Tableau Software Reviews

“Strong dashboards with good search”

Pros

Our company dashboard has been really useful especially when I use it alongside SQL through Metabase to pull just about any data I need for reports and similar tasks. The dashboard filtering is excellent and makes it simple to narrow things down to the exact data I am looking for. Another feature I appreciate is being able to search the database for reports other users have created. The search works well and it clearly shows who originally wrote each report.

Cons

My only real complaint is the loading speed because it can be very slow and sometimes it will not load at all when I am trying to run SQL separately. The home page also feels a bit messy, with the recents, shared with me and recommended tabs arranged in a confusing manner. On top of that I still haven't been able to download the desktop version to my PC although I am not sure whether that's a software issue or something specific to my company setup.

“Strong analytics with visual models”

Pros

There's a huge range of features here and while it can feel a bit intimidating at the beginning to figure everything out, the payoff is absolutely worth it. Once you get the hang of it, Tableau produces really impressive-looking models and, more importantly, helps uncover statistical insights that would have been hard to spot otherwise. I used it with Covid patient data to show the connection between age, region, income and infection rates and it handled that analysis really well.

Cons

People who are just getting started may need more tutorials or guidance to learn their way around the app.

“Easy self-service data preparation”

Pros

Tableau comes with self-service data preparation features that make it simple to gather data from ETL services and turn it into clear visualizations.

Cons

Whenever issues come up, its support team and our internal team work closely together to resolve them quickly.

“Great visuals and graphics”

Pros

The standout for me is the unique visualizations and graphics this program lets me create. It gives me a lot of ways to present data in a visually appealing and effective format.

Cons

My only real complaint is that I wish the free version offered access to more of the program's features or that the paid option was more affordable to use.

“Better access to campus data”

Pros

Tableau has made it possible for more people across our campus to work with data in ways they really couldn't before. We can either dig into the details when we want to explore something further or stay at a high-level view just as easily, thanks to the different options Tableau provides.

Cons

With larger data sets, the dashboards and visualizations can be slow to load at first and again whenever you change how you want to view the data. So if you need to slice and dice the information in several different ways, it can end up taking quite a bit of time.

“Fast results with responsive search”

Pros

Search results show up quickly and it doesn't take long at all for the system to return what I am looking for.

Cons

It can be hard to find specific items unless the search term matches exactly 100%.

“Good visuals but costly to use fully”

Pros

Tableau comes with a wide range of capabilities for building visualizations and dashboards and the platform has a lot of depth and power overall.

Cons

One frustration is that the desktop, web and mobile versions don't all offer the same features. For example the web client won't let us inspect data sources or edit queries so we have to use the desktop client. But the desktop client stopped logging in altogether as the login page just shows up blank. When we contacted the support, they said they couldn't help because our Tableau Server version was more than six months old and we needed to upgrade first. Unfortunately, this happened during the Log4j situation, when it had disabled downloads so we had no way to move forward. On top of that it is expensive compared with other options. Microsoft positioned Power BI very smartly for companies already using Office 365 so it really makes you question whether its extra features justify paying that much more.

“Hard to use without dedicated help”

Pros

Tableau helps our teams turn data into clear visualizations. No matter the company size, it's a great option for handling data, numbers and KPIs. It also helps organize and manage information so you can pull out the specific data you need and it's useful for monitoring progress and changes over time.

Cons

Using it can be quite difficult if there isn't someone dedicated to managing it. The UX/UI also isn't very good although that doesn't really affect the accuracy of the insights you're trying to get from it.

“Strong dashboards with useful insights”

Pros

Working with Tableau feels very natural thanks to its user friendly, canvas style interface for building dashboards. It supports multiple data sources and the automated refresh feature along with the ability to publish dashboards to stakeholders makes reporting much more efficient. I also like the admin controls since access can be assigned by role and rules when needed. On top of that customized dashboards and ad hoc reporting are very much possible and the range of calculations and aggregations is extensive. It also handles statistical and predictive analysis well which helps uncover valuable insights from the data.

Cons

The biggest limitation is the price which can be a challenge for small independent developers. It would also benefit from better memory allocation when working with large datasets so data refreshes can run more optimally.

“Strong analytics with good visualization”

Pros

Tableau is an elegant platform for data analytics and visualization. Getting started doesn't take long because there's plenty of documentation and tutorials available. It also works on Mac which is a big advantage over Power BI, its closest competitor. The data segmentation, variety of visualizations and level of customization are outstanding and, in my view, hard for any other BI tool to match.

Cons

It does feel a bit expensive for commercial use. The UI/UX could use an upgrade as it doesn't seem like there have been any major changes over the last few releases. Integration with Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint could also be made better.

“Dashboards with clear insights”

Pros

The built-in views are fantastic. The default options already do a really good job and On top of that other users can build custom dashboards and views that offer even deeper insight into the data. It really feels like a powerhouse tool.

Cons

There's definitely some learning involved at the beginning. That said, it's not surprising since a tool with this much power is naturally going to come with a fairly steep learning curve.

“Easy access to data and insights”

Pros

Tableau gives me near-unlimited access to the data I need for product management. Once you get past the relatively small learning curve, exploring the data and pulling useful insights from it becomes incredibly valuable.

Cons

There is still a bit of a learning curve and non-technical product managers may find it somewhat challenging at the beginning while getting comfortable with it.

“Strong reporting with good visuals”

Pros

The reporting and visualization features are incredibly powerful and Tableau's position as an industry leader means there are plenty of resources out there for integrations, troubleshooting and learning.

Cons

A few of the add on products in the suite such as Tableau Prep still feel somewhat unfinished or only partially developed.

“drag and drop visuals work great”

Pros

One of the most valuable things about Tableau is how simply you can build visuals with its drag and drop features.

Cons

I honestly cannot think of any drawbacks.

“Good visuals for analysts”

Pros

Using it is very easy and it helps create highly effective data visualizations. It's an excellent tool for Data Scientists, Data Analysts and Business Analysts.

Cons

It's a really great piece of software, simple to work with and I honestly haven't come across anything specific that I dislike.

“Great dashboards once you get it”

Pros

After you get comfortable with how to move through the data and build it into a dashboard, this software is incredible.

Cons

There's definitely a learning curve at first and I had to lean on some more data-savvy teammates to really get the most out of it.

“Strong analytics with good visualization”

Pros

Tableau is fairly easy to use for data analysis and visualization. Plus it offers strong overall functionality and a wide range of useful features.

Cons

That said fully understanding everything it can do can take time. Some parts may also feel less user friendly than certain users expect.

“Explore your data thoroughly”

Pros

Getting into data discovery and exploration with Tableau is very easy. Preparing data is also much more manageable with this tool and working through large datasets is simple when it comes to analysis.

Cons

The performance has been excellent so I really don't have any flaws to point out.

“Versatile dashboards with good visuals”

Pros

Putting multiple views on the same page with different kinds of data visualizations is very convenient in Tableau.

Cons

Creating reports is a bit easier in Power BI than in this one.

“Clear visuals for better choices”

Pros

It does a good job of strengthening understanding and gives a clear, vivid view of the data which really helps when making data-driven decisions.

Cons

The cost is high and it takes training plus regular use to get the most out of it. It would be even more valuable if it offered better integration with artificial intelligence.