do to operate the solution. To be able to do more, we need to set it up to do different things. It is fine, but we have not really invested time or people into doing this much.

What needs improvement?

I would like to be able to set the parameters in a more specific manner. I feel as if it's not a questions of whether the solution is sufficient, it's whether we understand how to use it to the best of its productivity.

For how long have I used the solution?

One to three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution. I think we can use it for a while for a lot of different things. Again, we do not know the full scope of the capabilities. I think we are using it the best we can, but we could find better ways for it to best suit our needs. So, we just need to learn how to use it more efficiently.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support is good. They give solutions to our questions. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We previously used Microsoft BI.

How was the initial setup?

I was not involved in the initial setup of the solution.

What was our ROI?

Most people buy software because they know that it will help them do one thing, but they use it a tenth of the potential of what it could be used for. So, if you don't know what that is, you're stuck at ten percent. Be sure to explore the full capabilities of the solution.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price is competitive. We always consider pricing when considering a new solution. We are a non-profit, and pricing is a huge concern.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We always like to evaluate other products in tandem with what we are using.

What other advice do I have?

When reviewing a possible solution, we always consider:

  • Price
  • Functionality
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Steve-Jose - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Research Analyst at a consultancy with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Allows me to connect to an Excel sheet to create a visualization, and comes with a free version that is helpful in developing data visualization skills
Pros and Cons
  • "The feature that is currently most valuable is the import feature where I can link to an Excel data source. I'm not using it with any other data source, such as SQL Server. I directly link it to an Excel sheet, and if I change anything in that Excel sheet, the changed data immediately gets reflected in the virtualization. This is something that is very convenient for me as of now."
  • "Its documentation can be improved so that a user can get a good hands-on experience. Tableau is well documented, and on their website, there are a lot of tutorials that are available for free. I started my learning process through those tutorials, but there are certain loopholes in those tutorials, which only got filled through a couple of good YouTube channels that talk about Tableau. YouTube helped me a lot. So, the documentation could be better, I understand that it is evolving day by day, and with more usage, there would be more such documentation."

What is our primary use case?

I am using it for my personal use. I'm using Tableau Public. It is a downloadable version. I downloaded it to my system and installed it.

What is most valuable?

The feature that is currently most valuable is the import feature where I can link to an Excel data source. I'm not using it with any other data source, such as SQL Server. I directly link it to an Excel sheet, and if I change anything in that Excel sheet, the changed data immediately gets reflected in the virtualization. This is something that is very convenient for me as of now.

What needs improvement?

Its documentation can be improved so that a user can get a good hands-on experience. Tableau is well documented, and on their website, there are a lot of tutorials that are available for free. I started my learning process through those tutorials, but there are certain loopholes in those tutorials, which only got filled through a couple of good YouTube channels that talk about Tableau. YouTube helped me a lot. So, the documentation could be better, I understand that it is evolving day by day, and with more usage, there would be more such documentation.

There are a couple of features that are only available in the cloud version, and I would like to see them in the hosted version. We can only use them in a demo or temporary account for 10 or 15 days, but I would love to see those features in the hosted version that I am using, which is Tableau Public.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Tableau for almost one and a half years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable, but at times, I have seen that it doesn't work for certain datasets. If the data is not correctly sanitized, there are chances that you would end up having no visualization at all, even after spending a lot of time. So, sanitization is a must in Tableau as of now. Other than that, I've not seen anything else. There are no bugs, but if the data is not sanitized, you will not get any visualization. That is a problem. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is pretty scalable. There is no doubt about it. In the cloud version, a live data source can also be integrated. So, it seems pretty scalable, but I've not tested how scalable that version is.

How are customer service and support?

I don't have any experience with their technical support. Whatever I've learned to date is from online resources such as YouTube and my personal sources. I've not contacted Tableau support.

How was the initial setup?

Its initial setup is quite straightforward. It took me a while to understand that this version is also available for free for users like me who want to understand the data visualization part, but its installation is pretty easy.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I'm using Tableau Public, which is free.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I compared it with QlikView, which is a leading data visualization tool, but because I had heard a lot about Tableau and I had seen that there is a lot of scope in the market to get hired, I decided to go ahead with Tableau. 

What other advice do I have?

I would rate it 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.
PeerSpot user
Nicolas MRSIC - PeerSpot reviewer
Responsible for Domaine Applicatif at NRJ
Real User
The solution has a very dynamic evolution with its updates
Pros and Cons
  • "Any feature I am looking for usually is part of the next upgrade within a few months. They have a very good dynamic evolution."
  • "The user story model is the most deceptive part of Tableau. It is a big marketing option, however, the reality is that it is not enough."

What is our primary use case?

We can do many things with Tableau. I only use it for simple cases, but you can do many things with the device.

What is most valuable?

Tableau makes changes frequently. Any feature I am looking for usually is part of the next upgrade within a few months. They have a very good dynamic evolution.

What needs improvement?

The user story model is the most deceptive part of Tableau. It is a big marketing option, however, the reality is that it is not enough.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Tableau for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Tableau is a good product. 

What other advice do I have?

The advice I would give to someone looking to use Tableau would be to get prepared.

I use Tableau for BI and business subject, I would rate it a 9 out of 10.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Rajdeep Biswas - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Architect - Sr. Manager at Axtria - Ingenious Insights
Real User
Robust visualization, a functional UI, and it integrates well
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the richness of its visualization and from a self-service standpoint, the ease of use."
  • "The data processing in Tableau is pathetic compared to Qlik."

What is our primary use case?

There are many and various use cases. Some use it internally for inter-department analytics, sales analytics, campaign management, and sentiment analysis.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the richness of its visualization and from a self-service standpoint, the ease of use.

The interface is fine. The functionality in the UI front is good as well.

It integrates easily.

From a UI visualization standpoint, I think it's pretty robust.

What needs improvement?

The data processing in Tableau is pathetic compared to Qlik.

In Qlik, I can replace my ELD layer for an application. This can't be done in Tableau.

The initial processing of data in Tableau takes a lot of effort.

If there could be a feature that a particular visual can be exported or just the data behind the particular visual can be exported in one single click, just one button on a visual and it exports the relevant data out to Excel or a CSV output, that would be good.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Tableau since 2014, maybe even before that.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's pretty stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's decently scalable. I have been able to scale it pretty easily.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is good. On a scale of five, I would say four.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is neither straightforward nor complex.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Pricing is not bad. It's competitive.

What other advice do I have?

I'm a BI Architect.

My recommendation for this solution would depend on the use cases.

I would rate Tableau and eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Tableau Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: December 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Tableau Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.