Tableau Reviews

Ease of use, polished visualizations, all data elements are treated as discrete, the story-telling feature, self-service, excellent for visually exploring data with unknown questions.

Tableau is used in our Platform-as-a-Service offering for data visualization/exploration, seeking to retire a larger BI platform using it, good customer adoption/feedback.

Metadata/reuse, performance/scalability at high data volumes + high user concurrency, disparity between desktop vs. web versions – need to address enterprise requirements in general.

I have used Tableau for two years.

No issues with deployments/stability.

It does not perform well when you cross into TBs+ of data and thousands of users.

Technical support is very good.

For our PaaS data discovery needs at the time, we reviewed MicroStrategy 9.4 Visual Insight, which was not up to the capabilities/ease of use that Tableau had at the time.

Initial setup was straightforward, it is not a complex system to install.

We implemented it in-house, limited to no need for external assistance.

The ROI is unknown.

Licensing costs continue to increase in Tableau and in QlikView, which we also use, forcing us at some point to consider consolidating to one and/or turning some existing/owned MicroStrategy licensing inward to replace, if the upward pricing trend continues.

Pick the right tool for the job/consumers of the products. There is not a single product that can cover all personas/use cases well or there would be only one product out there commanding the world – and there’s simply not just one. Tableau is great if the targeted users want highly polished visualizations of the data and from an exploration use case, the question(s) for the data are unknown.

Ease of use (including frequently used calculations), drag and drop and interactive data visualization are the most valuable features of the product to me.

• Helped organization to identify the best time to roll out the campaign for summer cruise booking.
• Measured health plan product performance to identify health plan product(s) where organization is losing or making money.
• Source-to-destination mapping for health plan members to determine how far members travel to their primary care physician’s office from their residence to identify opportunities for service quality improvements.

We need a Tableau connector to connect to other BI tools like SAP BusinessObjects.

I have been using this product for over three years.

So far, I have never encountered any issues with deployment or stability. I do feel slowness rarely when I try to get data directly by connecting to Teradata database using SQL Query.

Technical support is excellent.

I did a POC with Tableau for my current organization and compared this tool with other BI tools.

I recommended Tableau for the following reasons: truly mature product, price-performance balance, ease of use, lot of flexibilities in regrouping the data on the fly, most of the frequently used calculations are built-in and very easy to use - unlike some other BI tools, which are quite clumsy - and for best interactive data visualization capabilities. Most importantly, a non-IT person can develop a simple dashboard without any IT help.

Initial setup was very straightforward.

I installed the Tableau desktop on my computer. Tableau servers are installed by our internal admins. It’s an easy installation and doesn’t need the vendor’s help.

Sometimes admin gets overwhelmed after Tableau is rolled out in the organization as users get up to the speed in a very short period of time, because of how easy it is to use the tool. Therefore, system access and resource planning should be done and properly planned ahead of time.

People should be aware of the fact that Tableau doesn’t have a semantic layer. It takes a good amount of time to prepare the dataset / data structure. Once the dataset is ready, the data visualization part doesn’t take much time, even for a fairly complex dashboard, because the tool is very intuitive and easy to use.

It can build in-memory data with an easy-to-use interface, connecting numerous data sources and linking referenced tables/origins. It also has an awesome Sense-Me tool that indicates the most appropriable graphic to use with selected information (dimensions and measures) and, in my opinion, works like a charm!

It shows us our client’s profile, our best services and what areas are not satisfying the target. Also, it gives us a better sense of market needs, using non-structured data (like social media, government data).

It needs a more robust way to connect and share the "big-data" origin. It also needs an easy-to-develop interface for creating new charts and tools in business dashboards.

Version 8: 10 months, Version 9: 1 month.

I have not encountered any deployment, stability or scalability issues.

Tableau has incredible consulting people and comprehensive support professionals, solving and clarifying any questions.

We used (and continue to use) SAP Business Objects 4.1 Edge (and all the embedded tools...). We acquired the SAP BO licenses to initialize our business intelligence project. But, our bigger problem is using lot-and-not-linked tools to generate insights. Some of our needs are only answered by Explorer, another only by Dashboard Design (Xcelsius – and it’s so old...), another only by Lumira (and can’t be viewed on LaunchPad – The Web-Portal of BO - forcing users to install the app on their machines without mobile support).

Tableau is an easy-to-install tool, like Next-Next-Finish!

We installed it by ourselves, only viewing the vendor’s documentation to make sure we’re using the correct parameters. It is a good way to start; always see what the vendor’s site has in their documentation area.

Our employees no longer have to search for information in many systems and/or use a web search; they can just go to the BI platform and do a lot of analysis by just clicking. So, with this time savings, our ROI is more than 100% - a lucrative investment.

Before looking at the pricing/licensing, research all of the employees’ needs. Make a matrix with their needs and the available BI platforms on the market, checking which platform addresses the way your business way-to-do. Then, determine which users will use the platform to see information, to create information and to build information.

Just test before you buy. All BI platforms have a lot of functionalities and, also, a lot of needs.

The ability to analyze data patterns in more visual dimensions (size, shape, color) than are realistically possible in Excel is the functionality most valuable to me.

Calculated fields are relatively simple and may leave a user wanting. Joining between multiple datasets also needs to be improved. (I heard this is an improvement that will be made with the version 10 release this summer.) Source data formatting requirements are a little particular, and reloading for new users can get repetitive.

I am a management consultant, and I have used this solution for multiple clients over the last two years.

I never had to use customer service.

Initial setup was extremely easy; when downloading the trial version or purchasing, just accept the defaults. There aren’t many ways you can screw this up.

I’d suggest taking the following steps:

1. Define what you want to get out of the tool. (People don’t always need these types of solutions, and this becomes evident once they actually get in there with the data they have.)
2. Make sure you have the existing data needed.
3. Download a trial version and play with the software and develop prototype dashboards and analysis
4. If you actually have a recurring need, then I’d look at purchasing Tableau desktop. If the need for use and analysis extends to many across the organization, Tableau Server could be your best option.

I also evaluated Qlik and Spotfire, but found Tableau to be more intuitive and visually appealing.

This product is the best visualization solution on the market. My rating is based on ease of use, visual appeal and additional functionality over Excel.

The best features of Tableau include:

• Freedom of connection: Its ability to connect to practically any database. There is no need to go through cryptic ODBC or other driver setup procedures.
• Freedom of exploration: The ease one can explore a data table. With simple drag and drop, you can produce easily readable cross tabs and paretos on-the-fly to learn everything you need to know about an unfamiliar table.
• Freedom of expression: You can pretty much build any type of analytic structure you need to analyze your data.
• Built-in visual best practices: Interfaces are clean and simple. You have to work hard to produce an ugly chart in Tableau.

With the ease of using Tableau, I am able to set up basic analytic structures in the meta data (dims and measures) with some starter chart types, then turn over to analysts who can then ask all the detailed questions of the data on their own without having to come back to me for every minor change.

• They still need to improve advanced query functions. Level of detail and table calcs have improved but still are difficult to use, especially when working with large data sets.
• The custom query editor has lots of room for improvement. If Tableau can add features and functionality here, it would be easier to work with the database in one environment, instead of having to open another query editor to develop custom queries for advanced analytics.
• The formatting interface is the one area that has lots of room for improvement, as well as the ability to be more precise in formatting. At the moment, it is much more of an all-or-none proposition.
• More integrated statistical functions.

I have used it since 2009, Tableau 5.

I have not encountered any deployment, stability or scalability issues. Although I do run into performance issues with Tableau server from time to time, it is not always easy to identify the root cause.

I have had so little need to use customer support, I can’t really rate them. Nonetheless, the few times when I have called, the level of understanding of complex data issues at the first few levels of support seems to be on the light side.

For the desktop edition, initial setup couldn’t be simpler. For the server edition, it is a bit more involved but that is to be expected.

It was implemented in house. For the server edition, an experienced server admin would definitely make the final install better.

My clients find the price tag for the desktop edition high, so they typically try to use the server/interactor edition, which for an analyst just doesn’t provide enough functionality to get the job done. Hopefully, as Tableau builds scale, they will be able to bring the price of the desktop edition down and get on more desktops, like Excel.

I have evaluated other competitive tools but in the end, my clients have always gone with Tableau.

The Tableau on-demand learning resources are fantastic to help a new user get going. There is a robust user community that is very generous with their time and knowledge to help you get through the learning curve.

Our customer uses Tableau for visual dashboard features.

The product offers an intuitive user interface, detailed screens and widgets, and the absence of data limitations. Its primary strength lies in visual analytics, allowing users to analyze data with visual compliance.

Tableau's data modeling, mining, and AI library features need improvement.

We have been using Tableau for five or six years.

The platform's cloud version is stable and has no CPU or RAM limitations. The dashboards work fast. In the case of an on-premise site, the stability is based on the hardware capacity.

The product is scalable. We have 50 users for it in our environment.

The initial setup is straightforward. It can be deployed in the cloud and on-premises as well. For successful implementation, one must ensure well-designed data regarding KPIs, data strategy, etc., if one has an in-depth understanding of easy deployment. One needs to log in and select the model for cloud implementation. Preparing a Tableau server environment for the project site takes around two days. It is a self-oriented structure and doesn't require any manual adjustment. It is easy to maintain and involves giving a few commands. However, one must update the product to avoid compatibility issues with Windows and Linux.

The product generates a value for investment.

Tableau has reasonable pricing similar to Power BI. It doesn't have any hidden costs.

Tableau has a good interface, is easy to deploy, and can be integrated with different AI systems. Compared to other vendors like SAP, the product's data layers need enhancement. Additionally, it could directly connect to cloud services similar to Power BI.

I rate Tableau a nine out of ten. I advise others to help from experienced consultant teams and trusted vendors for implementation. Another piece of advice is to begin small by downloading Tableau Desktop, testing it with your data, and familiarizing yourself with its logic. They can increase their knowledge with online training sources published on the product's website. It is free to access.

I have used Tableau to generate visualizations to calculate system trend analysis for business. 

Tableau has been very helpful to give a high level of insight into our business.

Tableau's most valuable features are user-friendliness and have a connection between multiple source systems. You can publish a report by using Tableau Public and there you can make your data online, not only batches of data, you can use it as an online analytical tool.

There are more than a powerful tool in the market, such as Microsoft BI.

I have used Tableau within the last 12 months.

Tableau is a stable solution.

I have found Tableau to be scalable.

I would recommend this solution for large enterprises.

I have not contacted technical support. However, after reading many reviews others have found the support to be good.

The setup and deployment of Tableau are very easy. I did not have a problem.

The price of Tableau could improve. The license is too expensive. 

There is a 14-day trial version available to those who want to try it.

I would recommend Tableau, but if any organization wants to use it, they can see if the solution fits their business requirement. There is a very competitors market and with a low price. Those wanting to use this solution need to study the requirements to know which repository to use.

I rate Tableau a nine out of ten.

Creates data visualization for final users, then shares these visualizations throughout the entire company.

We offer Tableau as a product. As a partner, we recommend it to our customers. We use it internally to manage all our KPIs and services, so we also use it as a customer.

• Data is easily understood at all levels of the company.
• Business insights are shared across various departments.
• They allow you to quickly mount decision scenarios, and point you in the right direction of issues.

• Its ease of use and ability to convert drag and drop gestures into queries.
• The ability to create complex calculations.
• The completeness of things you can do.
• It has a very nice dashboards.
• You do not need a technical background to fulfill your business needs.

• Conditional formatting could be an interesting feature to provide to final users. It is a long-term request of our users.
• The data preparation/blending options are very basic. They could be improved.
• More willing to hear customer/user suggestions.

Five to ten years.

No stability issues. I never had it crash my computers. The stability is awesome.

It can be achieved, but it is not what most companies focus on. You can have a huge server with core licenses. You can have a lot of users using and consuming information and dashboard use it continuously, but the thing is to still have a PC or text components, which is the weakest link in the chain. 

Scalability may be good. Not awesome, but good.

Tableau's support could improve.

Partner support is very good.

In five years, I have been working with Tableau. I have used technical support only one time. They did not complete what I needed. I figured out the solution myself, but I understand this may be due to my own expertise. However, in general, our customers are very satisfied with the support.

I would rate technical support as an eight out of 10.

Positive

I used Cognos, BusinessObjects, and QlikView. I switched because of the paradigm change to self-service capabilities and ease of use.

We also have a lot projects to change previous tools. For example, we replaced six Enterprise QlikViews in six different companies which had been working there for six or seven years.

The initial setup is very simple and the deployment is easy. Both tools (Desktop & Server) have a very simple wizard.

The typical installation from Mexico to Argentina, which is the market that I serve, is very easy to perform.

Both. Expertise on this tool is very high throughout all of the Tableau ecosystem.

It is very high, but it requires a data preparation/blending tool.

Tableau's licensing is pretty straightforward and simple. 

However, Tableau is a company that does not respect partners. Tableau is a company that overlaps and steps onto the partners' total deal. We had a very good example in Panama with one of the biggest companies in the country. They stepped in without notice, without having a partner laid out. The company turned down the deal and took it another year and a half to resurface. Finally, when it was close to closing, Tableau stepped in and messed it up. That is a common behavior of the boss company in Latin America.

Power BI, which was in its early stages at the time, but now sprawling across Latin America. Yellowfin, who we are a partner with now. We are now looking at Birst.

We chose Tableau because they were the whole package at the time.

Do not hesitate to implement Tableau. You will not regret it if you are looking for a visualization and discovery tool.

Most important criteria when selecting a vendor: 

• Customers' experiences
• Transparency
• The financial stability of the company.

Hybrid Cloud

Other