Preface

So what is this book about? The title certainly points in the right direction: Mastering Tableau. The word Mastering implies a journey to a level of competency beyond mere familiarity or superficial knowledge. The word Tableau, of course, limits the scope of a particular software package. Let’s extend the title by one word in order to hone the focus: Mastering Tableau Desktop. The word Desktop further narrows consideration by communicating that this book is not focused on Tableau Server, although there is a chapter dedicated to interacting with Server. Nor does this book dive deep into topics beyond the realm of Tableau, though other technologies such as R and SQL are discussed as they pertain to Tableau. Furthermore, this book is not focused on data visualization or architectural theory per se, though these topics are explored and every attempt is made to adhere to sound methodology as technical problems are discussed. Instead, this book attempts to build on a foundation of an already basic understanding of Tableau Desktop so as to provide a theoretical and practical basis for solving real-world challenges in an efficient and elegant manner. Along the way, many tips and tricks for use in everyday work are discussed and exercises with careful step-by-step instructions and commentary are provided.